Description
Bright, buttery shortbread gets a festive lift from zesty orange and tart cranberries. These crisp-edged, tender sticks are perfect for gifting — or for hiding a couple in your pantry.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry mix
- 1 1/4 cups (155 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp (75 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp (8 g) cornstarch (optional — see notes)
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
Butter & fruit
- 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup (about 40 g) fresh cranberries, very finely chopped*
- 1/2 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
Orange glaze (optional)
- 2/3 cup (80 g) powdered sugar
- 3 tsp (15 g) fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Blend the dry ingredients. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle), whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
- Cut in the butter. Add the chilled butter cubes and mix on low until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs and holds together if pinched — about 2–3 minutes with a mixer, or use a pastry cutter / food processor. You want a sandy texture that compresses into a loose ball.
- Fold in orange and cranberries. Stir in the chopped cranberries and the orange zest just until distributed.
- Form the dough. Turn the crumbly dough out onto a sheet of parchment. Gather and press it into a compact mass, then top with another sheet of parchment and roll or press into a rectangle roughly 4 × 12 inches.
- Chill briefly. Slide the wrapped rectangle onto a baking tray and freeze for 20 minutes — this firms the dough and makes slicing neater.
- Heat the oven. Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment.
- Slice and arrange. Remove the chilled dough from the freezer, unwrap, and cut into 24 even sticks. Place them on the prepared sheet, spacing them a little apart.
- Bake. Bake for about 18–22 minutes, or until the edges just begin to take on a pale golden color. Rotate the pan once if your oven has hot spots.
- Shape while warm (if needed). Shortbread can spread a bit — if any pieces come out slightly misshapen, use two offset spatulas or bench scrapers to press the sides into straighter sticks immediately after they leave the oven.
- Cool completely. Transfer the baked sticks to a wire rack to cool.
- Make the glaze (optional). Whisk the powdered sugar with the orange juice until smooth. Transfer to a zip bag with a tiny corner snipped, a squeeze bottle, or a piping bag and drizzle over cooled cookies.
Notes
- Cornstarch keeps the crumb tender; omit it for a slightly crumblier, more traditional shortbread texture.
- Fresh vs dried cranberries: fresh give a bright pop; dried work too (use the same 1/4 cup = ~35 g dried). If you use dried cranberries, the dough can be drier — add 1–2 teaspoons milk to help it come together.
- For neat, clean slices, keep the dough well chilled before cutting.
- To store: keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
- To freeze: pack baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature.
*If your fresh cranberries are large, chop them very finely so they distribute evenly and don’t make big pockets in the dough.
Nutrition
- Calories: 76kcal
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 55mg
- Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Protein: 1g