These Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies are perfectly buttery and bursting with bright holiday flavor. Dip them in white chocolate to take them to the next level!
Shortbread cookies have a reputation for being dry and crumbly, but a GOOD shortbread is, in my opinion, one of the best cookies you can have. These cranberry orange shortbread cookies are one such example. They’re melt-in-your-mouth buttery and so flavorful, thanks to the orange zest, orange juice, and sweet-tart dried cranberries in the dough.
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Ingredients
These cookies feel fancy, but they only require a handful of simple ingredients. Most importantly, use very cold butter. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for the full list of ingredients with measurements!
- The holy trifecta of shortbread: Butter, flour and sugar. I used both brown sugar and granulated sugar to give the cookies a deeper flavor and help them retain a nice chew once they cool.
- Oranges. I used two medium oranges for this recipe, and it really is best with peak-season citrus. We’re using both the zest and the juice here. The orange flavor should shine through!
- Vanilla extract and sea salt, for extra flavor.
- Dried cranberries. Whatever you can find at the store works just fine. Or try making this recipe with dried cherries for a fun twist!
- White chocolate. I like to chop up a bar of white chocolate from the baking aisle, as I find it melts more smoothly than chips. But white chocolate chips will definitely work too!
Instructions
Making the dough for these cookies is quite easy, but you’ll need to work quickly and make heavy use of your freezer when slicing them up and transferring to the baking sheet. Be sure to scroll to the bottom for full instructions with cooking times.
Here’s how to make these cranberry orange shortbread cookies:
- In a stand mixer or a large bowl using a handheld mixer, mix together the cold butter, sugars, and orange zest until there are no large chunks of butter remaining. Make sure the butter is very cold so the cookies retain their shape.
- Mix in the flour and salt, then add the dried cranberries and orange juice and mix until just combined.
- Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over the dough and use it to shape the dough into a log. Chill in the freezer for at least one hour, or better yet, overnight.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a serrated knife to slice the cookies into discs, working quickly as you transfer them to the baking sheet. Bake in two rounds, leaving one baking sheet to chill in the fridge while the other is in the oven.
- Cool the cookies on a wire rack before dipping the bottoms in white chocolate and leaving to set.
Substitutions and Variations
This recipe is based on my Chocolate Orange Shortbread Cookies recipe, which swaps the cranberries for dark chocolate chunks. Try making a double batch of dough and separating into two bowls to add both mix-ins!
Expert Tips
When you think it’s chilled enough, chill it some more. Don’t underestimate the chilling time in this recipe! This dough needs to be as cold as possible when it goes into the oven, lest your cookies spread into butter puddles. If it takes you a while to slice up the cookies and get them onto the baking sheet, put them back in the freezer to firm up again.
Bake in batches and chill in between. I highly recommend baking these in two batches. While the first batch is in the oven, place the second batch (unbaked) into the fridge or freezer to stay nice and cold. Transfer them to the baking sheet right before they go into the oven.
Cut with a sawing motion. To keep your cookies together and get a nice shape, slice the dough using a serrated knife and a sawing motion. Don’t force it; use gentle pressure and the natural motion of the knife to cut through them.
FAQs
If your cookies turned into butter puddles in the oven, it’s likely they weren’t cold enough when they went in. This dough needs to be COOOOLD when it enters the oven—like, fresh out the freezer cold. If it takes you a few minutes to slice up the dough, place the baking sheet in the fridge or freezer to get cold again before baking.
More of my favorite cookie recipes:
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
White Chocolate Eggnog Cookie Bars
Easy Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Did you make this recipe? If you loved it, please leave a ⭐5-star rating⭐ and/or leave a comment below the recipe card! And don’t forget to share a photo and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok — I love seeing you recreate my recipes.
PrintCranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
These Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies are perfectly buttery and bursting with bright holiday flavor. Dip them in white chocolate to take them to the next level!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes + 1 hour chilling time
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: About 22 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed into ½-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange zest, from about two medium oranges
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, from about one medium orange
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Combine the wet ingredients: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, both sugars, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until the mixture comes together and there are no more large chunks of butter visible.
- Add the dry ingredients: To the butter-sugar mixture, add the flour and salt. Beat on low speed until the dough is just starting to come together — at this stage, it will still look a little dry and crumbly. Add the orange juice and the dried cranberries, and beat until the dough is just combined and the cranberries are evenly distributed throughout.
- Shape and chill the dough: Lay a sheet of plastic wrap out on the counter and dump out the dough onto it. Using the plastic wrap to help you, start shaping the dough into a log. Roll it into a log that’s about 12 inches long and 2 inches in diameter, patting in the ends to flatten them. Wrap the dough log in the plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer to chill for at least one hour or overnight.
- Slice and refreeze: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When the dough is thoroughly chilled, take it out of the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. Using a serrated knife and a gentle back-and-forth sawing motion, slice the log into ½-inch rounds. Place the cookies about two inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheet, then place back in the freezer for an additional 15 minutes to firm up completely. Do not skip this step!
- Bake: Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Dip in chocolate: Place the chopped white chocolate in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until melted. Dip the bottoms of the cooled cookies into the melted chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl, then place the cookies back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet until the chocolate sets.
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