Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Cream Butter & Sugars: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.

Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, then the egg yolk, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla extract and the orange zest.

Combine Wet & Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. The dough will be thick.

Fold in Cranberries & Walnuts: Gently fold in the dried cranberries and chopped walnuts (if using) with a spatula.

Scoop & Bake: Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to drop rounded balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each.

Bake: Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are set. The cookies may still look slightly soft in the middle—this is what gives them their chewy texture.

Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare Glaze (optional): While the cookies cool, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl until smooth and of a drizzling consistency.

Glaze & Serve: Once the cookies are completely cool, drizzle them with the orange glaze. Let the glaze set before serving.