These chewy cookies remain beautifully soft for days, and their flavor is outstanding: bold orange and cranberry, complemented by a hint of aromatic vanilla. These cranberry orange cookies are a welcome treat during any season.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, zest, vanilla, baking powder, and salt.
Beat in the egg. The mixture may look slightly curdled; that's OK.
Add the flour and dried cranberries (or cranberries and nuts), stirring until well combined.
Pour some coarse sparkling sugar into a shallow bowl or baking dish. Use a teaspoon cookie scoop (about 2 measuring teaspoons) or tablespoon cookie scoop (a generous tablespoon) of dough to portion the cookies. Roll each piece into a ball, then roll through the coarse sugar and place onto the baking sheets, leaving about 1 1/2" between them.
When you've finished shaping and rolling your cookies, use the flat bottom of a glass or measuring cup to flatten the cookies slightly, to a scant 1/2" thick.
Bake the cookies for 6 to 7 minutes for smaller cookies and 8 to 10 minutes for larger ones, until they're barely set, and a light golden brown around the edges. Don't over-bake; if you do, the cookies will be hard, not soft and chewy. Gently lift one of the cookies and look at the bottom; if you've used parchment, it shouldn't be brown. If you use a dark cookie sheet without parchment, it should be light (not dark) brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
Store leftover cranberry orange cookies at room temperature, well wrapped, for 4 to 5 days; freeze for longer storage.
