These easy Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies are soft, buttery, and tender treats for sharing this holiday season. Flavored with fresh orange zest, studded with chewy dried cranberries, and decorated with a drizzle of white chocolate.
Holiday Shortbread Cookies
Our homemade Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookie recipe requires a handful of basic ingredients. It boasts the best-tasting balance of tangy cranberries and zesty orange flavors that bake with a tender, buttery texture.
These cranberry cookies with a hint of orange are surprisingly simple to make; the cookie dough comes together quickly and is ready for rolling flat, cutting out round, and baking, all without chilling.
The cooled orange cranberry shortbread cookies are drizzled with melted white chocolate for a flavorful finishing touch and a pretty presentation.
Shortbread Cookies Versus Sugar Cookies
Classic shortbread cookies are made with butter, sugar, and flour. Unlike most other cookies, shortbread cookies don’t have any leavening agents (like baking powder or baking soda). The high butter content (high-fat content) and absence of liquids in the dough limit gluten development and create tender, crumbly cookies that melt in your mouth.
Despite their similar appearance, sugar cookies contain eggs and leavening agents, making them lighter and sometimes sweeter than their shortbread counterparts. Shortbread cookies are less sweet and have a buttery flavor and dense consistency.
Why We Love Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookie Recipes
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- Combines two of my favorite holiday flavors into one bright and buttery cookie base.
- Orange juice and zest provide a refreshing tang that is the perfect counterpart to the tart cranberries.
- Great for holiday gift giving, Christmas cookie platters, potlucks, or dipping into tea or coffee for a sweet snack or dessert.
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies Ingredients
- Granulated sugar
- Fresh orange zest
- All purpose flour
- Dried cranberries
- Salted butter: Unsalted butter can be substituted with ¼ teaspoon of salt if desired.
- Fresh orange juice
- White chocolate chips
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- Choose Your Chocolate: You can substitute dark, milk, or semi sweet chocolate chips for the white chocolate chips.
- Customize Your Cookies: Customize your cookies with different types of drizzled chocolate or add toppings like chopped nuts or sprinkles for extra flavor and visual appeal.
- Add An Extract: Feel free to add some vanilla extract or almond extract to enhance the shortbread flavor.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
- Create The Cookie Dough: Beat the sugar and orange zest together until the sugar is fragrant. Whisk in the flour and dried cranberries until combined, then grate in the butter. Blend everything together, add the orange juice and stir until a firm dough forms.
- Cut Out The Cookies: Turn the dough onto a sheet of parchment and cover with a second piece. Roll the dough until ½ inch thick (Image 1) and then cut out with cookie cutters. (Image 2)
Pro Tip: A ½ inch dough provides a soft, tender cookie. For a crispy cookie, roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness instead. - Bake: Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until the edges are golden brown. Cool completely, about 30-60 minutes. (Image 3)
Pro Tip: Bake each tray individually. I recommend refrigerating or freezing the other pan until the first one finishes baking. - Decorate With A Drizzle: Microwave the white chocolate chips for 30 seconds, stir, then continue in 15-second increments until the chocolate is completely melted. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the cookies. (Image 4)
- Serve: Allow the chocolate to set, about 30-60 minutes, before serving. Enjoy!
How To Make Slice And Bake Cookies
If you like the convenience of a make-ahead recipe, then you can easily revise the steps and turn these cut-out cookies into cranberry orange icebox cookies! Simply make the dough ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator, then slice and bake when you’re ready.
Follow my simple steps to make the dough, then shape it into a log about two inches in diameter and wrap it in plastic. You can store the dough log in the fridge for up to 72 hours. When it comes time to bake, cut slices of cookie dough about ¼ inch thick, place them on a baking tray, and bake! It’s so simple for the hectic holiday season!
Tips For Making Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
- You can omit the orange zest, however the cookies’ orange flavor will greatly diminish if you do so. You will need just 1 fresh orange for this recipe.
- I recommend fresh orange juice as 1 large orange will provide enough zest and juice for this recipe. The cookies may be sweeter if you use orange juice from concentrate.
- Be sure to use cold or frozen butter. Freezing the butter before grating it into the dough helps create a flakier texture and ensures the butter incorporates evenly. It also helps prevent the cookies from spreading and turning into flat, crispy cookies.
- Make sure to zest the orange correctly. When zesting the orange, only grate the outer orange part of the peel and avoid the bitter white pith beneath. The zest adds a vibrant citrus flavor to the cookies, but the pith makes them bitter and unpleasant. It is better to use less zest than to include the pith.
- When rolling out the dough, try to maintain a consistent thickness throughout. This ensures the cookies bake evenly and have a uniform texture.
- Leave enough space between the cookies on the baking sheet to allow for spreading during baking. This prevents them from sticking together and promotes even browning.
- Do not overbake the cookies! Keep a close eye on the cookies while baking to prevent them from becoming overly browned or crisp. The edges should be golden brown, and the centers slightly soft for a tender cookie. If you’d like a crispier cookie, you can bake them longer; however, I recommend rolling the dough out thinner, or the cookies will be difficult to eat.
How to Store The Best Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
- To Store: Store the cookies in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for 1 to 2 weeks.
- To Freeze: The cookies can be frozen in a freezer safe container for up to 2 to 3 months.
More Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes
Other Easy Holiday Desserts
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Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chopped dried cranberries
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) salted butter frozen
- 5-6 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat the sugar and orange zest together for 1-2 minutes in a large mixing bowl with a hand or stand mixer until the sugar is fragrant.¾ cup granulated white sugar, 1 tablespoon orange zest
- Add in the all-purpose flour and dried cranberries and whisk until well combined.2⅓ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup chopped dried cranberries
- Using a cheese grater, grate the frozen butter into the bowl and blend everything using a dough hook or hand mixer.¾ cup (1½ sticks) salted butter
- Add orange juice and add the juice 1 Tablespoon at a time, just until the dough comes together. Stir the dough with a dough hook until a firm dough forms.5-6 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- Turn the dough onto a sheet of parchment, wax paper, or a well-floured surface.
- Cover the dough with a second piece of parchment paper for best results or flour your rolling pin well and then roll the dough out to ½ inch thick.
- ½ inch dough provides a soft, tender cookie. For a crispy cookie, roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness instead.
- Using a 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place them on the prepared cookie sheets. Be sure to place them at least 1 inch away from the edge and each other.
- Bake each tray individually for 14-18 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. I recommend refrigerating or freezing the other pan until the first one finishes baking.
- Cool for 5-7 minutes before moving to a cooling rack, and cool completely, about 30-60 minutes.
- Once the cookies have cooled, melt the white chocolate chips together in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds before stirring well.¼ cup white chocolate chips
- Continue microwaving and stirring in 15-second increments until the chocolate is completely melted, and then use a fork or spoon to drizzle the melted white chocolate over the top of the cookies.
- Allow the chocolate to set, about 30-60 minutes, before serving.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store the cookies in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for 1 to 2 weeks.
- To Freeze: The cookies can be frozen in a freezer safe container for up to 2 to 3 months.
- You can omit the orange zest, however the cookies’ orange flavor will greatly diminish if you do so. You will need just 1 fresh orange for this recipe.
- I recommend fresh orange juice as 1 large orange will provide enough zest and juice for this recipe. The cookies may be sweeter if you use orange juice from concentrate.
- Be sure to use cold or frozen butter. Freezing the butter before grating it into the dough helps create a flakier texture and ensures the butter incorporates evenly. It also helps prevent the cookies from spreading and turning into flat, crispy cookies.
- Make sure to zest the orange correctly. When zesting the orange, only grate the outer orange part of the peel and avoid the bitter white pith beneath. The zest adds a vibrant citrus flavor to the cookies, but the pith makes them bitter and unpleasant. It is better to use less zest than to include the pith.
- When rolling out the dough, try to maintain a consistent thickness throughout. This ensures the cookies bake evenly and have a uniform texture.
- Leave enough space between the cookies on the baking sheet to allow for spreading during baking. This prevents them from sticking together and promotes even browning.
- Do not overbake the cookies! Keep a close eye on the cookies while baking to prevent them from becoming overly browned or crisp. The edges should be golden brown, and the centers slightly soft for a tender cookie. If you’d like a crispier cookie, you can bake them longer; however, I recommend rolling the dough out thinner, or the cookies will be difficult to eat.
Hi Jenn – Looking forward to making these for the holidays – Can this recipe be doubled? Thanks – Happy Holidays
Hi Diane! It should work no problem to double!