It’s the holiday season, and everyone is looking for quick and easy desserts to take to parties and work. I’m no different, and once I tried this cranberry Christmas shortbread cookie, I knew I found a winner. The chewy fresh cranberries mixed with orange zest and the crumbly buttery shortbread calls my name as I can almost eat an entire sheet pan to myself. If you like shortbread like grandma used to make and need a quick holiday recipe, this cranberry Christmas shortbread cookie is for you! Do you need other great Christmas treats? Check out my Lemon Zucchini Bread Looking for other recipes? Check out my Pinterest
Cranberry Christmas Shortbread Cookies
A delicious fresh cranberry and orange shortbread cookie, that's a quick and easy slice and bake.
Equipment
- baking sheet
- chef knife
- zester/Microplane
- food processor
- plastic wrap
- silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted softened butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- zest of one orange
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Finely chop the cranberries and set aside.
- In the bowl of your food processor, mix the butter, sugar, and zest together until well combined and creamed.
- Add the flour and extract, pulsing just until the dough comes together. This usually takes about 10-12 pulses.
- Add the cranberries and continue to pulse just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. This won’t be too many pulses-less pulses the better, to prevent overworking the dough.
- On a lightly floured surface, bring the dough together with your hands so it becomes one cohesive piece.
- Once together, begin rolling the dough into a snake or log about 12 inches long. The longer your log the smaller your cookies will be. Wrap the log in plastic like a tootsie roll, smoothing the “sides” and twisting the ends, folding them under to seal.
- Chill the dough for a couple of hours, or overnight until it’s firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350F and Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Slice the dough into 1/3-inch slices and place them two inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or slightly longer if you like your cookies a bit crisper.
- Before removing them to a cooling rack, allow them to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet to setup.
Notes
The longer the cookies sit at room temperature, the firmer they will become. They will stay delicate though.
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