Description
These Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies are buttery, tender, and bursting with bright citrus flavor and sweet-tart dried cranberries. Made with fresh orange juice, fragrant orange zest, and finely chopped cranberries, these beautiful slice-and-bake cookies have delicate golden edges and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Finished with a smooth citrus glaze and optional sparkling sugar, they’re a delicious homemade treat perfect for holiday baking, cookie exchanges, and special occasions.
Ingrédients
Scale
- For the Cookie Dough:
- 3/4 cup (170 g) softened unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp (265 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp fresh orange zest
- 3/4 cup (100 g) dried cranberries, very finely chopped
- Optional: Coarse sparkling sugar for rolling log edges
- For the Citrus Glaze:
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer for 2–3 minutes until light, pale, and fluffy.
- Beat in Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and pure vanilla extract, beating continuously until completely smooth and cohesive.
- Incorporate Flour, Salt, Citrus, and Cranberries: Mix in the all-purpose flour and salt on low speed, followed by the fresh orange juice, orange zest, and finely chopped dried cranberries just until a cohesive shortbread dough forms.
- Divide, Shape, and Chill: Divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape each portion into a 7–8-inch log, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until thoroughly firm.
- Preheat Oven and Slice Logs: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Optional: Roll the chilled logs in coarse sparkling sugar. Slice each log into 12 equal rounds, about 1/4-inch thick.
- Arrange and Bake: Place the cookie slices 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 13–15 minutes, or until the bottom edges turn a delicate light golden brown.
- Cool on Pan: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them carefully to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Glaze and Set: In a small bowl, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar and fresh orange juice until smooth. Drizzle the citrus glaze over completely cooled cookies and let set for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Chop Cranberries Very Fine: Mincing the dried cranberries finely prevents knife blades from snagging during slicing, ensuring smooth, neat round discs.
- Rotate Log While Chilling: To prevent the bottom of the soft dough log from flattening against the refrigerator shelf, rotate the wrapped log a quarter turn every 30 minutes during the first hour of chilling.
- Use a Sharp Chef’s Knife: Slice through the chilled logs with a quick, downward motion using a razor-sharp, thin-bladed knife rather than sawing back and forth.
- Temps de préparation: 20 minutes
- Temps de cuisson: 15 minutes
- Catégorie: Dessert
- Méthode: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Portion: 1 cookie
- Calories: 155
- Sucre: 12g
- Sodium: 30mg
- Graisse: 6g
- Graisse saturée: 4g
- Graisses insaturées: 2g
- Gras trans: 0g
- Glucides: 24g
- Fibres: 1g
- Protéine: 2g
- Cholestérol: 20mg