Quintessential winter flavors are perfect together in these easy cranberry orange shortbread cookies. They’re a wonderful addition to your holiday baking list!
Admittedly, I used to think shortbread wasn’t really my thing. My family never made this type of cookie for the holidays and they always reminded me of the stereotypical cookie tins filled with subpar store-bought varieties.
That changed when I had a homemade, good quality shortbread cookie that wasn’t over baked like so many of them are. It was so incredibly buttery, it literally melted in my mouth and I remember the lightbulb literally going off in my brain as I thought “oh, that’s what shortbread should taste like.”
While you can make shortbread cookies any time, the Christmas season always feels most appropriate. These cookies are adorned with dried cranberries, lots of fresh orange zest (my favorite winter combination as evidenced by cranberry orange biscotti and this cranberry orange bread) and optional chopped pistachios. The flavor and color is perfect for the holidays and the recipe couldn’t be simpler.
Why These Cookies Are Perfect For Holiday Baking
- The ingredient list is simple and short. One of the perks of baking shortbread is how easy it is. This recipe includes minimal ingredients and the preparation is extremely straight-forward.
- The dough can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. This dough is perfect for prepping in advance. It holds up for days in the fridge and can even be frozen until you want to use it, which makes holiday prep easier and less chaotic.
- Slice, bake and enjoy! Shortbread cookies are literally that simple.
- The add-ins are very customizable. Leave out the pistachios or swap them with another nut like almonds, pecans or hazelnuts if preferred.
Ingredients You Need To Make These Shortbread Cookies
Butter — As such an integral ingredient for shortbread cookies, make sure to use great quality butter. Margarine or butter alternatives will not work.
Powdered sugar — An interesting deviation from the usual granulated sugar, but powdered sugar results in a softer texture and melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies.
Orange zest — Use at least two tablespoons of orange zest for its bright bold flavor, but don’t be afraid to use a little more either. I sometimes use the zest from a whole orange.
Extracts — Both vanilla and almond extract are used in this recipe. I highly recommend using the almond extract in addition to vanilla. Its flavor can’t be beat when combined with cranberry and orange.
Pistachios — The addition of nuts adds some crunch and fun texture to the cookies but these can be used optionally if you’d rather a soft cookie texture throughout. Alternatively, replace them with another nut of your choice. I recommend pecans and hazelnuts.
Dried cranberries — I try to find dried cranberries without extra sugar added but they’re not always the easiest to source. Any brand or type will work.
Flour — Shortbread cookies are made with all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with a gluten-free alternative but in theory, you should be able to swap it out in a 1:1 ratio.
Salt — Just a pinch of salt brings out the flavors in the shortbread.
How To Make Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
You can find the full directions and recipe below in the recipe card but here’s a quick rundown with pictures to help you visualize the baking process for the cookies.
Step 1: Combine the butter, sugar, orange zest and extracts in a large bowl. Beat until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
Step 2: Add the flour, salt, cranberries and pistachios (if using) and gently mix until the mixture comes together being careful not to over work the dough.
Step 3: Turn the dough out onto plastic wrap and shape into a long log/cylinder that is uniform in width.
Step 4: Wrap the log of dough tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 3 hours and up to days in advance.
Step 5: When ready to bake, remove the dough from the freezer and let acclimate to room temperature for a few minutes. Slice into approximately 1/2-inch thick slices using a sharp knife and place the sliced shortbread cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Step 6: Bake in a 350°F preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are just set being careful to not over bake them.
Storing Shortbread Cookies
The baked cookies can be stored in an air-tight container for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
My Pro Tips
Recipe Tips
- Room temperature butter is important in a recipe like this that doesn’t have any liquid to incorporate into the flour and create the dough.
- Thicker cookies will bake up softer while thinner ones will have crispy edges. If you want a buttery soft shortbread cookie, err on the thicker side when slicing.
- A sharp knife is important so the cookies don’t crumble when slicing.
How To Make The Cookies In Advance
Because shortbread lends itself so well to advance prep (which we all love during the chaotic holiday time), here are some tips on how you can take advantage of this.
Freeze Before Baking
The dough stands up really well to the freezer. Once you’ve shaped it into a log and wrapped it in plastic wrap — just make sure to double wrap it and do so tightly — you can keep it store in the freezer until ready to slice and bake. Alternatively, you can even slice the dough ahead of time, store the slices between sheets of parchment paper and bake them off as needed from frozen.
Freeze The Baked Cookies
You can also choose to bake the shortbread cookies off and then freeze them. If taking this approach, bake as directed then let the cookies cool completely. Layer them with pieces of parchment paper so they don’t stick together and place in an air-tight container or silicone freezer bag to store. Thaw at room temperature when ready to eat or serve.
Can You Use Fresh Cranberries?
I’m a sucker for the vibrancy of fresh cranberries and usually prefer using them in recipes — like these cranberry chocolate chip cookies — to dried so you can absolutely do that with these shortbread cookies if you like.
The fresh cranberries should be room temperature (frozen will give off too much water) and chopped finely. Using your food processor to blitz them quickly is an easy way to prep them for use in the cookie dough.
Other Variations To Try
I personally think it’s hard to beat the classic cranberry orange combination in these shortbread cookies but you can definitely make these your own in a variety of ways:
- Add chocolate or white chocolate chips.
- Dip half the baked shortbread cookie in chocolate. Or drizzle them with chocolate like these matcha shortbread cookies.
- Roll the cookies in sugar before baking which gives them a wonderfully festive glistening appearance.
- Bake the dough in a baking dish and make shortbread cookie bars.
More Cranberry Orange Flavored Recipes To Try
Compound butter is one of the easiest yet fanciest hacks to take any baked good to the next level and this cranberry orange compound butter with cognac is perfect for the holiday season.
Shortbread is pretty classic when it comes to cookie recipes, but so is a good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie. These orange infused cranberry almond chocolate chip cookies are a festive take on tradition.
For an easy seasonal snack, nothing beats the taste and ease of these cranberry orange oatmeal cookie bites. Kids and adults love them equally!
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the softened butter, powdered sugar, orange zest and extracts. Beat until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Add the flour, salt, pistachios and cranberries all at once to the creamed mixture. Mix gently until the dough comes together, being careful not to overwork it.
- Place the dough on plastic wrap and shape it into a uniform cylinder, about 10-12 inches in length.
- Wrap the cylinder in the plastic wrap and freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Remove the dough from the freezer and let it sit for a few minutes to soften slightly for easier slicing.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into slices approximately 1/2 inch thick.
- Arrange the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving space between each one.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are just set. Do not over bake them.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
My family loved this! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe 😊