December 13, 2018

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies. Soft, orange flavored shortbread cookies with bits of cranberry. Festive and delicious!

Scotland Wedding

Last summer I went to Scotland for my dear friend Nicole’s wedding. At the time of her wedding I had just returned to work from maternity leave, and was still nursing my daughter, who was three months old. There was no chance I was going to miss Nicole’s wedding, but I couldn’t leave work or my daughter for too long, so it was a whirlwind trip.

Despite the trip being only four days long, I fell in love with Scotland. The people were amazingly friendly, the country was ridiculously beautiful (I mean seriously, look at the photo below), and the food was delicious. Minus the haggis.

Castles

After my return from Nicole’s fairytale castle wedding in Scotland, I day dreamed about moving there and living in a castle. It’s been almost two years, and so far that dream has been a fail. However, my mom went to Scotland a few months ago and brought me back two Scottish cookbooks. That works out since I figure eating shortbread cookies while looking at photos of Nicole’s wedding is almost as good as living in a castle.

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

I have always been a fan of shortbread cookies. Plain, frosted, or flavored, I like them all. This year I wanted to add shortbread cookies into my Christmas cookie rotation. I decided that the move would be to make cranberry orange shortbread cookies, and it was a good move.

If I’m going to eat something with orange in the name, I want to taste the orange, and these cookies certainly deliver with the orange flavor. The citrus and cranberry combination gives them a wonderful holiday flavor! These cranberry orange shortbread cookies are soft and all around delicious!

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies. Soft, orange flavored shortbread cookies with bits of cranberry. Festive and delicious!

5 from 2 votes

Course: Dessert

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Servings: cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
2 tbsp orange juice
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter

Instructions

Place sugar and orange zest in food processor. Process for 1 minute.
Add cardamom, salt, orange juice, and cranberries. Pulse several times, until cranberries start turning into small bits.
Then add flour. Process until well combined, about 30 seconds.
Cut butter into ~1/4″ slices and sprinkle over top of flour mixture. Process again until a soft dough forms.
Remove dough from processor and form into a large cylinder, about 3 inches in width and 15 inches in diameter. Cover in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Cut dough into ~1/4″ slices. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until tops start to turn golden. Let cool on sheet for at least 3 minutes before removing to cooling rack.

Disclaimer: All nutritional information provided on this website is an estimate only and is not guaranteed.

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