Description
Cranberry orange shortbread cookies bring sweet-tart holiday cheer straight from your kitchen, with buttery crumbles that melt in your mouth. Festive and simple, these cookies deliver pure comfort in each delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Flavor Enhancers:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 zest of orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Optional Finishing:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 orange glaze
Instructions
- Grab your electric mixer and blend 1 cup unsalted butter with ½ cup powdered sugar until the mixture transforms into a creamy, airy consistency with soft peaks.
- Carefully incorporate 2 cups all-purpose flour and ¼ teaspoon salt into the butter mixture, stirring until the dough just comes together without overmixing.
- Finely chop ½ cup dried cranberries and add them to the dough along with the zest of one orange, gently folding until evenly distributed.
- Divide your dough into two equal portions and roll each section into a uniform log measuring approximately 2 inches in diameter.
- Tightly wrap each log in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours to firm up the dough.
- Prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper and preheat the oven to exactly 350°F.
- Remove logs from refrigerator and slice them into precise ¼-inch thick rounds using a sharp knife.
- Arrange cookie rounds on prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, watching carefully until the cookie edges turn a delicate golden brown.
Notes
- Chill the dough thoroughly to help the cookies maintain their shape and prevent spreading during baking.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the dough logs into even, uniform rounds for consistent baking and professional-looking cookies.
- For a gluten-free version, swap the all-purpose flour with a blend of gluten-free flour and add a pinch of xanthan gum to help bind the dough.
- To enhance the orange flavor, brush the warm cookies with a simple orange glaze made from powdered sugar and fresh orange juice after baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 190 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 60 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg