These vegan cranberry cookies with almond extract are our family's absolute favorite cookie! They are sweet, tart and melt in your mouth. Plus, the kitchen smells amazing as they cook.
While these are wonderful to eat any time of year, I especially love them around the holidays. The cranberries give the cookies a festive look and are perfect to serve for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other fall/winter holiday.
Raisins are tasty, but dried cranberries are amazing in cookies and muffins. If you're looking to make some more recipes with them, check out these vegan blondies with cranberries and Grape Nuts muffins with cranberries.
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Why You'll Love These Vegan Cranberry Cookies
- Sweet and tart - Some cookies are just too sweet. These are well balanced with the tart cranberries.
- Unique - This is a unique flavor combination of cranberry and almond extract and my absolute favorite!
- Can't tell they're vegan - No one has guessed that these cookies are vegan. They melt in your mouth!
- Festive - They are perfect for your holiday display with the vibrant cranberries.
Other cookies and desserts to try for your holiday table include these chocolate peppermint cookies, candy cane sugar cookies and Oreo truffles.
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan butter - My favorite brands are Country Crock Plant Butter and Earth Balance which come in both tub and stick form.
- Almond milk - You can substitute for your favorite non-dairy milk. I often use unsweetened soy milk.
- Craisins - Craisins are simply dried, sweetened cranberries.
Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and amounts needed.
How To Make Vegan Cranberry Cookies
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. No need to spray the parchment paper with non-stick spray.
Step 2: Using a stand mixer (or a hand mixer with a large mixing bowl), beat together the sugar and the softened butter until creamy.
Step 3: Add the almond milk, cornstarch and almond extract and mix well. Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until well combined. The dough will be fairly stiff.
Step 4: Mix in the Craisins with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Step 5: Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. These cookies don't spread much so you don't need to worry about them running into each other. You may want to slightly flatten the dough balls before baking them.
Step 6: Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes or so. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes before moving them to a wire rack as they will need to firm up a bit before you move them.
Cool completely, plate and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Don't skip resting the cookies. They will be very soft when they come out of the oven and need a few minutes to firm up.
- If you can find them, using vegan butter sticks makes measuring easier.
Vegan Cranberry Cookie Recipe and Storage FAQs
Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Once cool you can store the cookies in a freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
You can use vanilla extract but then you are losing the amazing flavor of almond extract. The cookies will definitely have a different flavor but I think they'll still be tasty.
The easiest way is just to leave it out at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes. If you don't have time, you can also microwave it for no more than 15 seconds. If you accidentally melt the vegan butter, just put it in the fridge or freezer until it firms up a bit.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Cranberry Cookie Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
Vegan Cranberry Cookies With Almond Extract
Equipment
- Cookie sheet
- cooling rack
Ingredients
- ¾ cup vegan butter, softened
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoon almond milk, or any non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup Craisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream the butter and the sugar together.
- Add the milk, cornstarch and the almond extract and mix for 1 - 2 minutes.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until well combined. The dough will be stiff.
- Stir in the craisins.
- Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.
- Let cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 3 min. Remove to wire rack to cook completely.
Notes
- If you can find them, using vegan butter sticks makes measuring easier. My favorite brands to use are Earth Balance and Country Crock Plant Butter.
- Don't skip resting the cookies. They will be very soft when they come out of the oven and need a few minutes to firm up.
- Store cooled cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.
Jen says
The whole family adores these cookies! It’s nice to have something different. We love the combination of cranberries and almond.