Rating: 5.00
(2)

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

By Rachel
December 28, 2021

These cranberry orange shortbread cookies are soft, buttery, and loaded with chewy cranberries. Orange juice and zest adds the perfect tartness. This cookie dough comes together quickly and needs just an hour of chill time. Simply roll into a log, chill, slice, and bake! Perfect for treat bags or boxes.

Highlights of the easy shortbread cookies:

  • Soft center
  • Can be made into any shape or size
  • Perfectly sweet from the dried cranberries
  • Buttery, melt in your mouth texture
  • Freezer friendly
  • Perfect for holiday treat bags or boxes
  • Simple ingredients
  • Perfect orange flavor from juice and zest

Tools I used for this cranberry shortbread recipe:

  • Progressive International Biscuit Cutter Set of 7 – I love these as they are not sharp on your hands when pressing down, they are plastic so they will not rust, and they stack neatly inside each other. I like these for a decorative edge.
  • USA Pan Half Sheet Pan – my go-to cookie sheets, these are truly non-stick and clean up nicely.
  • KitchenAid 6 Qt. Stand Mixer – I always recommend a stand mixer as it saves time and helps to keep baked goods consistent.
  • Rubber Spatula – a must for any home baker! Perfect for scrapping cookie dough out of the mixing bowl.
  • Plastic Bench Scraper – I use my plastic dough scrapper all the time, it is perfect for scrapping cookie dough out of a round mixing bowl

Grocery Store List:

  • Powdered sugar
  • Unsalted butter
  • All-purpose flour
  • Cornstarch
  • Kosher salt
  • Fresh orange juice
  • Fresh orange zest
  • Dried cranberries

Quick Steps:

  • Cream together powdered sugar and butter
  • Add in orange juice and zest
  • Mix in flour, cornstarch, and salt
  • Gently fold in dried cranberries
  • Chill in a log of if rolling out dough, chill in a bowl
  • Roll or slice dough
  • Bake and enjoy

If you like these cranberry orange shortbread cookies, you’ll love…

Copycat Panera Cranberry Orange Muffins

Cranberry Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lemon Poppy Seed Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

Funfetti Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate Ganache Filling

Instructions for the cranberry orange shortbread cookies:

  • In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, orange zest, and salt, set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand or hand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Mix in the orange juice and zest.
  • Slowly add in the flour mixture, mix until combined. Gently fold in the dried cranberries.
  • Transfer the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, shape and roll into a log, about 2″ wide*. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Once chilled, remove the dough from the fridge, allow to set at room temperature for 5 minutes and slice into 1/4″ slices.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the slices to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. The cookies will still be soft, allow to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes:

*You can also roll this dough out to a 1/4″ and cut using a cookie cutter, instead of slicing as a roll.

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

5 from 2 votes
Soft, buttery shortbread cookies loaded with cranberries and orange zest
Servings 15 cookies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup Powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups All purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup Cornstarch
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 cup Fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 2-3 tbsp Fresh orange zest
  • 1/2 cup Dried cranberries

Instructions
 

  • In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, orange zest, and salt, set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand or hand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Mix in the orange juice and zest.
  • Slowly add in the flour mixture, mix until combined. Gently fold in the dried cranberries.
  • Transfer the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, shape and roll into a log, about 2" wide*. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Once chilled, remove the dough from the fridge, allow to set at room temperature for 5 minutes and slice into 1/4" slices.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the slices to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. The cookies will still be soft, allow to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes

*You can also roll this dough out to a 1/4″ and cut using a cookie cutter, instead of slicing as a roll.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 193kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 1gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 157mgPotassium: 26mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 390IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg
Author: The Hearty Life
Calories: 193kcal
Cost: $
Course: Dessert
Keyword: Baking from Scratch, Cookies, cranberry, orange, shortbread cookies

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