Indulge in a perfect blend of tart and sweet with these Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies. Each buttery bite is infused with zesty orange zest and studded with plump cranberries, creating a delightful combination of flavors in every delectable cookie.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love These Cookies
I love cranberries during the holidays, especially in this Cranberry Apple Crisp or Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars. Take those flavors in slice and bake form, what else can you ask for from a holiday cookie?!
A GOOD Shortbread cookie recipe is hard to find, but I think they are an important addition to any cookie exchange. If you’ve made my sister’s traditional Shortbread Cookies with Homemade Icing, you know how delicious they are. These easy Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies are much more simplified and has a citrus glaze that everyone is sure to love.
These tangy cranberries and orange cookies are perfect for the holiday season because you can make the dough ahead of time the night before, clean up all of the mess, and bake right before guests arrive. We all know how inviting a freshly baked cookie is.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter - What makes a shortbread cookie a shortbread cookie! Creates that perfect buttery texture.
- Orange Zest - The orange peel actually holds a lot of the natural orange flavor. The zest also gives specks of color to the shortbread dough, too.
- Confectioner Sugar - AKA powdered sugar. Better than granulated sugar in these cookies because of its fluffy texture. It will also be the base of our glaze.
- All Purpose Flour - I've not tried any alternative flours. To make them gluten-free, use 1:1 all purpose gluten-free flour.
- Dried Cranberries - These cookies do NOT work with fresh cranberries. Pro tip: Pulse your dried cranberries in a food processor a few times rather than chopping to get smaller pieces instantly.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Citrus not your favorite? Replace the orange with almond extract and milk. It will be denser shortbread and a more cranberry forward.
- You can also try these buttery shortbread cookies with dried cherries instead of cranberries.
How to Make Orange Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
1. In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine room temperature butter (cold butter won't work here!) and confectioner sugar. Beat together until completely creamed together (you may need to scrap the sides of the bowl a few times).
2. Add in the orange extract, orange zest, and juiced orange. Beat again until smooth. Pour in the all purpose flour and salt. Mix again until dough forms.
3. Fold in the chopped dried cranberries. Spin the mixer 4-6 times to disperse the cranberries, but be careful not to over mix.
4. Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on your work surface. Remove the dough from the mixer. It should have enough form that it stays together in one lump, and it shouldn't be too sticky or crumbly (see FAQs if your dough doesn’t seem quite right). Use your hands to form dough into a log shape roughly 2-3” in diameter. Fold the plastic wrap tightly around the log and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F. After the dough is completely chilled, remove from the plastic wrap. Use a straight sharp knife to cut even cookies, roughly ¼” thick.
6. Place cookie dough rounds on a cookie sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper and bake cookies for ~9-12 minutes or until centers are firm (the shortbread cookie will change colors from a yellow to more of a white when baked. You will know they are done when there is any hint of golden brown on the baked cookies' bottom edges). Keep a close eye as bake time will vary from oven to oven.
7. While the cookies are baking, make the glaze: Combine orange juice, milk, and powdered sugar in the stand mixer. Beat together until a thick, citrus glaze is formed. Note: If the glaze seems too thick, add milk in 1 tsp increments until desired consistency is reached. Avoid adding too much liquid, because if it is too thin the glaze will not harden on the shortbread cookie.
8. Once the cookies cool, use a spoon to add ½ tbsp of icing onto each cookie. You can also opt to drizzle the glaze if you wish. Garnish with fresh orange zest and/or more chopped cranberries.
Pro Tip
- You MUST chill the dough. It’s how the cookie holds its shape without any egg added. I chilled mine for 4 hours and it was solid but you may need longer depending on how thick the dough log is.
- Spoon INTO the measuring cup opposed to scooping the flour with the cup. Level off the flour before adding to the mixing bowl. If you have a kitchen scale, feel free to use that. 120 grams of all purpose flour is equivalent to 1 cup.
Recipe FAQs
I HIGHLY recommend a stand mixer for this recipe. You’ll need the butter and sugar to completely cream together to achieve perfect consistency. I love this Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer that is a fourth the cost of a typical KitchenAid. You could try an electric hand mixer, but it will be tough. I advise against trying to make this recipe by hand
If the dough is too crumbly, chances are the butter wasn’t at room temperature or not thoroughly mixed. Add 1 tsp of naval orange juice into the dough and mix again. Repeat 1-3x until dough forms together.
If the dough is too sticky, add 1 tsp of flour to the dough and mix until it’s no longer sticky.
Store in a cool, dry place. Keep in an airtight container as cookies will dry out overtime. I like to chill mine because the icing hardens and gives decadent that magic shell factor. These cookies keep for up to 1 week or you can freeze in freezer bags for up to 3 months.
If you use slightly less milk, the glaze can be more of a frosting. Add this to a piping bag and pipe decorations onto each cookie.
You can also add crystal sprinkles to the top of these cookies. I think the look great with the sparkly red and/or orange sprinkles on top.
Serving Suggestions
Staying with the cranberry theme: Bake this Cranberry Brie Bread Bowl or whip up a Cranberry Whiskey Sour for the perfect, strong pairing!
More Recipes You'll Love
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Recipe
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- stand mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Plastic wrap
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- cookie sheet
- parchment paper
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ½ cup +2 tbsp confectioners sugar
- 2 tsp orange extract, can substitute with almond extract
- 2 tbsp orange zest
- 4 tsp FRESH naval orange juice, ~ approx ½ orange, juiced
- pinch salt
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
- cane sugar, for topping
Orange Glaze
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp FRESH orange juice
Instructions
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine room temperature butter (cold butter won't work here!) and confectioner sugar. Beat together until completely creamed together (you may need to scrap the sides of the bowl a few times).
- Add in the orange extract, orange zest, and juiced orange. Beat again until smooth.
- Pour in the all purpose flour and salt. Mix again until dough forms.
- Fold in the chopped dried cranberries. Spin the mixer 4-6 times to disperse the cranberries, but be careful not to overmix.
- Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on your work surface. Remove the dough from the mixer. It should have enough form that it stays together in one lump, and it shouldn't be too sticky or crumbly (see FAQs if your dough doesn’t seem quite right).
- Use your hands to form dough into a log shape roughly 2-3” in diameter. **If you'd like to make 18-24 cookies, make the log more narrow. Note: this will effect bake time. Monitor closely.
- Fold the plastic wrap tightly around the log and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. After the dough is completely chilled, remove from the plastic wrap. Use a straight sharp knife to cut even cookies, roughly ¼” thick.
- Place cookie dough rounds on a cookie sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper and top with a sprinkle of cane sugar. Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes or until centers are firm (the shortbread cookie will change colors from a yellow to more of a white when baked. You will know they are done when there is any hint of golden brown on the baked cookies' bottom edges). Keep a close eye as bake time will vary from oven to oven.
- While the cookies are baking, make the glaze: Combine orange juice, milk, and powdered sugar in the stand mixer. Whisk together until a thick, citrus glaze is formed. Note: If the glaze seems too thick, add milk in 1 tsp increments until desired consistency is reached. Avoid adding too much liquid, because if it is too thin the glaze will not harden on the shortbread cookie.
- Once the cookies cool, use a spoon to add ½ tbsp of icing onto each cookie. You can also opt to drizzle the glaze if you wish. Garnish with fresh orange zest and/or more chopped cranberries.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
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I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Katrina McLean says
I love how this recipe is so different than most holiday cookies and how easy it is for substitutions
Sydney Van Acker says
I mean these are so lovely! So unique and a pleasant switch up from the christmas classics but still full of festive flavors
Ali Gossen says
Could not be more obsessed with these. The perfect sweet, light, and fruity cookie that stole the show at my family’s cookie exchange. Normally I’m a chocolate girl, but this might be my new favorite holiday treat! Highly recommend!
Courtney Paige says
LOVE to hear that, Ali! Thanks for making them!
Courtney Paige says
These are amazing. LOVE them so much!