Anytime you’re craving a buttery, melt in your mouth cookie, bursting with fresh orange and tart dried cranberries; this is your slice and bake shortbread recipe! Whip this sparkly shortbread up in a stand mixer, roll into logs then rest in the fridge. Slice, chill, then bake in the oven until golden. The shortbread dough can be made ahead and frozen for ultimate easy!
Fresh and Tart Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Simple ingredients come together to make the tastiest catagory of cookies: shortbread! They’re loved by many for good reason. Shortbread is rich, buttery, tender and melt in your mouth delicious. They’re a favorite of mine anytime, but especially during the holidays.
The sky is the limit with shortbread for flavor inclusions like extracts, zest, seeds, dried, fruit, and chocolate that make shortbread cookies special and versatile like my Almond Orange Shortbread Cookies, Dark Chocolate Shortbread and these reader favorite Bourbon Vanilla Bean Shortbread! But for these pretty shortbread cookies, I include two ingredients that are like peas and carrots: dried cranberries and orange.
This Recipe Is
- fragrant bursting with orange flavor
- crisp yet sandy texture
- tart-sweet but not *too* sweet
If you love to make cookies, put these easy cranberry orange shortbreads on your homemade cookie list!
About the Key Ingredients
- Dried Cranberries: I use apple juice sweetened cranberries for this recipe, for a not too sweet and deliciously tart flavor. You can use sugar sweetened cranberries in this recipe for a sweeter punch, or try unsweetened dried cranberries for a more tart experience. Find apple juice sweetened cranberries in the bulk bins for best value.
- Unsalted Butter: choose a high-quality butter for best flavor. Set the butter out on the kitchen counter the night before so it can warm up to room temperature. This is the optimal temperature to render the butter soft and pliable, perfect for mixing.
- Orange Juice and Zest: using both in this recipe lightly flavors and enhances the cookie’s flavor profile. Orange zest is aromatic, bright, and citrusy thanks to its oils just under the surface of the skin. It’s more punchy than orange juice and imparts a slightly bitter note. Orange juice is tangy and sweet, adding freshness and acidity to these cookies aiding in tenderizing the crumb.
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How to Make Cranberry Orange Shortbread
step by step
Plan Ahead: although shortbread is easy to make, the flavor improves with a little time in the fridge, after mixing. An overnight rest is best! Once sliced, chill again so the shortbread holds its shape while baking.
“Just took my batch out of the oven 😍🥰. These are remarkable! Full of flavor, delicate and lovely. A new favorite for the holiday.”
GeeBee
Traci’s Tips
- For a Sparkly Finish: I love finishing the shortbread log in an egg white wash then sprinkling with raw/turbinado sugar. It gives these cookies a sparkly finish and a nice sugary crunch. You can omit this step if desired.
- Oven Temperature: I recommend an external oven thermometer for best baking outcome. This way, you can monitor and adjust the oven temperature as needed.
- Make ahead: Shortbread has a long shelf stable life, so they make perfect cookies to ship to friends and family near and far! They stay fresh for up to one week when baked properly, and stored at room temperature in a sealed container.
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies (Slice and Bake)
Servings:29 , 1/2 inch thick cookies
Calories:102kcal
Anytime you're craving a buttery, melt in your mouth cookie, bursting with fresh orange and tart dried cranberries; this is your slice and bake shortbread recipe! Whip this sparkly shortbread up in a stand mixer, roll into logs then rest in the fridge. Slice, chill, then bake in the oven until golden. The shortbread dough can be made ahead and frozen for ultimate easy! NOTE: Prep time above is an estimate. This time can vary depending on baker experience.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons (265g) Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon Corn Starch
- 1/4 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 3/4 cup (170 grams) or 1 1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) Organic Cane Sugar
- 1/3 cup (40 grams) Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 tablespoon Orange Zest packed, from about 2 large orange
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice from about 1 orange
- 2/3 cup (115 grams) Dried Cranberries rough chopped
- 1 Egg White for finishing
- Turbinado or Raw Sugar for finishing, about 1/4 cup
Instructions
Mix the Dough:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, corn starch and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar and powdered sugar. Mix on medium for about 2 minutes or until smooth (not fluffy), stopping to scrape bowl at least once.
- Add the orange zest and juice, and vanilla extract. Mix again on medium for about 30 seconds, or until incorporated. Scrape down bowl. Add the flour mixture all at once, pulse to start, then mix on medium-low until the dough forms somewhat of a ball on the paddle and has pulled away from sides of the bowl. About 30 seconds. The dough should be tacky and pliable.Add the cranberries and mix on medium low until they're evenly distributed. About 20 seconds.
To Shape, Divide and Rest:
- Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Knead the dough a few times until a mass forms. Divide it in half. Roll each piece into a 1 1/2 inch (3.8 cm) thick log. Wrap snugly in parchment paper or plastic wrap and carefully transfer the dough to a flat surface in your refrigerator. Refrigerate for two hours or up to two days. An overnight rest is best.
- To Freeze (optional): At this point, the dough can be frozen for up to two months. Be sure to double wrap the dough to prevent freezer burn.Thaw overnight in the fridge then proceed.
To Cut and Pan:
- Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside. Make room in the refrigerator for your pans. Alternatively, you can rest one pan in the refrigerator while preparing or baking the other. Remove the log(s) from the refrigerator, unwrap, and using a pastry brush, brush a thin layer of egg white all over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the log with raw sugar, rolling it as needed to cover the surface area of the log. Using a serrated knife, and in one swift move, firmly slice downward (no sawing) cutting the cookies in 1/2 inch (1 1/4cm) thick pieces. Place on sheet pan with at least 1 inch (2 1/2 cm) between cookies.Transfer the cookies in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before baking (do not skip this step or the cookies will lose their shape).
To Bake:
- Arrange a baking rack in the center of the oven and one directly underneath. Preheat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit (160 Celsius) while the cookies rest in the refrigerator.
- Bake at 325 Fahrenheit 20-23 minutes, or until the cookies turn lightly golden brown around the edges and on the bottom. If baking two pans at once, rotate pans front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. (I bake one sheet pan at a time for even baking). Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet pan for five minutes, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store in a covered container at room temperature for up one week.
Notes
Kitchen Tools: For accurate oven temperature monitoring, I recommend a digital oven thermometer. Weigh your ingredients using a digital kitchen scale for the best outcome (affiliate link).
Recipe adapted from my Crisp Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 102kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 18mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 149IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Made It? Leave a comment below! The most helpful comment may include recipe rating, feedback, any modifications and/or helping other commenters. On Instagram? Take a snap of your make and share, tagging @VanillaAndBean #VanillaAndBean!
Just took my batch out of the oven 😍🥰. These are remarkable! Full of flavor, delicate and lovely. A new favorite for the holiday.
Hi GeeBee! Thank you for your note and giving the cookies a go! Thrilled to hear you’re enjoying their flavor and delicate crumb. Yay!
Made these today. Spectacular! Just the bright twist I needed for my baked good gifts! I make a similar recipe using finely chopped rosemary and mini chocolate chips and this is the perfect partner for a shortbread set. Thanks!
Hii Jenny! Thank you for your note and making this shortbread recipe to round out your shortbread set! Oh my goodness, rosemary and mini chocolate chips sound divine!
When should the chopped cranberries be added in? When should the egg whites and finishing sugar be used?
Hi Eileen! Thank you for pointing out I forgot to add the cranberries! It’s in step 3 under “mix the dough”. Egg white and finishing sugar is in step 1 under “to cut and pan.”
Although I haven’t made a batch following this recipe, I make a cookie exactly like this, except I dip half the cookie in melted dark chocolate.
That sounds absolutely delicious, Gordon!