Cranberry Orange Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This cranberry orange cake with cream cheese frosting is bursting with holiday flavors. Perfectly moist with the softest cake crumb – the combination of sweet oranges and tart cranberries makes it perfect for Christmas.

It’s not even Christmas until you’ve had some sort of orange cranberry baked good. Am I right? The flavors and scent of those two fruits together just sings! Have you tried our orange cranberry bliss bars?? Or our cranberry orange bubble bread (perfect for Christmas morning!)?? Now you can try this orange cranberry cake too!

Oh hi there! My name’s Fiona and I’m so excited to meet you! I blog over at Just So Tasty, and today’s my first guest post on Oh Sweet Basil.

I love baking, eating cake, and listening to country music. (Is that embarrassing? The country music part I mean???) And making tasty treats for the people I love is one of my absolute favorite things.

I was so excited when Carrian asked me to share recipes on Oh Sweet Basil, so today I’m starting off with this easy Cranberry Orange Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s a perfectly moist vanilla sheet cake infused with fresh oranges and dotted with tart cranberries. Then it’s frosted with tangy cream cheese icing and decorated with sugared cranberries and orange zest.

What Do I Need to Make Cranberry Orange Cake?

Here is just a quick list of the ingredients so you can get an overview of what you will need. All the measurements and details can be found in the recipe card down below.

Sugared Cranberries

• Granulated Sugar
• Water
• Fresh Cranberries

Cranberry Orange Cake

• Dry Ingredients: Cake Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt
• Wet Ingredients: Unsalted Butter, Granulated Sugar, Egg Whites, Vanilla Extract, Milk, Sour Cream
• Cranberries tossed in Flour to keep them from sinking in the cake
• Orange Zest and Juice (fresh)

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Unsalted Butter
• Cream Cheese
• Powdered Sugar
• Whipping Cream or Milk
• Orange Zest

How to Make Cranberry Orange Cake

There are three different parts to this recipe – the sugared cranberries (used for aesthetic reason and are optional), the cake and the frosting. Here are the basic steps for making this cake:

Sugared Cranberries

1. Dissolve some of the sugar into the water in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat to create a simple syrup.
2. Stir in the fresh cranberries until they are well coated and then remove the berries with a slotted s

White Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Peppermint Royal Icing

We love a classic Christmas cookie, but lately we’ve been enjoying new versions of old favorites. We have taken your traditional sugar cookie and transformed them into something magical – White Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Peppermint Royal Icing!

The white chocolate makes the cookies so decadent, and the peppermint in the royal icing makes them your quintessential Christmas cookie.  They are soft and pillow-y, just how a sugar cookie should be, and the royal icing is glossy and gorgeous! I guarantee these cookies are going to becoming a new Christmas favorite!

Whenever I make sugar cookies, it immediately takes me back to my childhood.  I remember my mom making sugar cookies while she let me and my siblings make a huge mess of tiny pieces of paper flying everywhere as we cut out snowflakes to hang in our windows. We thought hanging snowflakes in the windows was the sure way to guarantee a white Christmas, or at least snow that year!

Now I ask myself, why in the world did I want it to snow?! I’m not the biggest fan now.  Maybe that makes me old.  Or just boring.  Or maybe it makes me smart!  I’m going with smart! Snow is cold (and I loathe cold), wet, messy, dangerous for driving, and just bothersome. Before you all go crazy on me, it is pretty!  Freshly fallen snow on the trees and rooftops is gorgeous!  As long as I don’t have to go anywhere and can admire if from the comfort of my warm home, it can snow all it wants!  I just became 95-years-old!

Nailed it!

Okay, now I’ve gotten all side-tracked! These sugar cookies are easy!  Have you ever seen those mesmerizing videos of people doing the most ornate and beautiful cookie decorating ever?  I could watch those all day!  They make it look so easy that anyone could do it!  And then have you ever tried to do it?  Hahaha!  You could put me on an episode of Nailed It with some of my creations!  So I stick with the simple shapes and decorating!

Plus, this way my kids can help, and kids love everything about making sugar cookies! I mean, what is there not to love?!  Making the dough, rolling it out, cutting out shapes, baking the cookies, and then decorating them…it’s like one big party!

Extract Mania

These white chocolate sugar cookies with peppermint royal icing just scream Christmas, but one thing I love about these cookies is that you can swap the extract for any flavor to fit any holiday or season.  Here are some ideas:

• LEMON for spring or summer, Mother’s Day, a baby or bridal shower
• COCONUT for summer or Easter
• MAPLE for fall or Thanksgiving
• ORANGE for just about an reason or season
• CAKE BATTER…say what?  Yes, I did see cake batter extract the other day at the store. I bet that would be delish in this recipe!
• RASPBERRY for Valentine’s Day or a girls night
• ROOT BEER becaus

Peppermint Double Chocolate Cookies

Peppermint Double Chocolate Cookies have a rich chocolate taste and are infused with peppermint. They’re dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes for the perfect holiday cookie!

Double chocolate cookies are my absolute favorite. I love the rich chocolate taste, fudgy texture, and double dose of chocolate. And with a glass of cold milk? Perfection.

My soft-batch double chocolate chip cookies are actually one of the most popular recipes on my blog. So I wanted to make a holiday version in time for Christmas to share on Oh Sweet Basil.

The combination of rich chocolate and cool peppermint flavor is the perfect pairing. Then the candy canes make them so pretty for your Christmas cookie exchange.

Ingredients for Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

For the Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

• Flour: just regular all-purpose flour
• Cocoa Powder: dutch processed cocoa is preferred
• Cornstarch: adds a chewiness to the cookies
• Baking Soda: gives the cookies some rise and fluffiness
• Salt: enhances all the flavors
• Unsalted Butter: softened to room temperature
• Brown Sugar: adds sweetness and rich flavor
• Granulated Sugar: adds sweetness
• Egg: gives the cookies structure
• Peppermint Extract: can be reduced for a milder mint flavor
• Vanilla Extract: adds flavors
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: dark chocolate chips could also be used or a mix of the two

For the Chocolate Peppermint Topping

• Semi-Sweet Chocolate: gets melted for the chocolate dip
• Vegetable Oil: helps smooth out the chocolate and gives it a nice shine
• Candy Canes: crushed up for a decorative topping

The measurements for all the ingredients are detailed in the recipe card at the end of the post. You can also print and/or save the recipe there.

How to Make Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

To get started, first we make our cookie dough. We whisk together our dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, corn starch, baking soda and salt), so they’re ready to be added to the batter later.

Then we cream together the butter and sugars in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (I like to use a combo of brown sugar and white sugar) – and add in the egg, vanilla and peppermint extract. The dry ingredients are then carefully added to the wet ingredients, and finally we add in the chocolate chips.

Then it’s time to chill the dough. Chilling is recommended because the double chocolate cookie dough is thick and sticky. If you don’t chill the dou

Reindeer Muddy Buddies Christmas Snack Mix

An easy and delicious Reindeer Muddy Buddies Christmas snack mix that is perfect for the holidays! This snack mix is filled with muddy buddies, pretzels, M&Ms, and peanut butter cups!

 

I know, we already have a muddy buddies recipe and we already have a 5 minute Christmas snack mix but whenever I go to parties and like a certain combination in a snack mix I want to make it at home.

There’s nothing I love more than a quick and easy snack mix that the kids can make with me. 

Any chance we’ve got to get together over something delicious is kind of a big deal these days. With three kids it’s busy, but since our three are totally different ages and not at all on the same playing level little traditions like making snack mixes is the perfect way for them to connect. 

How to Make This Christmas Snack Mix

1. Make the Muddy Buddies

Prepare our best muddy buddies recipe and allow them to cool completely. 

   2. Combine the Ingredients

In a large bowl, combine the muddy buddies, pretzels, m&ms and peanut butter cups. 

   3. Toss everything together and store in a sealed container. 

 

Christmas Snack Mix Storage Tips

Storage is key in any snack mix. It allows you to make it early enough that you can spread out the holiday busyness! 

• Store this Muddy Buddies Snack Mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. 

 

Oh Sweet Basil Pro Tip!

• You can freeze any leftover snack mix in an airtight container/bag for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature and munch away!

Variation ideas for Snack Mixes

• Replace some of the pretzels with popped plain popcorn
• A white chocolate or milk chocolate drizzle with sprinkles is always fun!
• Use chocolate covered pretzels instead of plain pretzels
• Add in mini marshmallows (marshmallows will not keep)
• Throw in peanuts or cashews

 

Gather your kiddos of all ages in the kitchen and make this Christmas snack mix! We love to put some in cellophane bags and deliver them to friends in the neighborhood.

More Holiday Snack Mixes:

• Candied Nuts Snack Mix
• 5 Minute Christmas Snack Mix
• 5 Minute Reese’s Snack Mix
• Ranch Slow Cooker Chex Mix
• Sweet Chex Mix
  Read more

Addicting Christmas M&M Pretzel Hugs

Mmmm, salty, crisp mini pretzels topped off with soft and silky chocolates with an M&M on top! These Christmas M&M pretzel hugs are the most addicting Christmas snack!

It’s one of those non-recipes so I know you don’t technically need a recipe card for our Christmas M&M Pretzel Hugs but it might come in handy.

You see, every year our teenager sets out to make little chocolate pretzels and every year I cannot remember what I set the oven to. So, yes, they are easy and take no instruction at all, but then again, if you’re losing your marbles like I am….

The best part about this Christmas Party Snack is that you can use whatever you’d like:

• Regular Kisses
• Hugs
• Candy Cane Kisses 
• Cookies and Creme Kisses

How to Make M&M Pretzel Hugs

1. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper in case any chocolate melts through the pretzels. (PS I cannot live without my silpats. I have more than I can count and they are life changing in cookie making especially.)
2. Place pretzels in lines and top each with a Hershey’s Hug. 
3. Heat the oven and place the pan in the oven for a few minutes. 
4. Once the chocolate is shiny but still has a little consistency pull them out and quickly top with an m&m
5. Allow to set up completely before eating. 

How to Store Pretzel Hugs

Store cooled and hard pretzel hug snacks in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Refrigeration can soften the pretzels so it’s not recommended.

Oh Sweet Basil Pro Tip!

Make sure you test the chocolate before you pull them from the oven as sometimes only the tip of the chocolate has melted and the m&m is standing too high. 

Gently press the m&m onto a chocolate with the oven open and if it presses the chocolate down into a soft mound without totally making a puddle you’re ready to go!

To Correct a Problem

If the chocolate is too melted let them stand in a cool place to start to solidify again before pressing in the chocolate. 

Are Pretzels Gluten Free?

Pretzels are not gluten free unless you buy the gluten free pretzels. 

Are Pretzels Dairy Free?

Pretzels are almost always dairy free but it’s best to double check the packaging just in case. 

Are Pretzels Healthy?

Pretzels are a salty-carb. Not really a healthy snack as they are not full of many vitamins and minerals.

That being said, if you’re trying to decide between pretzels or chips, yes, go pretzels. 

Are Hershey Hugs Chocolate?

Hershey’s hugs are made with chocolate and white chocolate so it’s not a pure, good quality chocolate like some others, but it’s still a chocolate candy.