Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry orange shortbread cookies with a white chocolate drizzle over the tops, made with a whole fresh orange, zest and juice both.
Servings: 18 cookies
Calories: 185kcal
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.
Notes
Tips:
- The dough looks dry and crumbly before it comes together. Add the orange juice one tablespoon at a time and stop as soon as you have a firm, rollable dough. You do not want it wet or sticky.
- There is no chilling step in this recipe. If the dough gets too soft to roll or cut cleanly, refrigerate it for about 30 minutes and pick up where you left off.
- Zest only the orange part of the peel and avoid the white pith underneath, which is bitter. Less zest is better than any pith.
- Pull the cookies when the edges are golden and the centers still look slightly soft. For a crisper cookie, roll the dough thinner rather than baking longer.
Storage:
Store the cookies in an airtight container lined with parchment or wax paper, somewhere cool and dry and out of direct sunlight, for 1 to 2 weeks. Do not refrigerate them. To freeze the baked cookies, layer them in a freezer safe container or bag with parchment between the layers and freeze for 2 to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. The unbaked dough log freezes too, wrapped in plastic and then foil or a freezer bag, for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 248IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
