Easy yet incredibly delicious, cranberry orange shortbread cookies are a must-try! Packed with buttery goodness and dipped in a sweet orange glaze, these cookies are perfect for any occasion. Whether you’re looking for a festive treat or a simple dessert to enjoy at home, orange cranberry cookies will fast become a new favorite.
Buttery shortbread speckled with soft, plump cranberries – these orange cranberry shortbread cookies are a delight to the senses. But my favorite part has to be the mouthwatering orange glaze, which we dip these cranberry shortbread cookies in – creating a heavenly sweet and slightly tart flavor combination. And the best part is, they’re so easy to make!
The key to the perfect shortbread cookie is chill time. I like to let my dough rest in the fridge for at least an hour, which helps the cookies keep their shape when baking. I highly recommend not skipping this step, as if the butter gets too warm, it can result in flat cranberry orange shortbread cookies!
Plus, allowing your dough to chill gives the cranberries, orange zest, and vanilla more time to really infuse into the dough – making for an even more delicious cookie.
Why You’ll Love Orange Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
- So simple. Using just a handful of ingredients, my orange cranberry cookies come together in no time! Shortbread is the simplest of recipes, which is one of the reasons I love it so much. And the orange glaze uses just 3 ingredients!
- Such a classic flavor combination. Fabulously festive, orange cranberry is such a classic flavor combo – and one that is so well loved! And, of course, cranberry shortbread cookies aren’t just for the winter months. Summer picnics, Fourth of July barbecues, and birthday parties would all be made better with these cookies!
- A make-ahead cookie. Orange cranberry cookies store amazingly well, and if you aren’t ready to bake them all, you can freeze the cookie dough for later!
Ingredients For Orange Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
For the Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
- Butter
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Flour
- Orange zest
- Dried cranberries
For the Orange Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Orange juice
- Orange zest
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
Instructions For Orange Cranberry Cookies
For the Shortbread Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Combine the butter and sugar until well mixed.
- Add the vanilla, mix well.
- Add the flour and mix until it is evenly distributed.
- Add the orange zest and cranberries, mix until combined. The dough will be crumbly and should be the texture of wet sand and hold together when pressed. If it is too dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the texture is correct.
- Press the dough together into a rectangle on a sheet of parchment.
- Roll out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut into rectangles about 2×3 inches.
- Cover and chill for 1 hour, up to 3 days.
- Remove from the fridge and let set for 10 minutes to slightly softened.
- Bake on lined or greased baking sheets for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
For the Orange Glaze
- Combine the powdered sugar, orange zest and orange juice, whisk until smooth.
- Once the shortbread cookies are cool, dip them in the glaze. Set on a cooling rack that is set over a sheet pan so the excess glaze can drip off.
- Let set.
Once you have mixed the dough, it can be easily stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for 3 months. If working with frozen cookie dough, be sure to thoroughly thaw it in the fridge before using it! Shaping the dough into individual cookies before freezing would reduce the defrost time for later.
Once you have baked my orange cranberry cookies, they store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can also freeze my cranberry shortbread cookies (without the icing) for up to 3 months.
While both sugar cookies and shortbread are delicious, they do have some key differences. The biggest difference between these two types of cookies is the fat content – shortbread contains a higher fat-to-flour ratio, giving it a richer flavor and a more crumbly texture.
Sugar cookies usually contain eggs and leavening agents, which create a soft and chewy cookie. Shortbread, however, is crumbly and delicate – a perfect texture to pair with soft dried cranberries, as seen with these orange cranberry shortbread cookies!
If you love the idea of orange cranberry shortbread cookies but don’t have any cranberries (or aren’t a fan), feel free to omit them from the recipe. Leaving out the cranberries would still create a shortbread full of citrus flavor, as both the glaze and shortbread contain orange. Either way, this cookie will still be yummy!
Of course! Feel free to experiment with other icings if you want to try a different flavor combination. Start with a base to which you can add more flavor – like my glaze icing recipe! Then mix in different extracts or juices and zest until you reach your desired flavor.
A lemon glaze would be fun, or you could even do melted chocolate – like I did for my chocolate dipped shortbread cookies.
Orange Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Cookies
- 1 1/2 cup butter 3 sticks, softened.
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups flour all purpose
- 1 1/2 tablespoon orange zest about 1 orange
- 1 cup dried cranberries
For the Orange Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar see note
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest
Instructions
For the Shortbread Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Combine the butter and sugar until well mixed.
- Add the vanilla, mix well.
- Add the flour and mix until it is evenly distributed.
- Add the orange zest and cranberries, mix until combined. The dough will be crumbly and should be the texture of wet sand and hold together when pressed. If it is too dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the texture is correct.
- Press the dough together into a rectangle on a sheet of parchment.
- Roll out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut into rectangles about 2×3 inches.
- Cover and chill for 1 hour, up to 3 days.
- Remove from the fridge and let set for 10 minutes to slightly softened.
- Bake on lined or greased baking sheets for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
For the Orange Glaze
- Combine the powdered sugar, orange zest and orange juice, whisk until smooth.
- Once the shortbread cookies are cool, dip them in the glaze. Set on a cooling rack that is set over a sheet pan so the excess glaze can drip off.
- Let set.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for more delicious recipes and great posts?
- Pastina
- Canned Corn
- Canned Green Beans
- Hard Candy Recipe
- Frozen Peas
- Frozen Green Bean Recipes
- Best Prime Rib Recipe in the World
- Caramel Apple Slices
- Mexican Pork Chops
- Baked BBQ Chicken Tenders
- Where Does Beef Come From
- Gel Stain Garage Doors
- Dutch Oven Potatoes
- Beef Stroganoff From Scratch
- Dutch Oven Blueberry Cobbler
- No Bake Cheesecake without Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Buffalo Ranch Dressing
- Cattle Panel Chicken Tractor
Alli says
Perfect shortbread!