Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry Shortbread Cookies are soft, buttery cookies studded with chopped dried cranberries for a delicious flavor. Dipped, or drizzled with white chocolate and topped with shimmering silver nonpareils, to give them a festive sparkle. This recipe is perfect for cookie exchange parties, holiday platters, and tea time!
Cranberry Shortbread Cookies…
These Cranberry Shortbread Cookies are wonderfully soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies. They’re easy to make, chill, and slice before baking. Best of all, they’re not overly sweet, and everyone loves the subtle tart flavor of cranberry in every bite.
Perfect for this time of year. These shortbread cookies are ideal to make for the holiday festivities, including cookie exchange parties, and even tea time! For more shortbread cookie recipes, don’t miss our Orange Sage Scented Biscuits, and Tea Shortbread Cookies made with Jasmine tea. They are amazingly delicious too.
Ingredients for Cranberry Shortbread Cookies:
Let’s discuss the ingredients you will need for this recipe. For this recipe, there are six pantry and staple ingredients:
Dried Canberries: Choose dried cranberries and use a food processor to pulse them a few times to chop them finely. Then follow the directions on the recipe card.
Flour: Choose any unbleached, all-purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur’s Flour brand). And, for a “softer and lighter” texture cookie, I used an Italian flour called Caputo Chef’s “00” Flour. But, you can use an unbleached all-purpose flour as well.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is granulated white sugar pulverized to a fine powder, making these shortbread cookies lighter in texture.
Vanilla Extract: Choose a good-quality vanilla extract when baking.
Salt: Choose Himalayan salt over table salt. It contains over 84 minerals, including potassium, magnesium, and iron than table salt. And, it is less processed.
Butter: Choose unsalted butter for this recipe; it is important to have it at room temperature. You will need 2 sticks or 1 cup.
Decorate: Choose white chocolate chips for melting, and shimmering silver nonpareils to sprinkle over each cookie and make them festive!
How To Make These Delicious Cookies?
Only 4-Easy-To-Follow Steps to making our cranberry shortbread cookies. Plus, our full recipe card is located at the bottom of this page. But first, let’s walk through the step, so you’ll know what’s involved before you start.
STEP 1: Measure 1 cup of dried cranberries and pulse a few times, until the cranberries are finely chopped. Add the flour and pulse a few times, to mix the chopped cranberries into the flour evenly.
STEP 2: Next, add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and pulse to combine. Then add in pieces of butter and pulse until a dough is formed.
STEP 3: Place the dough on a sheet of wax paper and roll it into a log, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. NOTE: here is where you can shape it into either a“round-shaped log” (by rolling it), or “square-shaped log” by patting it flat on all 4 sides, as I did here, as shown in the photo below.
FINAL & 4th STEP: Wrap the cookie dough with wax or plastic wrap and tightly twist each end of the wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or more before cutting and baking.
When Ready To Bake Them
1. Preheat the oven. Then remove chilled cookie dough from the fridge and remove it from its plastic wrap.
2. Next, place it on a cutting board, and slice the cookie log into about 1/3-inch thick pieces.
3. Place them about 1 inch apart on 2 cookie sheets, lined with parchment paper.
4. Bake these cookies for about 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the oven you use) until the edges are golden brown. Allow them to cool completely before drizzling melted chocolate and decorating them. QUICK TIP: Place the cookie sheet (if you have room) in the fridge to cool them quickly. You can also transfer them to a plate and transfer them to the fridge or freezer to cool them quickly.
Ready to decorate these cookies…
1. First, pour about one tablespoon of nonpareils into a small bowl, and set it nearby.
2. Next, Melt White Chocolate: Melt white chocolate in a double boiler, and stir until all the chips are completely melted. Turn off the heat.
3. Drizzle or Spread with White Chocolate: Take a fork to drizzle over each cookie, or you can use a knife to help spread melted white chocolate on half the cookies. You can do this as little or as much as you desire.
4. To Dip or Sprinkle: Then dip or sprinkle with some shimmering nonpareils over them. Set them aside until the chocolate on top completely sets. We prefer to place them in the fridge for a few minutes to set the chocolate quicker.
Recipe Tips
- Chill the cookie dough at least 1 hour before before you slice and bake. They will keep their shape while baking. Plus, chilling the dough will make the “slicing” much easier, to ensure the perfectly shaped cookie when baked.
- Also, it’s best to preheat your oven before you remove the chilled dough from the fridge. When the oven is ready, then slice and bake.
- Let cookies rest on the baking sheets before you remove them, and at least 3 minutes.
- Wait for cookies to cool completely before decorating them. Then you can decorate them with melted white chocolate and sprinkle with shimmering silver nonpareils.
- When melting white chocolate: For best results use a double boiler. Be careful not to get any water into the chocolate, it will ruin it and you will have to start over.
- Allow the chocolate to set and cool completely on the cookies before storing them in a container.
- For Gluten-Free? Keep in mind that you can make these cookies using GF flour; the texture may turn out slightly different.
Storing and Freezing…
These cookies are best kept in a sealed container and the fridge. Keeping them chilled, they will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks. They will freeze well, also. Best to place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag. They’ll keep for up to 2 months. Let them thaw at room temperature for about 15–20 minutes before serving.
More Cookie Recipes
- Italian Lemon Cookies with Lemon Glaze
- Italian “S” Cookies
- Lemon Thyme Tea Cookies
- Easy Coconut Orange Macaroons (Gluten-Free)
- Dulce de Leche Butter Cookies
- Chewy Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry Shortbread Cookies are soft, buttery cookies that are studded with chopped dried cranberries and topped with a drizzle of white chocolate and shimmering silver nonpareils for a sparkling presentation. Easy, and fun to make, and most delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) of dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup (75g) of confectioners sugar
- 2 cups (250g) of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) (226.8g) of unsalted butter, at room temperature - cut into 1-inch pieces
TO DECORATE:
- white chocolate chips or wafers
- shimmering silver nonpareils
Instructions
- In a food processor, add the cranberries and pulse a few times until they are finely chopped.
- Add the powdered sugar, salt, and flour and pulse a few times, to mix the chopped cranberries into the flour evenly.
- Next, add the vanilla, and chunks of butter, and pulse to combine and pulse until a dough is formed.
- Transfer the cookie dough onto a sheet of wax, or parchment paper. and roll it into a log, about 2 inches in diameter. Shape it into a round, or square log, then wrap it and place it into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes or more. To Bake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. (190C). Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet, and set it nearby.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, set it on a cutting board, remove the wax wrapping, and slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Lay each one on the prepared cookie sheet and about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until golden around the edges. Remove from oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.
- Yields: 36 to 40 shortbread cookies
TO MELT WHITE CHOCOLATE AND DECORATE:
1. Use a double boiler to melt white chocolate. Place 3/4 cup of mini white chocolate chips and stir until they melt.
2. One cookie at a time, use a fork or knife to drizzle or spread white chocolate over each cookie.
3. Dip or sprinkle with the shimmering silver nonpareils. Set them aside until the chocolate sets. QUICK TIP! Here is where you can place them in the fridge to set the chocolate quickly.
Notes
Storing and Freezing:
These cookies are best kept in a sealed container and kept in the fridge. Keeping them chilled will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks. They will freeze well also, kept in a sealed container for up to 2 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 servings Serving Size: 1 serving (2 cookies)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 275Total Fat: 14.5gCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: .8gSugar: 11.1gProtein: 3g
Happy Baking! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by…
xo anna and liz
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Weeknight Dinners Made Easy
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You definitely took shortbread to another level with the drizzle of white chocolates and sprinkles.
Aw, what a lovely compliment, and thanks so much, Karen. Hope you will get to try this recipe…. Have a great day!