Description
These Orange Cranberry Shortbread Cookies are buttery, tender, and full of bright citrus flavour, with little pops of tart cranberry in every bite. The shortbread melts in your mouth, while the orange glaze adds a fresh, lightly sweet finish that makes them feel extra special.
Ingredients
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For the Dough
- 150 g unsalted butter, softened
- 50 g caster sugar
- Zest of an orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, clear
- 40 ml orange juice
- 200 g cake flour
- 18 g cornflour
- 80 g dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp orange extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Orange Glaze
- 120 g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp orange juice
For the Garnish
- 100g dried cranberries, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preparation: Finely chop the dried cranberries. Set some aside for garnish.
- Zest the orange. Juice the orange and set aside.
- Rub the orange zest into the caster sugar for 2–3 minutes.
- Make the Dough: Beat the butter with the orange-infused sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the orange juice, vanilla extract, and orange extract, and mix until combined.
- Sift in the cake flour, cornflour and salt. Switch to mixing by hand and gently combine until a rough dough forms.
- Add the finely chopped dried cranberries and mix until evenly distributed. The dough is ready when there are no dry bits left.
- Roll out the Dough: Place half of the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to about 6 mm thick. You can roll the dough to your desired thickness — just keep in mind this will affect the baking time.
- Place the rolled dough onto a baking sheet to keep it flat. Repeat with the second half, then chill both sheets for 30 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C towards the end of chilling time.
- Cut Out the Cookies: Once firm, the dough is much easier to cut and helps the cookies keep their shape sharp and clean.
- Use a fluted round cookie cutter for the outer shape and a small round cutter to cut out the centre.
You can use any cutters you have on hand. For your reference, my fluted round cookie cutter is 5 cm in diameter and the small round cutter is 2 cm in diameter. - Remove the excess dough first, then carefully transfer the cookies onto a lined baking sheet.
These cookies don’t spread much, so they can be placed fairly close together. - Re-roll any remaining dough, chilling again if it becomes too soft.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake at 170°C for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden.
- Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the Glaze: Mix the icing sugar with the orange juice, adding the juice a little at a time and stirring well between each addition.
- The glaze should be thick, smooth, and still pipeable — thick enough to hold its shape without soaking into the cookies. For reference, about 2 tablespoons of orange juice works well for this amount of icing sugar.
- Once happy with the glaze consistency, load it into a piping bag or ziplock bag.
- Decorate the Cookies: Pipe or drizzle over the cooled cookies and sprinkle with finely chopped pistachios while the glaze is still wet. Allow the glaze to set completely before serving or packaging.
- For gifting, pack them into a jar, arrange them neatly, tie with a ribbon, and share with friends and family — a simple homemade gift straight from the kitchen.
Notes
- Chill before cutting: Chilling the rolled dough until firm helps the cookies hold their shape and keeps the edges sharp and clean.
- Finely chop the cranberries: Smaller pieces distribute more evenly in the dough and prevent gaps or broken edges in the cut-out cookies.
- Don’t over bake: Shortbread should stay pale with just lightly golden edges to keep that tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 71kcal
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 20mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 11mg