Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies are slice-and-bake cookies with a buttery, fresh orange zest infused flavor, studded with tart dried cranberries and dipped in white chocolate for a beautiful finish. They're make-ahead friendly and egg-free which makes them perfect for holiday cookie trays, parties and cozy winter nights.
These shortbread cookies are inspired by the flavors everyone loves in Cranberry Bliss Bars but on a lower budget, less sweet, and a more nostalgic feel. Cranberry Cake on the other hand offers similar holiday flavors with a luxurious butter sauce.
A Quick Glance At This Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookie Recipe
- ✅Done in: 25 minutes of active time, 3 hours chilling
- 🛒Ingredients: 11
- 🍽️Serves: 30-40 servings, 1 cookie per serving
- 💪Difficulty: Easy
- 👩🍳Cook Method: Bake
- ⏰Make Ahead Friendly: Yes! Can be refrigerated or frozen to preserve shelf life.
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- A Quick Glance At This Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookie Recipe
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Recipe Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How To Make Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
- Expert Baking Tips
- Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookie Recipe FAQs
- More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
- 📖Recipe
- Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This bakery-style cookie is a slice + bake style cookie and egg-free.
- Low effort cookies with great esthetic for holiday gatherings.
- Cranberry Orange Shortbread cookies are a budget-conscious recipe.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter: I use unsalted to be able to control the salt level myself.
- Oranges: Grab a fresh orange and zest and juice it!
- Cranberries: Dried cranberries are preferred over fresh cranberries to control moisture and texture.
- White Chocolate: Perfect flavor pairing for dipping cranberry orange shortbread cookies.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies call for both vanilla and almond extracts, but if you are out of one, just use the other in place.
- Almond bark or vanilla melting wafers can be used in place of white chocolate. These are used interchangeably when dipping soft molasses cookies as well.
- Dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate can be used in place of white chocolate for dipping. Alternatively, you could add chocolate chips into the dough rather than dipping. ½ cup is the recommended amount.
- Lemon or lime juice and zest can be used in place of orange zest to play with the flavor profile. Most citrus would pair well with the tart and sweet dried cranberries.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Step 1: Mix orange zest and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to infuse the orange flavor into the granulated sugar.
Step 2: Cream butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes.
Step 3: Add vanilla and almond extracts, orange juice, and salt to combine.
Step 4: Stir in dry ingredients until just combined.
Step 5: Lastly, fold in the dried cranberries.
Step 6: Use parchment paper to roll the shortbread dough into a log then chill.
Step 7: Slice cookie dough into ¼ inch slices then bake 10-12 minutes.
Step 8: Cool shortbread cookies completely then dip in white chocolate.
Expert Baking Tips
- Don't over bake! The cookies won't change much in appearance from raw to baked. You will be able to see the bottom edge start to turn a very light brown.
- It's important to chill this orange cranberry shortbread cookie recipe for the full amount of time specified to ensure even stable cooking.
- Cookies can be sliced slightly thicker or thinner however, baking time will likely go up or down so keep a close eye.
- Freeze the dough in log form and pull it out to add to your Christmas cookie platters! This works with the raw dough of walnut chocolate chip cookies too!
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookie Recipe FAQs
Make sure the cookies are cool and the chocolate has completely set so the cookies don't stick together. You might also use layers of wax paper in your container. Keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks, or freeze for longer storage.
The microwave is perfectly fine here, just go in short 30- second bursts, stirring in between. Stirring will melt those final little pieces. Make sure your bowl and spoon are completely dry as water causes chocolate to seize.
Always zest before juicing so that you have the entire solid orange to hold on to. If you have a Microplane zester, that is a really excellent way to make quick work of this. Always get just the orange peel and not the white pith underneath.
Chilling the log of dough is key! Make sure you chill for at least 3 hours, and roll it as neatly and round as possible before placing in the fridge. Then, use a very sharp knife to quickly slice the dough. If they flatten slightly you can always gently nudge the dough on the cookie sheet to round it out more. Just don't work with it too much so it goes into the oven still chilled to keep from spreading too much.
More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
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📖Recipe
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- zest 1 orange fresh
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temp
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 5 oz white chocolate
Instructions
- Mix sugar and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1 minute on medium speed
- Add butter and mix 1 additional minute
- Mix in vanilla, almond, orange juice and salt until well combined
- Add flour, mixing on low until mostly incorporated then turn speed up to medium until dough comes together, about 5 seconds
- Stir in dried cranberries
- Divide dough into 2 equal parts then roll each part into a log about 1 inch to 1 ½ inches in diameter. Place each log on a small sheet of parchment paper and roll tightly for storage
- Chill dough for 3 hours or up to 48 hours
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice logs into ¼ inch rounds, dip each side in sugar and place them 2 inches apart on baking sheet
- Bake 10-12 minutes, remove from oven then transfer to cooling rack after 1 minute
- Once cookies are fully cooled, melt white chocolate in microwave in 30 second increments stirring each time. Use a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with the corner cut off to drizzle chocolate over cooled cookies
Nicholas
The cookie, cranberries, and frosting make a fantastic combo. Love them
Dacia Cobarrubias
I am not a huge fan of shortbread cookies, but these are by far one of my most favorite cookies. The texture is not dry or flaky. It is dense, but soft and structured. The pop of cranberry gives it the perfect amount of sweetness. Love everything about them. So delicious!
Tammy
These shortbread cookies are OMG good! I consider myself somewhat of a shortbread snob and these are the best I have ever had. The flavors pair perfectly! Beautiful and delicious!
Krista Stechman
So glad you enjoyed them!
Krista
These delightful little bites are a favorite at our house. They’re more moist than a traditional shortbread - bursting with orange + cranberry flavor then dipped in white chocolate. Perfect for Christmas parties, Christmas cookie platters and holiday gatherings: