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December would not be complete without a seasonal twist on one of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes! These bright and buttery cranberry orange shortbread cookies are a scrumptious taste of the season and a must bake for your holiday cookie platter. Plump dried cranberries and fresh orange zest add plenty of festive flair to classic all-butter shortbread. Recipe yields 20 cookies.
I love these cookies because the fluted rounds hold their shape in the oven and tender shortbread infused with fresh orange zest is a match made in cookie heaven!
Drizzled with white chocolate and dressed up with gold sprinkles, the cut-out shortbread rounds are irresistible with lightly crisp edges and soft centers.
Love homemade shortbread? Try my slice and bake lemon shortbread cookies or easy chocolate chip shortbread next!
Ingredient Notes
Use softened unsalted butter in this recipe. The butter is the ideal temperature when you can press it with your finger and leave an indentation. I don’t recommend using European-style butter here. As I’ve learned through my recipe tests, high fat butter encourages spreading, and we want the cookies to hold their shape in the oven.
Plump dried cranberries bring a nice tart sweetness to the cookies (also what I use in my cranberry orange snickerdoodles). For easier chopping, sprinkle them with a bit of granulated sugar and use a sharp knife.
Step by Step: How to Make Cranberry Orange Shortbread
Make orange sugar – Combine sugar and orange zest in a food processor and pulse for 1 minute, until zest is finely ground. If you don’t have a food processor, beat sugar and orange zest in a large mixer bowl on low speed until well mixed and fragrant.
Make shortbread dough – Beat butter, orange-sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until soft and creamy. Turn off the stand mixer and add flour.
Mix in flour on low speed just until incorporated and dough begins to come together in large pieces. Mix in dried cranberries just until incorporated (the dough will be somewhat crumbly).
Chill dough – Scrape dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk and wrap tightly. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, 20 to 25 minutes.
Roll out dough – Roll dough to 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured board or piece of parchment paper. Use a floured 2 1/2-inch fluted biscuit cutter to cut out cookies.
Chill cookies – Place shortbread rounds on baking sheets and chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
Bake cookies – Sprinkle cookies with 1 tablespoon sugar and bake for 14 to 15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until lightly golden and tops and edges are set. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets, then cool completely on a wire rack.
Melt chocolate – Place white chocolate in a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until glossy and smooth.
Decorate cookies – Transfer melted white chocolate to a small piping bag and drizzle over cookies. Top with sprinkles and let chocolate set before serving.
Favorite cranberry orange recipes:
- Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Cream Scones
- Cranberry Orange Snickerdoodles
Buttery Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Bright and buttery cranberry orange shortbread cookies drizzled with white chocolate are a must bake for your holiday cookie platter! Dried cranberries and orange zest add plenty of festive flair to the classic shortbread recipe. Recipe makes 20 cookies.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2/3 cup (134 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp (6 g) fresh orange zest
- 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp (2 g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups (245 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (90 g) dried cranberries, chopped
- 1 Tbsp (13 g) granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
Topping
- 4 ounces (113.5 g) white chocolate, chopped
- gold sprinkles
Instructions
- Make citrus sugar: Combine sugar and orange zest in a food processor and pulse for 1 minute, until zest is finely ground.
- Make shortbread dough: Beat butter, orange-sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour just until incorporated and dough begins to come together in large pieces; mix in dried cranberries just until incorporated. Finished dough will be somewhat crumbly but will hold together when pressed. Scrape dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk and wrap tightly.
- Chill dough in the refrigerator until firm, 20 to 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured board or piece of parchment paper. Use a floured 2 1/2-inch fluted biscuit cutter to cut out cookies. Gather scraps, re-roll, and cut until you have a total of 20 cookies. Place cookies on baking sheets and chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Bake cookies: Sprinkle cookies with sugar and bake for 14 to 15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until lightly golden and tops and edges are set. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt chocolate: Place white chocolate in a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until glossy and smooth.
- Decorate cookies: Transfer melted white chocolate to a small piping bag and drizzle over cookies. Top with sprinkles and let chocolate set before serving.
Notes
Storage Tips: Store shortbread cookies in an airtight container to keep them crisp, placing parchment paper between the layers. Cookies stay fresh at room temperature for one week. Shortbread can also be wrapped well and frozen for up to 3 months.
Make Ahead: Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured board or piece of parchment paper and use a floured fluted biscuit cutter to cut out cookies. Place cookies on baking sheets and freeze for 1 hour, then transfer to freezer bags and store for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake, bake the cookies directly from the freezer, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time.
White Chocolate: Use 4 ounces of high quality white chocolate to decorate the cookies. I use and recommend Ghirardelli white chocolate baking bars. Do not use white chocolate chips or melting wafers – the added stabilizers prevent them from melting smoothly.
These were so delicious, will definitely make again this holiday season!
Thanks for trying this recipe, Julia!
Could these be made into a roll and just slice and bake?
Hi Lori, yes. Divide the dough in half and turn out each half onto a piece of plastic wrap. Roll each half into a 6 1/2-inch log, using the plastic wrap to help shape the soft dough. Wrap logs tightly and chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Use a sharp knife and slice into rounds. Chill rounds for 20 minutes before baking as directed.
Wonderful cookies! A new favorite recipe!
So happy you enjoyed them, thanks Susan!
These are my new favorite cookie. Edges were crispy and center was still soft. The cookie itself is not too sweet. The natural orange and cranberry flavors are nicely complimented by the touch of white chocolate drizzle.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Sherrie!
I am looking forward to trying this recipe! I have 2 questions: can fresh cranberries be substituted for dried? If so are the measurements the same? The 2nd question: I don’t like white chocolate…can you substitute a traditional white glaze? Thank-you
Hi Mary Kay, I haven’t tested this recipe with fresh cranberries. If you do want to try it, I would use 1 cup of fresh cranberries, roughly chopped. Keep in mind that the added moisture may impact the texture of the cookies.
And yes, you can definitely glaze these cookies. I recommend the orange glaze from my cranberry orange scone recipe. Happy baking!
Hello, made them and love the flavor! What should the texture be? I am not sure if i have it correct. Should the butter and orange sugar be creamed and fluffy before adding the flour?
Hi Laura, so glad you tried these cookies! Yes, I beat the butter and orange-sugar together until combined (the texture should be soft and creamy). The butter should be softened (but not melted) so that all the ingredients incorporate smoothly. Hope that helps for the future!
Hi, these cookies look delightful! I’m planning to prep ahead for Christmas this year. How can I freeze the dough so that it can be baked closer to Christmas? And would the taste be affected? Thank you!
Hi Sarah! I like to make the dough in advance: Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured board and use a floured fluted biscuit cutter to cut out cookies. Place cookies on baking sheets and freeze for 1 hour, then transfer to freezer bags and store for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake, bake the cookies directly from the freezer, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time.
These cookies are so delicious!
Thanks Jenn! 🙂
Tried these as I needed a new Christmas cookie this year. They are amazing!! Everyone loves them. They are now my go to cookie for something extra special.
Thank you so much, Lynda! So happy to hear that! ❤️
I was wondering if the white chocolate would be good if you added a little fresh squeezed orange juice to it before drizzling it on the cookies! Yummy!
Hi Sheila, I’ve tried adding citrus juice to white chocolate before, but the chocolate usually seizes up. You could try adding a bit of citrus zest, or grating some orange zest over the top after drizzling the chocolate. Hope that helps! 🙂
Perfectly beautiful, Laura – and I can almost smell them and taste them, just from the photographs. I’ll certainly have to make them this weekend: my world includes quite a few fellow shortbread-lovers.
Thanks so much, Nancy! Hope you love them! 🙂
I did make them, Laura, and they live up to the photos. They’re delicious – but I have to admit that I took the easy way out and refrigerated the dough in logs, which I then sliced 1/4 inch thick and baked. They are wonderful!
Thanks so much, Nancy! Glad you liked them! 🙂