Cranberry-Pistachio Citrus Butter Cookies. A mouthful of words, a mouthful of deliciousness. Seriously you guys… there is SO MUCH DELICIOUSNESS in these lil cookies. Dried cranberries. Pistachios. Lemon. Orange. Butter. Yum yum yum.
I made these cookies for the 2013 Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, and sent them to Alicia at Balancing Motherhood [who I found out is a fellow KD sister! AOT!], Renata at First Time Foods, and Emily at Pink Tiger in the Kitchen. I hope y’all liked them! I know we certainly did. They are buttery and nutty, full of holiday cheer.
I’m usually wary of baking with nuts and dried fruit, even though I love both on their own. I guess I associate nuts and dried fruit in sweets with old people cooking, or something weird like that [no idea why]. I’ve been trying to think of an exception for a good five minutes, but no can do. WAIT! THESE cookies are the exception. The nuts and dried fruit are totally necessary for adding the right amount of crunch to the chewy citrus butter cookies. If you don’t like cranberries and pistachio, feel free to swap out your favorite alternatives. Cherry-pecan? Blueberry-walnut? Whatever your little heart dreams up is what you should make. Unless you like directions. Then stick with cranberry-pistachio. 🙂
In addition to sending out cookies, participating in the cookie swap means you get some in the mail too! I was fortunate to receive Double Coconut Macaroons [top] from Mary Beth at A Carrot and A Cupcake, and Cranberry Pistachio Pudding Cookies [bottom] from Starr at Chicago Foodie Girl. Both were sooo good and I’m anxiously awaiting the recipes! Hopefully I’ll be getting my third batch soon!
Hope you enjoy!
one year ago: Cranberry Orange Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup
two years ago: Cranberry Pineapple Sauce
Cranberry-Pistachio Citrus Butter Cookies [from Vanderbilt Wife]
click to print
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 egg
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
Place butter and sugars in a bowl and cream with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add milk, lemon juice, orange zest, and egg, then mix on low to combine.
Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda, then mix on low until combined. Fold in pistachios and cranberries with a wooden spoon.
Spoon onto cookie sheets by tablespoons. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are brown. Centers may look a little soft. Let rest on cookie sheets for 3-4 minutes before moving to cooling rack. Store in airtight container.
Time: 30 minutes.
Yield: 3 dozen cookies.
Notes: Dough can get pretty soft, so just pop in the refrigerator between batches. These cookies freeze and ship well, too!
Linked up with: Foodie Friday, Weekend Potluck.





Glad you enjoyed! Pistachios sound like a really yummy addition. And cherry-pecan? I need to run with that! YUM!
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yes, they were great! thanks for the wonderful recipe. i’ll be making them again!
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Oh, these cookies sound amazing! You always come up with such good flavor combinations!
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Sarah: I love butter cookies. Love, Dad
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haha you had the opportunity to try one!
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thank you, jessica!
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These cookies sound delicious, and I love the red and green for Christmas! What a fun recipe for your cookie swap! I love that Christmas tree platter – perfect! Is it part of your Spode set?
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thank you! yes, it is spode. 🙂
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Nice recipe. Thank you!
>________________________________ > From: The Pajama Chef >To: lizzm@att.net >Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 6:00 AM >Subject: [New post] Cranberry-Pistachio Citrus Butter Cookies > > > > WordPress.com >Sarah posted: “Cranberry-Pistachio Citrus Butter Cookies. A mouthful of words, a mouthful of deliciousness. Seriously you guys… there is SO MUCH DELICIOUSNESS in these lil cookies. Dried cranberries. Pistachios. Lemon. Orange. Butter. Yum yum yum. I made these ” >
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thanks liz!
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I love the cranberry / pistachio combination – it’s one of my favorites this time of the year! These cookies look and sound delicious!
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thank you, ashley! it is a great flavor combo.
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Cranberries. Pistachios. Citrus. AND BUTTER??? I love it! To be honest, if you include enough butter that it warrants being put in the title, you and I are friends.
I’m so glad we both got to participate in the cookie swap fellow SRCer! It’s wonderful to participate in our online communities together. xoxoxo! Happy cookie swap day!
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haha love this comment. thanks kristy!
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cranberries and pistachios were made for each other. The flavors in the cookie sounds just perfect for the holidays!
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thanks christina!
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Thanks for sending your cookies, Sarah! They were delicious, and as I posted, I really think the citrus and cranberry flavors played well off of each other. We definitely enjoyed them!
I’ll be keeping up with your blog and looking forward to your recipes!
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thank you!
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Reblogged this on Fitnesstroop.
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Cookies are looking so delicious. It’s definitely my favorite holiday!
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How tasty do these cookies look?!? I love pistachios and cranberries together. So festive!
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thank you, joanne!
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What a perfect timing for these cookies! Love cranberry desserts this time of the year – these cookies will get very handy in the next couple of weeks! 🙂
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thanks julia!
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I love Christmas cookies, and my family LOVES pistachios. I might have to make these!
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i hope you do! thanks 🙂
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That plate is adorable! I love cranberry and pistachio…and butter HAHA so these must taste so good! They look delicious!
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thanks so much!!!
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These sound fantastic! What an awesome combination of flavors and textures.
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thanks amy!
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You had me at “pistachio”! Is that a Spode plate? It looks just like my mama’s!
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yes it is spode! 🙂 my sister and i got to divide my grandma’s set a few years ago…i love it! thanks!
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Reblogged this on Dog Days of Unemployment and commented:
Yum!
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