Description
Delight in these Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies, a perfect blend of buttery richness, zesty orange, and tart cranberries. These cookies feature a tender crumb with a bright orange glaze, making them ideal for festive occasions or a delightful everyday treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Shortbread
- 60 g caster sugar
- Zest of 1 orange
- 125 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 180 g plain flour (all-purpose)
- 75 g dried cranberries, finely chopped
Orange Glaze
- 120 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 30 ml orange juice
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Rub sugar and orange zest: Massage the orange zest into the caster sugar using your fingertips to release the oils and infuse the sugar with orange flavor until it becomes wet and orange-stained.
- Cream butter, orange sugar, and vanilla: In an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the unsalted butter, orange sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed until pale and light, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add flour and cranberries: Mix in the plain flour and finely chopped dried cranberries on low speed until combined, forming a ragged dough.
- Form dough and roll out: Gather the dough into a ball and press into a disc. Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough to ½ cm thickness. If too soft, wrap and chill the dough for 10-15 minutes until firm enough to roll.
- Cut cookies and chill: Use a cookie cutter to stamp out shapes, arranging them on parchment-lined baking trays. Gather scraps, re-roll, and cut more cookies as needed. Refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 170°C (335°F). Bake the chilled cookies for 15 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare orange glaze: Whisk together powdered icing sugar, orange juice, and melted butter until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding more icing sugar or orange juice if needed.
- Dip cookies in glaze: Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze, allow excess to drip off, and place on a wire rack until set. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Step-by-step photos are available on the blog to guide you through the process.
- Yield depends on cookie cutter size and dough thickness; this recipe makes about 20 cookies using a 5 cm cutter.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week.
- Freeze undecorated cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months; thaw overnight at room temperature.
- Re-roll scraps to maximize cookie yield but avoid overworking or slightly add water to prevent dryness.
- Flour cookie cutters lightly to prevent sticking.
- Chill dough to prevent cookies from spreading during baking and maintaining shape.
- Watch baking time closely as oven temperatures vary; even a minute can affect results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
