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These Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies are a different kind of holiday cookie. With tangy cranberries & zesty orange, these will be a huge hit!
Orange Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
With all of the chocolate desserts floating around during the holiday season, sometimes it is nice to inject a little fruit into the mix. These buttery Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies allow for the deliciousness of your standard shortbread cookie with some sweet and tart fruitiness.
If you bake cookies in the winter as so many of us do, these are a few favorite holiday flavors that sometimes get forgotten. The flavor of orange, which is historically a Christmas time treat, is a key ingredient that we rarely see in our baked goods. It’s time to bring it back!
While anything with fruit zest looks fancy and difficult, this is one of those incredibly easy dessert recipes that you can add to your holiday cookie platter as well as your cookbook for any time of year.
With an extra pretty presentation because of the red and orange colors, these cookies are also great ideas as homemade holiday gifts for your loved ones.
Place cookies in a beautiful box and tie them with a ribbon and voila! An easy cookie recipe that is beautiful, affordable, and worthy of gifting on the big day.
With dried cranberries and citrusy orange zest, this original recipe will have a flavor that you won’t expect from your typical holiday cookies. Using simple ingredients and following a simple recipe, this buttery shortbread cookie will provide a new burst of holiday flavor!
Recipe Notes:
Be sure to add the dry ingredients a little at a time and continue to combine the dough throughout.
You may need several cookie sheets if you want to bake all of your cookies at the same time.
How To Make Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch zest of one large orange 1/2 cup cranberries, dried
Supplies Needed:
Large sheet tray Parchment paper, wax paper, or nonstick spray Electric mixer Large mixing bowl
Directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax paper.
Step 2: With a hand mixer and a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed, beat the soft butter until it is light in color and fluffy.
Step 3: Slowly add 1/2 cup sugar to the butter, in small amounts. After the sugar is added, add the flour in the same fashion. After the flour, add the cornstarch in the same fashion.
Step 4: Whip the entire mixture for at least 5 minutes to mix it well and incorporate lots of air.
Step 5: Once thoroughly whipped, add the fresh orange zest to the shortbread dough.
Step 6: Whip the orange combination for a few more minutes and then fold in the cranberries. Mix just enough to incorporate everything together.
Step 7: Using a tablespoon, scoop out some of the orange cranberry mixture and roll it into a ball. Place each cookie dough ball on the baking sheet.
Step 8: Place 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a small bowl and grab a fork. Coat the tines of the fork in powdered sugar and then press them gently onto each dough ball a few times. Recoat your fork between presses.
Step 9: Bake them in the preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes. The cookies only need to be slightly browned on the bottom edges and light golden brown on the top to be done baking.
Step 10: Allow them to cool completely on the baking sheets before taking them off.
If you need to use that same pan for the next batch, your next best option is to allow them to cool on wire racks. Enjoy!
How To Store Leftover Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Store any leftovers in an airtight container or on a plate tightly covered with plastic wrap or cling wrap for up to a week on the counter or two weeks in the refrigerator.
How To Freeze Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
If you want these cookies for your holiday cookie trays, but have a busy holiday season (like everyone does), the best thing you can do is to make these ahead of time.
Once your cranberry orange cookies have been baked, allow them to cool to room temperature. At this point, move your cookie sheets to the freezer for 2 hours to flash freeze the cookies.
Once frozen, move your cookies into freezer bags or freezer-safe containers, stacked in layers with sheets of parchment paper in between them.
While your frozen cookies will be good for up to 3 months, this is an easy Christmas cookie to defrost and not have to bake a batch of fresh cookies every time you want some.
Why Don’t I Need Orange Juice For This Shortbread Cookie Recipe?
While you may see orange juice included in another cranberry orange shortbread recipe, you don’t need it here. You don’t need as much moisture as juice would provide and the orange flavor from the orange peel makes the perfect cookie.
What Kind Of Cranberries Should I Use For These Perfect Shortbread Cookies?
I use dried cranberries for this recipe. You will have the option of whole or chopped, so I recommend chopped cranberries.
Whole cranberries are larger and you’re able to include more chopped berries in each cookie when you go with the pieces.
I have not tried making these with fresh cranberries, but I would be slightly hesitant as baking the fresh cranberries will add a little more moisture to the cookie and they may end up with a different consistency than you’re looking for.
These Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies are a different kind of holiday cookie. With tangy cranberries & zesty orange, these will be a huge hit!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Additional Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour2 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
zest of one large orange
1/2 cup cranberries, dried
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and take out a cookie sheet.
With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter in a bowl until light in color and fluffy.
Slowly add 1/2 cup sugar, in small amounts.
After the sugar is added, add the flour in the same fashion.
After the flour is added, add the cornstarch in the same fashion.
Whip the entire mixture for at least 5 minutes to mix it well and incorporate lots of air.
Once thoroughly whipped, add the orange zest.
Whip this together for a few more minutes and then fold in the cranberries. Mix just enough to incorporate everything together.
Using a tablespoon, scoop out some dough and roll it into a ball. Place each dough ball on the ungreased cookie sheet.
Place 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a small bowl and grab a fork. Coat the tines of the fork in powdered sugar and then press them gently onto each dough ball a few times. Recoat your fork between presses.
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. The cookies only need to be slightly browned on the bottom to be done baking.
Allow them to cool completely on the baking sheets before taking them off. Enjoy!
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I am going to give this one a try.. sounds wonderful. However, I don’t know that I will come back.. there are just SO MANY ads, popups, video in the corner that covers 1/4 of the blog page and have to scroll up/down to be able to read around it, and the pictures are so huge takes extra scrolling time to go through and then add MORE ADS.. and well, It just was very confusing and so much going on, I kind of forgot what I was reading as the page is constantly interrupted by ads and such. There is another one Chewy Ginger Snaps. Printed that one out also, and now I am rather exhausted as it was tedious, cumbersome and confusing cipher through all the ads and such to read the complete recipe
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Step 3: Slowly add 1/2 cup sugar to the butter, in small amounts. After the sugar is added, add the flour in the same fashion. After the flour, add the cornstarch in the same fashion.
Step 5: Once thoroughly whipped, add the fresh orange zest to the shortbread dough.
Step 7: Using a tablespoon, scoop out some of the orange cranberry mixture and roll it into a ball. Place each cookie dough ball on the baking sheet.
Step 8: Place 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a small bowl and grab a fork. Coat the tines of the fork in powdered sugar and then press them gently onto each dough ball a few times. Recoat your fork between presses.
Step 9: Bake them in the preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes. The cookies only need to be slightly browned on the bottom edges and light golden brown on the top to be done baking.
Step 10: Allow them to cool completely on the baking sheets before taking them off.
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I am going to give this one a try.. sounds wonderful. However, I don’t know that I will come back.. there are just SO MANY ads, popups, video in the corner that covers 1/4 of the blog page and have to scroll up/down to be able to read around it, and the pictures are so huge takes extra scrolling time to go through and then add MORE ADS.. and well, It just was very confusing and so much going on, I kind of forgot what I was reading as the page is constantly interrupted by ads and such. There is another one Chewy Ginger Snaps. Printed that one out also, and now I am rather exhausted as it was tedious, cumbersome and confusing cipher through all the ads and such to read the complete recipe
Are you saying to have extra powdered sugar set aside in a bowl to dip fork into before pressing onto top of dough?
Yes, exactly! I see that the instructions weren’t clear on that, so I’ve updated them. Thank you for pointing it out!