Festive Orange and Cranberry Cookies
Get your little bakers ready — it’s time to get festive! 🎄🍊
There’s something rather magical about baking at Christmas. The smell of warm spices and freshly baked treats filling the kitchen, little hands covered in flour, and the inevitable sampling of the mixture before it’s even made it into the oven! This Christmas, why not get your little ones involved in the festive fun and make a batch of these delicious orange and cranberry cookies, with a little help from our friends at Wild Child Kitchen?
Christmas baking is better together
When it comes to getting ready for Christmas, we think the best preparations are the ones the whole family can get involved in. From decorating the tree and making homemade decorations to stirring cake mixtures and sneaking the odd chocolate button, there are plenty of opportunities for little hands to join in.
Baking is particularly brilliant for keeping small chefs entertained. Children can help measure ingredients, mix everything together, shape the cookies and, of course, take on the very important job of taste-testing! And there’s something extra special about making treats together that you can all enjoy when Christmas finally arrives.
A festive treat for little tummies
These orange and cranberry cookies are packed with festive flavour without being overly sweet. They’re low in sugar and salt and high in fibre, making them a lovely homemade snack for both children and grown-ups. The combination of zesty orange and juicy dried cranberries gives them a deliciously festive flavour, while their simple ingredients make them wonderfully easy to whip up. In fact, you probably already have most of what you need hiding in your kitchen cupboards. No dried cranberries? No problem! You can easily swap them for another dried fruit instead. Raisins, sultanas or chopped apricots would all make tasty alternatives.
Easy-peasy Christmas baking
We know that Christmas can be wonderfully exciting — but also wonderfully busy! Between school plays, Christmas parties, present wrapping and getting outside for some much-needed fresh air, complicated recipes aren't always on the menu. Luckily, these cookies are super quick and easy to prepare, making them perfect for a spontaneous afternoon of Christmas baking. They’re also a great recipe to make with children of different ages. Younger children can help with mixing and decorating, while older children can practise measuring and weighing ingredients. And don't worry too much about perfectly shaped cookies. We think a few wonky ones make them even more charming!
Perfect for sharing
Once they’re baked and cooled, these festive cookies make a lovely treat to share with family and friends over the Christmas holidays. Pop them on a plate for visiting grandparents, pack a few up for a festive walk, or leave some out for hungry little adventurers after a day spent playing outside. You could even wrap a few in paper and ribbon to make a simple homemade Christmas gift. After all, nothing says Merry Christmas quite like something delicious that’s been made with little hands. So, put on your favourite Christmas tunes, pull on your aprons and get ready for a little festive flour-flying fun.
Ingredients
- 75g coarse oat flour (simply blitz oats in food processor to make your own)
- 40g gf flour
- Zest of 1 orange
- 50g chopped dried cranberries
- 20g dried raspberries
- 30ml maple syrup
- 2tbsp melted coconut oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- Glaze (2tbsp maple syrup, pinch of cinnamon, juice of 1 orange)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C and line baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- In a mixing bowl mix all the cookie ingredients.
- Roll out with a rolling pin straight onto the baking parchment and cut out the biscuits with a star cutter.
- Coat the top of each cookie with the glaze using a pastry brush.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.