Cranberry Orange Almond Shortbread Cookies

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These Cranberry Orange Almond Shortbread Cookies are our family favorite cookies during the holiday season. With fresh orange zest and the deliciously sweet taste of dried cranberries they are the perfect Christmas cookie.

cranberry orange shortbread cookie closeup of them stacked up — Cranberry Orange Almond Shortbread Cookies

As mentioned earlier, these cookies make a perfect Christmas cookie, or Thanksgiving. Or just fall in general. This is when Cranberries are traditionally in season and served, when we start to see a lot of cranberry infused desserts and cookie recipes.

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🧅 Ingredients
🥣 Instructions
🔄 Substitutions and Variations
🧊 Storage
💡 Top tip
📘 More Cookie Recipes
👩‍🍳 FAQs
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
💬 Comments

Personally, I love cranberries and in this recipe they pair so well with the citrusy flavor of the orange zest. Your holiday cookie platter won't last long with these on them.

Next time try serving these yummy cookies alongside my delicious Old Fashioned Pecan Pie on your holiday dessert table! Also, see my Stacked Christmas Tree Cookies - they're so cute!

🧅 Ingredients

Salted butter
Granulated sugar
Almond extract
All Purpose Flour
Cornstarch
Orange zest
Dried cranberries
White chocolate

See recipe card for quantities.

🥣 Instructions

Step 1: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer at medium speed cream together the cream and butter until fluffy. (Or you can use a stand mixer)
Step 2: Mix in the Almond Extract.
Step 3: In another bowl mix together the all purpose flour and cornstarch.
Step 4: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat together on a low speed until mixed well.

cranberry orange shortbread cookies four images showing steps 1 through 4 on how to make them

Step 5: Stir the cranberries and orange zest into the cookie dough.
Step 6: Take the cookie dough and lay it out on a lightly floured surface. Mold into a circular disc.
Step 7: Roll out the dough to about ¼" thick.
Step 8: Cut out the cookies with a 2.5" cookie cutter.

cranberry orange shortbread cookies four images showing steps 5 through 8 on how to make them

Step 9: Lay the cookies out on parchment paper. Bake cookies in the oven for 15 minutes. They'll be ready when the edges are golden brown in color.
Step 10: Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack. Drizzle white chocolate over the cookies once cooled.

2 images next to each other showing how to make cranberry orange cookies

Hint: Once you have laid them out on the baking sheet you can wrap the sheet in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. This will help stop the spreading.

🔄 Substitutions and Variations

Fillings - this shortbread dough recipe can be used with any filling. Instead of the cranberry orange combo, you can swap it out for nuts, chocolate, lemon zest, fresh cranberries or a different berry.
Spice it up! - you could also add some seasonal spices in these delicious cookies!
Vanilla - instead of almond extract use vanilla extract.
Milk Chocolate - Instead of the white chocolate, if you prefer drizzle milk chocolate instead.

a cranberry orange shortbread cookie broken in half to see the inside of the cookie, close up

🧊 Storage

Store these cookies in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to one week.

You can freeze these cookies too, in an airtight container, for up to 3 months.

💡 Top tip

Expert Tip: This buttery shortbread cookie can spread somewhat when baking so leave some space between each one on the baking sheet. If you want that clean, rounded look for your cookies you can bake them for 10 minutes then pull them out of the oven and set the cookie cutter just carefully around the edge of a cookie and move in a circular motion to shape the cookie and smooth the edges, then return them to the oven to finish baking.

Otherwise, when you bake them you will get that traditional spreaded look.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

What is the difference between a sugar cookie and a shortbread cookie?

Sugar cookies use leavening agents and so have a lighter, softer texture. These Orange Cranberry Cookies do not use a leavening agent so are more dense, buttery and less sugary.

Can I use fresh cranberries instead of dried in cookies?

Yes. The dried cranberries are sweeter, so I would use double the number of fresh cranberries called for in the recipe. Be careful when stirring them into the cookie dough, you'll want to stir slowly.

Why do my cookies have a crumbly texture?

You must have used too much flour, this can happen if you used too much during the rolling out stage, etc. Best thing to do is make sure you are careful during the measuring stage and the flouring surface stage and you'll get the perfect cookie.

What is Shortbread?

Traditionally, a shortbread cookie is a Scottish biscuit (cookie) that is made from four simple ingredients. Flour, butter, sugar and salt. The ratio is always as follows: One parts butter, two parts sugar and three parts flour.

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Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Yield: 30

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Delicious Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies just in time for the holiday season. They're citrusy and sweet with yummy white chocolate drizzled on top - the perfect cookie for any fall get together.

Ingredients

1 ½ cup Butter, softened (salted)
1 cup Granulated Sugar
½ teaspoon Almond Extract
2 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
2 Tablespoons Orange Zest
1 cup Dried Cranberries, finely chopped (Craisins)
2 ounces of White Chocolate, melted

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the almond extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and cornstarch.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated.
Stir in the orange zest and dried cranberries.
Empty the dough onto a well-floured surface, then roll the dough out to about a ¼ inch thick.
Cut out the cookies with a 2.5 inch cookie cutter.
Place the cookies on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake the cookies at 325 degrees for 12 minutes. (Or until just turning golden on the edges.)
When the cookies have cooled completely, use a fork to drizzle the white chocolate over them.

Notes

These cookies can spread a bit when baking so leave some space between each one on the cookie sheet. If you want that smooth, rounded look for your cookies you can bake them for 10 minutes then pull them out of the oven and set the cookie cutter just carefully around the edge of a cookie and move in a circular motion to shape the cookie and smooth the edges, then return them to the oven to finish baking. Otherwise, when you bake them you will get that traditional spreaded look.

You could also refrigerate the cookies for 1 hour before cooking, that will also stop some of that spreading.