Description
Cranberry shortbread sandwich cookies bring a delightful twist to classic holiday baking with their buttery, crumbly texture and sweet-tart filling. Sandwich layers of delicate shortbread with zesty cranberry jam for a festive treat that’ll brighten your dessert table.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
Supporting Ingredients:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 2 tablespoons water
Garnish:
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Simmer 1 cup cranberries with ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tbsp orange juice, and 2 tbsp water in a small saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until berries burst and mixture thickens. Cool completely.
- Beat 1 cup softened butter and ½ cup powdered sugar with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Incorporate 2 cups flour and ¼ tsp salt into butter mixture on low speed. Gently combine dough without overmixing.
- Shape dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Roll chilled dough to ¼-inch thickness between parchment papers.
- Cut cookies using a 1.5-2 inch round or fluted cutter. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake cookies at 350°F for 10-12 minutes until edges turn light golden. Rest on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.
- Spread 1 tsp cooled cranberry filling on one cookie’s flat side. Sandwich with a second cookie, pressing gently.
- Dust assembled sandwich cookies with powdered sugar using a fine sieve for an elegant finish.
Notes
- Chill the dough thoroughly to prevent spreading and ensure crisp, clean edges on your shortbread cookies.
- Let the cranberry filling cool completely before assembling to prevent soggy cookies and maintain a clean sandwich.
- When cutting cookies, use a sharp, clean cutter and dip it in flour between cuts to prevent sticking and create neat shapes.
- Store these sandwich cookies in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper to keep them fresh for several days.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 193 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 34 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg