Description
These Orange Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies are buttery, tender, and bursting with vibrant citrus flavor. Sweet dried cranberries, crunchy pistachios, and fresh orange zest create a beautiful slice-and-bake cookie with delicate golden edges and a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Ingrédients
Scale
- 1 cup (226 g / 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 medium orange (~1 tablespoon)
- 1 tsp pure orange extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2/3 cup (90 g) dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup (85 g) shelled raw pistachios, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Cream Butter, Sugar, and Citrus: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the fresh orange zest and pure orange extract, beating until fragrant, pale, and fluffy.
- Incorporate Flour and Salt: Gradually add the all-purpose flour and kosher salt, mixing on low speed just until the crumbly shortbread dough gathers together.
- Fold in Cranberries and Pistachios: Gently fold in the finely chopped dried cranberries and coarsely chopped pistachios using a rubber spatula until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Shape and Chill Log: Shape the dough into a smooth 12-inch-long log. Wrap tightly in parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) until completely firm.
- Preheat Oven and Slice Cold Dough: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut the cold dough log into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange them approximately 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets.
- Bake Until Edges Turn Golden: Bake for 10–14 minutes, or until the bottom edges turn a delicate, light golden brown while the centers remain pale.
- Cool and Set: Allow the shortbread slices to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them carefully to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Keep Slices Cold Until Baking: If the dough log warms up on your counter while slicing, place the cut slices back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking to prevent excessive spreading.
- Chop Fruit and Nuts Uniformly: Take time to finely chop the dried cranberries and pistachios so your knife glides effortlessly through the cold log without crumbling the edges.
- Use Fresh Orange Zest: Pairing real citrus zest with orange extract provides a vibrant, multidimensional orange flavor that artificial flavorings cannot replicate.
- Temps de préparation: 20 minutes
- Temps de cuisson: 14 minutes
- Catégorie: Dessert
- Méthode: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Portion: 1 cookie
- Calories: 95
- Sucre: 3g
- Sodium: 13mg
- Graisse: 6g
- Graisse saturée: 3g
- Graisses insaturées: 3g
- Gras trans: 0g
- Glucides: 10g
- Fibres: 1g
- Protéine: 1g
- Cholestérol: 12mg