Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

5 from 1 vote

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Soft and buttery Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies in an easy sliced cookie recipe. A perfect cookie platter addition for Christmas and Thanksgiving with classic sweet and tart flavors.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Chilling Time30

Total Time1

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

Servings: pieces

Calories: 170kcal

Equipment

Measuring Cups
Measuring spoons
Food processor
Plastic Wrap or parchment paper
Silicone Baking Mats or parchment paper
Knife
Cutting board

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
⅔ cup powdered sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon orange zest
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, 226 grams) cold, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 ½ Tablespoons orange juice fresh is best
½ cup dried cranberries
orange glaze optional, for decorating

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F with the rack in the middle position.
In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, salt, and orange zest. Pulse together a few times to mix.
2 cups all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup powdered sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 Tablespoon orange zest
Add the butter chunks around the flour along with the orange juice. Pulse again until the dough starts to come together. Do not over process. It should still look crumbly. The dough should stick together when squeezed. If too dry, add a little more water or lemon juice and briefly incorporate.
1 cup unsalted butter, 1 ½ Tablespoons orange juice
Add the dried cranberries and pulse just to combine.
If you want the cranberries chopped up into smaller pieces, add them when you add the butter instead.
½ cup dried cranberries
Dump the dough onto a large sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Start pressing it together into a log shape, and roll up the paper around it to help make it into a log approximately 2 inches wide. Twist the ends and place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Remove the dough log from the paper and using a serrated knife, slice the dough into ½ inch (or thinner) pieces.
Place the cookies on a silicone mat or parchment lined baking sheet at least one inch apart. Bake approximately 20 minutes, until the bottom edges that touch the baking sheet are just starting to turn a golden brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool.
If desired, dunk or drizzle with the orange glaze when the cookies are cool. Sprinkle with more zest on top of the wet glaze to set. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Notes

You can also make this by hand by pinching the butter into the flour mixture, or using a pastry cutter or fork. If it gets too warm from your hands, chill for a few minutes before continuing.

If you want to make these in a square pan and cut them into triangles or rectangles, follow instructions for Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies after making the dough.

Swap out powdered sugar for the same amount of granulated sugar if you want crunchy cookies.

The orange is more subtle in this recipe. For a stronger orange flavor, be sure to use the glaze and/or increase the orange zest in the cookies to 2 Tablespoons.

Shortbread freezes well! The baked cookies or the dough can be frozen up to 3 months.

Nutrition