Cranberry Orange Cashew Butter Cookies (vegan, gluten free, grain free, oil free)
Dec 20, 2020 • Updated Jun 20, 2023
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Cranberry Orange Cashew Butter Cookies
In case you missed it, I’ve been sharing vegan and gluten free cookie recipes on Instagram and here on the blog all week and today I’m sharing the recipe for these cute Cranberry Orange Cashew Butter Cookies! They are sweet and buttery, with a nice amount of tang and zest and finished with a dusting of sugar, which makes for a beautiful crunchy exterior. These cookies would make such a great edible gift, and are best enjoyed with a hot mug of coffee or tea.
They remind me a lot of shortbread, or a sable style cookie, and the cashew butter and almond flour offer the perfect amount of richness. That’s right, no butter or dairy required! These cookies are vegan, gluten free, oil free and grain free too. They can be made refined sugar free (just omit the cane sugar coating) and I’ll share 2 different methods to prepare. One is a slice and bake style method, and the other a more traditional scoop and shape method. In all, you need 10 ingredients and roughly 30 minutes from start to finish!
So what’s in these Cranberry Orange Cashew Butter Cookies?
- Cashew butter → Our buttery, rich base! This replaces the need for butter or oil, and is very mild in flavour.
- Almond flour → Just to add even more of that richness to the cookie, I opted for almond flour. The trick to a shortbread style cookie is focusing on achieving the buttery texture.
- Dried cranberries → For a little tang and sweetness! Try to opt for a no sugar added dried cranberry. Fresh cranberries can work too, but will be a lot more tangy and sour.
- Orange → We’ll be using both the zest and juice. The orange adds subtle bitterness, lots of zest and a bright flavour. As an alternative option, you can also use just a touch of orange extract.
- Maple syrup → The sweetener of choice that also adds to the moisture in this cookie.
And some baking staples like vanilla extract, baking powder, salt and optional cane sugar to dust.
Secrets to success
One of the perks of vegan baking is that you can taste the batter as you work. Feel free to taste the batter before baking, especially if you’re using an orange extract. Start with less, and add more as needed, but keep in mind orange extract is very strong and concentrated!
For best results, I recommend using an unsweetened, creamy roasted cashew butter. Look for one without any added ingredients like oil or sugar, as it will affect the texture of the cookie. And of course, will require you to adjust the amount of sweetener in the recipe.
If you like this recipe, try…
- Cranberry Chia Jam
- Chinese Chickpea Salad
- Strawberry Matcha Sugar Cookies
- Gingerbread Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Chocolate Gingerbread Brownie Cookies
- Levain Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you try this recipe out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I love when you share your reviews in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below too.
Cranberry Orange Cashew Butter Cookies (vegan, gluten free, grain free, oil free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup cashew butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp orange juice optional
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup cranberries finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh orange zest more to taste
- organic cane sugar to coat optional
- 1/4 tsp orange extract or more to taste optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cashew butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. If adding orange juice or orange extract, add it to the mix too. Whisk until smooth.
- Add almond flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl and mix with a spatula until a dough forms. Finally, fold in cranberries and orange zest.
- Option 1. Grab a piece of parchment paper and roll dough into a log shape. Think pillsbury cut and bake style log. Roll and twist ends to secure, then pop into the refrigerator or freezer for 30 minutes to firm up. Remove from fridge or freezer and slice into 1/4" thick slices.
- Option 2. Using a cookie scoop, form balls of dough and gently press down into cookie shapes.
- If desired, coat cookie dough in organic cane sugar then place onto the baking mat.
- Bake cookies for about 12 minutes, until edges are golden brown and remove from the oven to let fully cool.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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