These cranberry orange shortbread cookies are light, buttery, and packed with orange zest and chopped craisins! Not only are they delicious, but they look beautiful as well! Everyone will be impressed with these delicious and vibrant cookies no matter the occasion!
Easy Cranberry Orange Shortbread
These delectable cranberry orange shortbread cookies start off with a buttery shortbread recipe that is made even more elegantly with dried cranberries and orange zest! They are the perfect cookie to brighten up your holiday baking spread.
You can't go wrong with the classic holiday flavor combination of tangy cranberries and citrusy oranges! Not only do these cookies make a wonderful Christmas dessert, but they are also great for making year-round too.
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If baking gets you in the Christmas spirit, check out my holiday baking recipes! There are cookies, my fantastic Christmas cake, fruitcake and more cake ideas, pies, fudge, candy, and so much more to try!
🥘 Cranberry Orange Shortbread Ingredients
With a handful of common baking ingredients, these slice-and-bake cookies come together very easily! You may need to pick up a package of dried cranberries and 1 orange if you don't have them on hand already.
- Butter - 1 cup butter (I use salted butter in my shortbread recipes - softened, at room temperature).
- Confectioners Sugar - ¾ cup of confectioners sugar.
- Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- All-Purpose Flour - 2 cups of all-purpose flour.
- Orange Zest - 1 tablespoon of orange zest.
- Dried Cranberries - 2 cups of dried cranberries (chopped).
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How to Make Cranberry Orange Shortbread
The secret to cranberry orange shortbread cookies is allowing the dough to chill long enough for the orange zest, cranberry, and vanilla flavors to beautifully infuse into the dough! Take out a baking sheet, stand mixer (or hand mixer), measuring utensils, plastic wrap (or parchment paper), and a chef's knife to get started.
When you are finished baking, you should have about 24 cookies. This will depend on thick you slice the cookies out of the log of dough.
Make Shortbread Cookie Dough
- Cream. Using your stand mixer (or a hand mixer), cream together your room-temperature 1 cup of butter, ¾ cup of confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract until nice and smooth.
- Add flour. Gradually add in the 2 cups of all-purpose flour and mix until just combined and the dough is crumbly.
- Fold. Fold in 1 tablespoon of orange zest and 2 cups of chopped craisins (dried cranberries) until everything is well dispersed in the dough.
- Shape. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap (or parchment paper) and roll it into a log shape.
Chill, Slice, And Bake Cookies
- Chill. Using the plastic wrap, tightly wrap up the dough log and then place it in your fridge. Allow the dough to chill for at least 30 minutes (but ideally 4 hours).
- Slice. When your chilled dough is nice and firm, go ahead and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap it, and use a sharp knife to cut the dough log into slices that are roughly ¼-½ inch thick.
- Bake. Place the slices onto a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper, leaving some space in between each cookie. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 10-12 minutes, or until the center is slightly puffy.
- Cool. Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the pan. Shortbread cookies are exceptionally tender and soft and can easily break apart if you try to move them while they are still warm.
These delicious cranberry orange shortbread cookies make a delightful addition to any holiday dessert spread. Everyone will be begging for the recipe, trust me! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- You can easily make this dough in advance and allow it to chill in the fridge (before slicing) for up to a week. Or, you can place the dough log into the freezer for up to a month.
- If you use unsalted butter, just add a pinch of salt to the recipe.
- Don't skip out on chilling your dough. This allows the butter to firm back up, making for easy slices, even baking, and a light and flaky texture.
🥡 Storing
Keep any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or in the fridge for 10 days.
Placed in a sealed container, these cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply set them on the counter and allow them to return to room temperature before serving.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! You may keep any leftover cookies that you want to save for later in a plastic Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. You could also store them in a freezer-safe container if you'd prefer! Set them out on the counter to thaw at room temperature before serving.
If you find that your shortbread dough is crumbling when you are trying to form the cookies into a log, it may be the type of butter you are using. Different kinds of butter have different water contents. You may add a teaspoon of water or two until your shortbread dough is easier to work with.
Yes! These cranberry orange shortbread cookies are slice-and-bake cookies! You can refrigerate the dough for up to 7 days, then all you have to do is slice and bake whenever you are ready to serve! This is especially great when you are planning for busy holiday meals filled with other dishes you need to focus on!
🍪 More Tasty Christmas Cookies
- Fruitcake Shortbread Cookies - These buttery cookies are loaded with bright and fun fruit cake pieces!
- Gumdrop Cookies - This tender cookie recipe is easy to make and fantastic for any holiday party or gathering!
- Melting Moments - A soft and delightful Christmas cookie that only requires a hand full of simple ingredients!
- Sprinkle Crinkle Cookies - These delectable cookies are made with festive green and red sprinkles topped off with Confectioners' sugar!
- Empire Biscuits - This cookie recipe features two shortbread cookies sandwiched together with raspberry preserves!
- Cowboy Cookies - These cowboy cookies are packed with shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and chopped pecans!
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📖 Recipe Card
Cranberry Orange Shortbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (I use salted butter in my shortbread recipes - softened, at room temperature)
- ¾ cup confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 cups dried cranberries (chopped)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Using your stand mixer (or a hand mixer), cream together your room-temperature butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract until nice and smooth.
- Gradually add in the all-purpose flour and mix until just combined and the dough is crumbly.
- Fold in the orange zest and chopped craisins (dried cranberries) until everything is well dispersed in the dough.
- Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap (or parchment paper) and roll it into a log shape.
- Using the plastic wrap, tightly wrap up the dough log and then place it in your fridge. Allow the dough to chill for at least 30 minutes (but ideally 4 hours).
- When your chilled dough is nice and firm, go ahead and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap it, and use a sharp knife to cut the dough log into slices that are roughly ¼-½ inch thick.
- Place the slices onto a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper, leaving some space in between each cookie. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 10-12 minutes, or until the center is slightly puffy.
- Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the pan. Shortbread cookies are exceptionally tender and soft and can easily break apart if you try to move them while they are still warm.
Notes
- You can easily make this dough in advance and allow it to chill in the fridge (before slicing) for up to a week. Or, you can place the dough log into the freezer for up to a month.
- If you use unsalted butter, just add a pinch of salt to the recipe.
- Don't skip out on chilling your dough. This allows the butter to firm back up, making for easy slices, even baking, and a light and flaky texture.
- To store: Keep any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or in the fridge for 10 days.
- To freeze: Placed in a sealed container, these cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply set them on the counter and allow them to return to room temperature before serving.
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