These fresh cranberry pistachio cookies are very easy to make and are the perfect festive treat for your Christmas dessert tray.
More Festive Cookie Recipes:
Cranberry Shortbread, Thumbprint Cookies, Sugar Cookie Cups
Fresh cranberries are so delicious. Every year I make cranberry shortbread cookies and this holiday season I thought I’d try to make cake cookies.
Have you heard of these? They are cookies that you make with a box cake mix.
Since cranberries are in season and they look so festive I made cranberry pistachio cookies. They are not only tasty but they have a great red and green festive holiday look.
One of the things I like about these cookies is that they stay small when you bake them. Just the right size to pop in your mouth.
The cream cheese keeps them moist for days and though I haven’t done it yet, my guess is that they would freeze well. And, the recipe makes four dozen which can easily be doubled for your Christmas cookie swap.
Once again, just like the shortbread cookies, using fresh cranberries gave these cookies a nice tart flavor. You definitely don’t need to use the dried cranberries that are full of extra sugar.
However, if that’s all you have I believe that you probably could substitute the fresh with dried cranberries.
It was fun using cake mix to make the fresh cranberry pistachio cookies. I wonder what other combinations I could make next time.
Fresh Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
Ingredients
- White Cake Mix
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 cup fresh cranberries chopped finely
- 1/2 cup pistachio nuts chopped finely
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Chop cranberries and pistachios in a food processor.
- In a large bowl cream butter and cream cheese together.
- Add vanilla and egg. Mix well
- Add cake mix and mix well.
- Hand stir the cranberries and nuts into batter.
- Scoop out teaspoon sized balls of dough onto a cookies sheet.
- Bake for 6-7 minutes and then switch trays, moving the top tray to the bottom rack and the bottom tray to the top. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes more or until the cookies start to get a little golden brown on the top.
- Remove and let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet.
- Remove from cooking sheet onto a backing rack or towel to finish cooling.
- Once cooled wrap and store or serve.
Nutrition Information
Yield
48Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 49 Total Fat 4g Saturated Fat 2g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 14mg Sodium 42mg Carbohydrates 2g Fiber 0g Sugar 1g Protein 1g
Cd Loken says
Oh yum!! Your cookies look divine, Patti!! I have never made cookies using cake mix but what a time saver right?? All your dry ingredients in one box!! ❤️It!!
Patti Estep says
Thanks CD. I’ve been wanting to try it for a while now and it was fun. The taste is light from the cake mix but also creamy from the cream cheese.
Carole West says
These look so tasty and that pop of red with the cranberries is perfect. Neat list of ingredients and I bet it’s a cookie where you would just keep eating because the flavor is so comforting.
Patti Estep says
Thank Carole, I love the tart flavor of fresh cranberries and I think it works well with the sweetness of a cookie. I’ll have to try a different kind of cake mix another time. Maybe chocolate?
lauren // laurenalforddesign.com says
these look delicious and festive, but naturally beautiful. yum!
Patti Estep says
Thanks Lauren. That was the idea. I hope you get a chance to make some. Happy Holidays.
Karly says
Super easy cookies! I’ve got to try these!
Patti Estep says
Thanks Karly, I hope you love them as much as we did.
meegan says
Thanks for the delicious recipe, Patti. My grands are coming over Sunday for a little Christmas party. They will love these.
Patti Estep says
Thank you Meegan. I hope they love them.
Pam Jaworski says
Hi Ptti,
I made your cranberry pistachio cookies with success! How long do they stay fresh?
It is a week before serving. Do they freeze well?
Pam Jaworski says
Oops!
I see the answers to my questions as I read your article once more!
Merry Christmas!
Patti Estep says
Glad you figured it out Pam. Merry Christmas!