Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Nothing says holiday desserts more than a combination of cranberries and oranges! These buttery shortbread cookies are a perfect canvas for the dried cranberries, orange zest, and white chocolate chips to shine!

I haven’t made shortbread cookies in a while, and I honestly don’t know why. I have almost forgotten how easy they are to make and how versatile they are for practically any flavor combination you want. When I was thinking about what desserts to make for the upcoming holiday get-togethers we were planning on attending, I couldn’t stop thinking about cranberries and oranges. Part of it is because we had a large bag of dried cranberries from Costco that needed consuming, but part of it is because I keep ending up with 8 pounds of oranges, haha.

Storage

We honestly never had enough of these cranberry orange shortbread cookies to even save for a rainy day. But if you have the self-control that my husband and I both lack, these cookies can last up to 3 days. If you’re planning on making the dough ahead of time and not bake it all at once, you can freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months.

Tools you’ll need

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Serves: 20 cookies Prep Time: 25 minutes + 2 hours chilling time Cooking Time: 18 minutes 18 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

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Ingredients

• 255 g cold salted butter*, cut into little cubes
• 95 g white sugar
• 60 g brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 320 g all-purpose flour
• 80 g white chocolate chips
• 100 g dried cranberries
• zest of one whole navel orange

Instructions

1. Beat the butter, sugars, vanilla, and orange zest using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium high until light and floofy (yes, I said floofy) at least 5 minutes.
2. Scrape the side of the mixing bowl as needed. Put the mixer on low and slowly add the flour. Mix just until the flour is fully incorporated.
3. Mix in the white chocolate chips and the dried cranberries.
4. Take the dough out and form into a log shape on top of a plastic wrap. Diameter should be about 2 - 2.5 inches.**
5. Wrap it tight in the plastic! Put in the fridge to chill for 2 hours. (I know. Brutal.)
6. About 10 minutes before the 2 hours are up, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
7. Take your dough out and slice into about 1/2-inch thick discs. If you have some that fall apart, just squish it back together.
8. Place them on top of a parchment-lined baking sheet, about an inch apart. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
9. Cool them for at least 10 minutes before trying to dig in!

Notes

*If you don't have salted butter on hand, you can use unsalted butter and just add 1/2 tsp of salt.

**If you want to be a little extra, or if you're a little OCD (like me) and want perfectly round discs that are all the same size, try rolling them out instead of using the log method. When you take your dough from the mixing bowl, instead of shaping it into a log, you can place it between two parchment papers and roll it until it's about 1/2-inch thick all throughout before chilling. Then once chilled, take a round cookie cutter (or a cup or glass or anything with a round opening about 2-2.5 inches in diameter) and cut out your discs that way.

• // ON THE SCENE

  • Back backdrop: Replica Surfaces — Cement
  • Bottom backdrop: Replica Surfaces — Limited White Marble
  • Props: jar of flour, tea towel, dried cranberries, ceramic plates, artificial flowers