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
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
Nutrition
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
I will be getting ingredients Tomorrow ! I can almost taste these. I donโt have a food processor. Should I work the dough by hand ? Or use a hand mixer?? Please let me know ??
You could chop the cranberries with a knife, and then make the dough with a spoon or probably a hand mixer would be easier.
Love it….So does a friend that I sent it to. Love the citrus….
It wasn’t my favorite. I found it too tart and the citrus flavor was too overwhelming but it was a big hit with family. They couldn’t get enough of it. I did add white chocolate but still felt too bland personally.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over ten years of recipe development is that no 2 people are alike in their tastes. That’s what makes it fun! I’m glad the family approved!
Delicious cookies! Can I substitute icing sugar and cornstarch?
Not sure what went wrong. Followed the recipe as written, chilled overnight, and they melted/spread beyond saving in the oven. Thought I could still enjoy but the flavor was also a little odd.
If your flour is too low protein you will have this issue. Bread flour is higher protein and you can substitute some or all. Do not use pastry flour in shortbread recipes.
This is a new favorite. I did use salted butter, because it was all I had and turned out fine. I also used unsweetened dried cranberries and the first time I made the dough it was a bit dry and crumbly. Wondering if the fresh cranberries add some juice that the dried lack. Second time I made them, I kept a little flour back (probably about 1/8-1/4 c) and added a squeeze of orange juice from one of the oranges I zested (also zested two small oranges instead of one for extra orange), and was perfect. The chopped cranberries add such a beautiful fleck of color.
This is my daughter’s favorite Christmas cookie. I add an orange flavored glaze when they are still warm.
I ended up w TWO logs. More cookies to love. Nice flavor. Used tangerine zest cuz I had it.
I don’t usually try new cookie recipes but was intrigued. Flavors were great. But my cookies spread out so much they were flat, almost like lace cookies. So pretty much impossible to give as gifts since they were just blobs that fell apart as I tried to take them off the tray.
This cookie was a crowd pleaser. I am going to try the salted butter as I thought it was missing a tiny bit of flavor. I also glazed them with a thin orange glaze from the juice of the zested orange. Thanks for the recipe