Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies might just be the perfect little slice and bake cookies for the holidays, I’ll be making them right through to when I snag that last bag of fresh cranberries of the season (always a sad moment!)
we fell in love with cranberry orange shortbread cookies at first bite
These unique cranberry orange shortbread cookies are made with fresh tart cranberries and lots of orange zest, which gives them that wonderful holiday flavor combination we’ve come to love. They have a vivid cranberry flavor in a classic buttery shortbread base. They’ll brighten up any holiday assortment.
what you’ll need for cranberry orange shortbread cookies
- fresh cranberries ~ this is one case where I don’t recommend frozen because they will release too much moisture into the dough. Could you use dried cranberries? Yes, dried cranberries will work too.
- fresh orange zest ~ I actually used tangerine zest because I have a bowl of beauties on my counter, and tangerine has a distinctive citrus flavor that I love.
- butter ~unsalted
- sugar ~ granulated
- flour ~all purpose
- vanilla extract ~ if you prefer you could use almond extract, or both!
make cranberry orange cookies ahead
The good news: shortbread cookies freeze beautifully, and you can freeze them before or after baking.
to freeze before baking
- wrap the log of dough really well, I like to wrap in plastic, then in foil, and then put in a heavy duty zip log bag. When ready to bake, leave the log in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.
- you can also pre-slice your cookies and freeze. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then remove to a heavy duty zip lock baggie. Force any air out before popping in the freezer.
to freeze baked cookies
- let them cool completely, then layer them, separated by sheets of parchment paper, in a sturdy freezer container and freeze.
tips for making fresh cranberry cookies
- I like to chop my cranberries in a small food processor, I just pulse to chop them finely. Some texture is fine, there will be a few bigger pieces. You can also use a sharp knife.
- Be sure to start with room temperature butter. Soft butter will incorporate into the flour to form a dough whereas cold butter won’t. This is especially important with shortbread dough that doesn’t include any extra liquid.
- Be sure to bring your dough together completely ~ you don’t want any dry flour or crumbly bits left. You can let the processor bring it together or you can do that final bit with your hands on a lightly floured surface. Shortbread dough does not contain egg or other liquid so it’s essential that you combine the soft butter and the flour completely to form the dough.
- Thicker sliced cookies will bake up softer, and thinner ones will crisp a bit. You can also control the texture by how long you bake the cookies. I suggest baking one or two first as a test. I like mine melt-in-my-mouth tender, but you might like your crispier.
yes ~ use dried cranberries too!
For those of you who can’t find fresh cranberries, you can use dried.
variation ideas for cranberry orange shortbread cookies
Add chopped walnuts or pecans to the dough.
Add white chocolate chips.
Bake the dough in a 9×9 square baking pan.
Dip half the cookies in melted white chocolate.
Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry orange shortbread cookies are an easy holiday slice and bake recipe with a burst of cranberry and citrus. Use fresh or dried cranberries!
Servings: 18 cookies
Video
Equipment
- waxed paper or plastic wrap for wrapping your log of dough
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- zest of one orange or tangerine (just the orange part, not the bitter white pith)
- 1 heaping cup fresh cranberries*
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Rough chop the cranberries and set aside.
- Cream the butter, sugar, and zest together until well combined. I do this in my food procesor.
- Add the flour and extract, and pulse about 10 times, then run the machine briefly, just until the dough comes together into a lump or lumps.
- Add the cranberries and pulse just until they are distributed, but don't process too much.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and bring together with your hands. Work it just until it is no longer crumbly.
- Form the dough into a 10-12 inch log. The longer your log the smaller your cookies will be. Wrap the log in plastic, using the plastic to smooth out the dough and help form your log. Twist the ends tight to seal.
- Chill the dough for at least 3 hours, or overnight. I like to wrap up my log in a folded towel ~ this helps keep it round as it chills.
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the dough into 1/3 inch slices and place on the cookie sheet, two inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or slightly longer if you like your cookies crisper. They will be pale on top and just turning golden on the bottom. Note: if your cookies are smaller or thinner than mine, they may take less time to cook.
- Let them cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheets and then tranfer them to a cooling rack. Be careful, the cookies are soft and delicate when hot and will firm up as they cool.
Notes
*I don’t recommend using frozen cranberries, but you can use dried cranberries. Use 1/2-2/3 cup, and no need to chop them.
Nutrition
Calories: 163 kcal · Carbohydrates: 16 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 10 g · Saturated Fat: 7 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 27 mg · Sodium: 90 mg · Potassium: 18 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 6 g · Vitamin A: 315 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 5 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Did You Make This?We love seeing what you’ve made! Tag us on social media at @theviewfromgreatisland for a chance to be featured.
more shortbread cookies to try
- New Fallen Snow Cookies
- Maple Walnut Shortbread Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Walnut Shortbread Cookies
- Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
New Fallen Snow Cookies
Sparkly vanilla shortbread cookies are a deliciously simple treat for the purists on your list!
View this recipe
Maple Walnut Shortbread Cookies
Maple walnut shortbread cookies have 3 layers of maple flavor and a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture!
View this recipe
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are an easy to make slice and bake shortbread recipe with a melt in your mouth texture, a light peanut butter flavor, and plenty of chocolate chips!
View this recipe
Chocolate Walnut Shortbread Cookies
Chocolate Walnut Shortbread Cookies have deep chocolate flavor and a melt in your mouth texture!
View this recipe
Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Pistachio shortbread cookies are simple and festive ~ they're crisp and buttery with a touch of sparkle for the holidays and beyond!
View this recipe
Should I freeze the log and then thaw and bake or freeze the baked cookies?
You can do either!
Hi! Would these keep their shape if cut and baked in shapes? Also, sanding sugar sprinkled before baking tried by anyone? The recipe looks delicious. Baking tonight!
Yes, these will hold their shape, but you wouldn’t want to use anything too intricate. Be sure to chill the cut cookies before baking for best results. The cookies can be sprinkled before baking, but larger crystal sugar holds up best.
OHMYGOODNESS!
I absolutely NEVER have good luck with shortbread. But these came out beautifully & taste soooooooo lovely! They will be a marvelous addition to my dessert charcuterie board Christmas Day.
Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so happy Melody, I really loved them too. Happy Holidays!
Thank you for the recipe, looks great.
It says to cut 1/3″, that would be 30 cookies if the roll is 10″ long. Recipe says it makes 16.
Should they be cut thicker or does it make more than 16?
Hey Beth ~ this is always an issue with slice and bake cookies, I don’t usually count the ends, since they don’t bake up as well as the other slices, and the math never seems to work out, lol. I may cut mine slightly thicker than 1/3 inch, but you can certainly make thinner cookies if you like, just watch the baking time.
They look delicious! Will they freeze well?
Yes, shortbread cookies freeze really well.
I used dried cranberries. I soaked them in hot water for 30 minutes and drained them well and spread them out on chopping board, pat dry then chopped them. Worked out well!
That’s great to know, thanks!
I made a batch of these today and they are delicious. Such a great addition to my holiday baking.
I have two bags of cranberries in the freezer. Would prefer not to use them frozen…. will thawing them first work or be “soggy”?
I think they’d be too soggy Jean, but not 100% sure. I’ve tried these with chopped frozen berries and it didn’t work that well, the dough got sticky. I haven’t tried with thawed berries, but I assume the result would be the same, sorry.
Just an excuse to buy more fresh cranberries!! I’ll save the frozen berries for a cake. Thank you.
These cookies were outstanding. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Yay 🙂
We make our shortbread way ahead of time, because the longer it’s in that sealed cookie tin, the better they taste. Do the fresh cranberries give these a shorter shelflife then regular shortbread cookies?