These orange cranberry shortbread cookies are tender and melt in your mouth, with bright orange zest and bits of fresh cranberry running through every slice. They come together as a dough log you chill and slice, so there is no rolling or cutting involved.
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The dough takes about 10 minutes to put together, then a quick 12 minutes in the oven once it has chilled.
🛒 Ingredients
- Unsalted butter. Room temperature butter creams smoothly, which is what gives shortbread its tender texture.
- Powdered sugar. It dissolves into the butter without any graininess, unlike granulated sugar.
- Vanilla extract. Optional, but it rounds out the flavor against the tart cranberries.
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch. The cornstarch is what keeps classic shortbread so tender. You can swap in more flour instead if that is what you have.
- Salt. Just a pinch, enough to balance the sweetness.
- Orange zest. Fresh zest gives the dough real citrus flavor, not just sweetness.
- Fresh cranberries. Chopped fine so they distribute through the dough instead of sitting in big wet pockets.
- If you want a few more cookies for your tray, try my Chewy Oatmeal M&M Cookies or Lofthouse Cookies next.
👩🍳 You'll find the complete list of ingredients below the recipe card.
🍪 How To Make Orange Cranberry Shortbread Cookies Step By Step
- Beat the butter and powdered sugar together for 5 to 6 minutes until light and fluffy, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Mix in the flour, cornstarch and salt, then stir in the orange zest and finely chopped cranberries.
- Shape the dough into a log, wrap it, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Slice the chilled dough into cookies about ¼ inch thick and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven until the bottoms just begin to turn golden, about 12 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet.
For another cookie you can keep in the freezer ready to slice and bake, my White Chocolate Chip Strawberry Cookies follow a similar no fuss approach.
Rita's Tip
Chop the cranberries small, closer to a mince than a chop. Large pieces can split the dough apart when you slice it, while small pieces stay tucked into the dough.
📋 Tips
- Shape the dough however you like. A log is the classic shape, but you can also shape the dough by hand and arrange the cookies directly on the baking sheet.
- Swap the cornstarch for more flour if needed. You can replace some or all of the cornstarch with additional all-purpose flour.
- Chop the cranberries in a food processor. It is much faster than chopping them by hand, especially for a full cup.
- Make the whole dough in a food processor. Pulse the flour, cornstarch, salt and powdered sugar together, add the butter and process into small crumbs, then add the cranberries and orange zest and process until combined. Turn the mixture onto a work surface and knead briefly until it comes together.
- Use a gentle sawing motion to slice. If the chilled dough feels a little crumbly, a sharp knife and a gentle sawing motion keeps the cookies from breaking apart.
🍱 Storage Instructions
- 🍱To Store. Keep baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- 🥶Freezing. Freeze the unbaked dough log for up to 3 months and slice the cookies straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
- 🔥To Reheat. These are best at room temperature, no reheating needed.
More Cookies You'll Like
📖Recipe
Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Tender, melt in your mouth shortbread cookies with orange zest and fresh cranberries, sliced from a chilled dough log.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks, about 225 grams, room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar, confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch, or use additional flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 cup fresh cranberries, packed, finely chopped
Instructions
- Beat the butter and powdered sugar together for 5 to 6 minutes until light and fluffy, then mix in the vanilla extract.1 cup unsalted butter, ½ cup powdered sugar
- Mix in the flour, cornstarch and salt, then stir in the orange zest and finely chopped cranberries.½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon orange zest, 1 cup fresh cranberries
- Shape the dough into a log, wrap it, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Slice the chilled dough into cookies about ¼ inch (0.6 centimeters) thick and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit (180 degree Celsius) oven until the bottoms just begin to turn golden, about 12 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet.
- If you like this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating, thank you!
Notes
- Chill the dough fully: a full 2 hours in the fridge makes the log firm enough to slice into clean rounds instead of squashing.
- Use a gentle sawing motion to slice: if the dough feels crumbly, a sharp knife and a sawing motion keeps the cookies from breaking apart.
- Try the food processor method: pulse the dry ingredients and butter into crumbs, then add the cranberries and orange zest and process until the dough comes together.
- Storage: keep baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze the unbaked dough log for up to 3 months and slice straight from frozen.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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