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Frosting & Fettuccine

Home » Recipe Search » Cookies

Nov 15, 2021(last updated September 2, 2022)

Melt in your Mouth Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

4.91 from 10 votes
BySam Adler
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This post might have affiliate links, please check out my full disclosure policy.

These cranberry shortbread cookies use dried cranberries and orange zest for a melt in your mouth shortbread cookies that are bursting with flavor. The outside of the cookie is rolled in raw sugar for an extra sweet crunch. You will absolutely love these holiday cookies!

Cranberry orange shortbread cookies lying on a platter

As a trained pastry chef you might think that I like to make all the intricate and crazy desserts. But the opposite is true!

I really would rather make simple yet slightly elevated baked goods. Especially around holiday time when there is so much going on! These cranberry cookies fit the bill!

The dough for this cookie uses dried cranberries and orange zest for that classic fun combo and then it is rolled in turbinado sugar for a crunchy exterior. If you have never used turbinado sugar before, it’s just raw sugar. It’s the best because it doesn’t melt when baked so it stays crunchy!

These cookies will totally melt in your mouth like a good shortbread cookie does. After making these chocolate shortbread cookies and lemon shortbread cookies, it was time to combine some more flavor!

Why you will love this recipe

  • It’s super easy to make with just a few ingredients.
  • The cookies literally melt in your mouth.
  • It’s an easy way to use up dried cranberries!

What is a shortbread cookie?

Well shortbread is traditionally a Scottish biscuit that is made with 1 part sugar, 2 parts butter and 3 parts flour. If you check the recipe below, you’ll see those are the exact ratios I use!

I love making shortbread this time of year, the rest of the year I like to make these raspberry lemon linzer cookies.

Ingredients Needed

Ingredients for cranberry orange shortbread cookies
  • Unsalted butter- You’ll need butter at room temperature. Learn how to soften butter quickly!
  • Confectioners sugar– Using this instead of regular granulated sugar creates a really light cookie that melts in your mouth.
  • Fresh Orange – The zest from the orange brings so much flavor.
  • Dried cranberries– Chop them up to get them all over!
  • Vanilla Extract – For extra flavor.
  • All purpose flour– this is the best flour to use for shortbread cookies
  • Kosher salt- To bring out the flavor.
  • Turbinado or raw sugar– You roll the cookie log in the sugar for extra sweetness and bite. This is also known as “Sugar in the Raw”.

This recipes uses dried cranberries. I don’t recommend using fresh or frozen cranberries as they would add too much moisture to the dough.

How to make Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

You can use a hand or stand mixer or make these cookies by hand and knead the dough.

Make the dough: In a medium sized bowl combine the butter and confectioners sugar. Mix on low speed until light and fluffy about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add in the orange zest and vanilla and mix to combine. Add in the chopped dried cranberries, flour, and salt and mix until a firm dough is formed.

Roll the dough: Roll the dough into a log. It’s helpful to wrap the dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper and then roll it like a rolling pin to shape it. Chill the dough for 1 hour or up to overnight in the fridge.

Roll in sugar and slice: Pour the turbinado sugar onto a rimmed baking sheet and roll the log all over the sugar making sure to cover every bit. Using a long serrated knife in a sawing motion, slice 1″4- 1/2″ slices making sure to keep them even.

Bake: Bake the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet for 10-12 minutes at 350° F.

Cookie dough with orange zest in a glass bowl on a gray background
Add the orange zest after creaming the butter and sugar.
A log of cranberry orange shortbread rolled in plastic wrap
Roll the dough into a log.
Log of cookie dough rolling in turbinado sugar in a rimmed baking sheet
Roll the log in sugar.
A log of cookie dough waiting to be sliced on a wooden cutting board.
Slice the shortbread.
Sliced cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet
Bake the shortbread.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

Storing: Store the cranberry cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Freezing: You can make the dough and freeze it for up to 2 months. After rolling the log in the sugar, wrap the log in plastic and then place in a freezer safe bag before freezing. Slice and bake when you are ready for the cookies!

You can also completely bake the cookies, then store them in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

Recipe FAQ

Do I really need to chill the shortbread dough? YES. You really do. You have to chill shortbread to ensure that your cookies do not spread into blobs!

Can I add in other ingredients? Totally! You can swap cranberries and orange zest out for any other combo you might like. Try adding other dried fruits or nuts. Make sure to chop them though so that the flavor is really spread out!

Can I swap the confectioners sugar for regular sugar? I don’t recommend it! The reason I use confectioners sugar is because of its texture (super powdery and soft) and because it also contain corn starch which is a classic shortbread ingredient.

Whats the difference between a shortbread cookie and a sugar cookie? The difference between shortbread and a sugar cookie is that shortbread recipes don’t use any eggs and are generally made with confectioners (powdered) sugar. This is what gives them that crunchy yet melt in your mouth feeling.

Sugar cookies use eggs and regular granulated sugar and can have more of a chewy taste.

Why is my dough dry and crumbly? You may have to keep mixing or you might have added too much of a dry ingredient. Make sure to accurately measure your ingredients with a kitchen scale or spoon flour into a measuring cup and level it off. Add 1 tsp water or orange juice to bring it back together

Cranberry orange shortbread cookies in a green tin on a gray background

Tips for Recipe Success

  • To zest an orange I use a microplane or citrus zester. If you don’t have one you can slice off the zest of the orange making sure not to get the white parts. Then mince into small pieces.
  • If you don’t want to use a mixer you can use your hands instead. Bring the ingredients together in a bowl and then knead the shortbread dough on a lightly floured surface.
  • Make ahead: This is a great recipe to make ahead. Make the recipe up until slicing. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and freeze until you are ready to slice and bake.
  • You can replace the turbinado sugar with regular sugar for coating the cookies, but it might melt!
  • If the dough is to hard to slice, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes and retry.

For more cookie holiday favorites, try these recipes:

  • Thumbprint Cookies
  • Crispy Gingersnap Cookies
  • Gingerbread Biscotti
  • Raspberry Lemon Linzer Cookies
  • Italian Ricotta Cookies

Our latest cookie recipes

  • Quick Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
  • Thin & Crispy Gingersnap Cookies
  • Crispy and Chewy Orange Cookies
  • Crispy and Chewy Coconut Cookies
Cranberry orange shortbread cookies lying on a platter

Melt In Your Mouth Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

These cranberry shortbread cookies use dried cranberries and orange zest for a melt in your mouth shortbread cookies that are bursting with flavor. The outside of the cookie is rolled in raw sugar for an extra sweet crunch. You will absolutely love these holiday cookies!
4.91 from 10 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: Scottish
Diet: Kosher
Keyword: cranberry orange cookies, cranberry orange shortbread, festive cookies, holiday shortbread cookies, Shortbread recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 22 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 188kcal
Author: Sam Adler

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 2 tsp orange zest 1 large orange
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries chopped
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 cups turbinado sugar
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium sized bowl or the bowl of a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the 1 cup butter and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar together on low until light and airy, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  • Add the 2 tsp orange zest and 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix lightly to combine.
    Cookie dough with orange zest in a glass bowl on a gray background
  • Add in 1/3rd cup dried cranberries, the 2 cups of flour, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Mix until a unified dough forms.
  • Shape and roll the dough into an even log. It's helpful to wrap it lightly in plastic wrap and roll. Chill the dough for 1 hour.
    A log of cranberry orange shortbread rolled in plastic wrap
  • Pour the turbinado sugar out onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll the chilled log all over the sugar until it is completely covered.
    Log of cookie dough rolling in turbinado sugar in a rimmed baking sheet
  • Using a long sharp knife in a sawing back and forth motion, cut 1/2" slices of dough. Try to keep them as even as possible.
    A log of cookie dough waiting to be sliced on a wooden cutting board.
  • Line the cookies 1 1/2" apart on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until firm.
    Sliced cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet

Notes

Turbinado sugar is coarse sugar or sugar in the raw
Substitute other add ins like nuts or other dried fruit. 
I don’t recommend using fresh or frozen cranberries, they would add too much moisture to this recipe

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Melt In Your Mouth Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)
Calories 188 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 26mg1%
Potassium 18mg1%
Carbohydrates 29g10%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 20g22%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 236IU5%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 6mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I love when you share my recipes!!

457 shares

Filed Under: Cookies Tagged With: Cranberry

About Sam Adler

Sam Adler is a Le Cordon Bleu professionally trained pastry chef, Saveur Blog Award winner, food photographer, and food blogger over on FrostingandFettuccine.com. She has been featured in numerous online and in-print publications including Taste of Home Magazine, Saveur Magazine, The Feed Feed, and Food Blogger Pro. Sam lives in Hollywood florida with her husband, two young kids, and french bulldog. When she’s not baking and dancing in her kitchen you can find her at her favorite yoga spot.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lauren says

    November 25, 2020 at 3:33 am

    Hi Sam! I would love to make these cookies.. however it appears the recipe posted is a lemon zest cookie? Is this a mistake?

    Reply
    • Sam says

      November 28, 2020 at 7:38 pm

      Hey Lauren! Thanks so much for letting me know, the recipe card has been fixed! Please let me know how you like these!!

      Reply
  2. Thanksgiving baker says

    November 26, 2020 at 7:30 pm

    Awesome! We didn’t have turbinado sugar so we opted to dip them in chocolate instead. 🙂

    Reply
    • Sam says

      November 28, 2020 at 7:36 pm

      That sounds so delicious! Thank you so much for making these!! Happy holidays!

      Reply
  3. Charlotte says

    December 09, 2020 at 10:40 am

    These shortbreads are my dad’s absolute favorite. We didn’t have any turbinado sugar so we used regular sugar instead, which still worked great. Thanks so much for the recipe

    Reply
    • Sam says

      December 09, 2020 at 9:05 pm

      Thank you so much for letting me know Charlotte, I am so glad you enjoyed them!!

      Reply
  4. Lindsay says

    December 14, 2020 at 5:18 pm

    5 stars
    Added these to my Christmas cookie boxes this year (I make about 500 cookies every Christmas for gifts!) and almost as soon as I did all the porch drops I had messages coming in about these cookies! So good! Looks super fancy but really easy to make! These will be a holiday cookie box staple now!

    Reply
    • Sam says

      December 15, 2020 at 6:06 pm

      YAY Lindsay! Thank you so much for making and sharing these! Wowza 500 cookies thats insane, you are a cookie queen! Thank you for your rating and review, so glad everyone loved them!!

      Reply
  5. Shauchiela says

    December 19, 2020 at 11:47 am

    Hi there,

    Can this dough be made in advanced? Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Sam says

      December 23, 2020 at 9:14 pm

      Yes! You can follow the recipe through rolling the log in sugar and then freeze or chill in the fridge until you are ready to bake. You can make them up to 5 days in advance!

      Reply
  6. Rae says

    December 23, 2020 at 10:58 am

    5 stars
    These cookies were such a hit! So easy to make and SO good! Definitely a new favourite. Have already made 2 batches and making another one today. Thanks for the incredible recipe, Sam!

    Reply
    • Sam says

      December 23, 2020 at 9:06 pm

      Thank you so much Rae!! I am so glad you love these, that makes me so happy! Thank you for leaving a rating and comment!! Happy Holidays!

      Reply
      • Brianna says

        December 29, 2020 at 12:47 pm

        5 stars
        Added these to the line up of Christmas cookies this year to switch things up a bit from all chocolate & sugar cookies. They were incredible and will now be a permanent addition! I did add a bit of fresh squeezed orange juice to the dough to amp up the orange flavor just a bit because I’m a citrus fiend! Thanks so much for the recipe Sam!!

        Reply
        • Sam says

          December 31, 2020 at 2:03 pm

          YAYAYAY thanks so much for letting me know Brianna! I am so happy you loved them!!!

          Reply
  7. Trish says

    January 18, 2021 at 10:26 am

    Made these for my cookie boxes this year and my mom talked about them so much, that I am mamong more to send to my aunt that loves shortbread! Delish!

    Reply
    • Sam says

      January 20, 2021 at 9:39 am

      Yay Trish! Thank you so much, I am so glad everyone loved them!

      Reply
  8. Brianna says

    November 23, 2021 at 7:37 pm

    5 stars
    One of my favorite cookie recipes to make for the holiday season! I make a huge batch and freeze them to snack on. The orange zest adds a refreshing taste the shortbread cookie. Make these!!!

    Reply
  9. Jamie says

    December 05, 2021 at 8:28 pm

    Plan on making these cookies this year….they look delish! Can you tell me how long the dough can be froze before baking or can you bake then freeze?

    Reply
    • Sam Adler says

      December 08, 2021 at 10:56 pm

      YAY Jamie! So excited you are gonna make these! You can make these up to 5 days in advance and keep the dough in the fridge until you are ready to slice. Or you can bake them and then freeze them in a freezer safe zip top bag for up to 2 months. Happy Holidays!!

      Reply
  10. Natalie says

    December 23, 2021 at 2:04 pm

    5 stars
    These were so delicious for the holidays! And almost no spreading which I often run into with shortbread.

    Reply
    • Sam Adler says

      January 24, 2022 at 11:27 am

      So happy to hear that! Thank you so much for your rating and review!!

      Reply

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XO, Sam

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Hi! Im Sam Adler,

I'm a professionally trained pastry chef and food photographer.
This is a place where you will find easy yet impressive looking desserts. I also share a ton of food photography resources too! What can I say, I love pretty & delicious baked goods! Learn more about me!

As Featured In:

Logo images of media places Sam Adler has been featured in
Saveur Blog award winner for best food Instagram

samadlerphotography

👋🏻 2022! Will be celebrating this year on th 👋🏻 2022! Will be celebrating this year on the couch with this in my lap. No sharing allowed! Those 3 spoons are all mine 😂😂 

🍾🥂HAPPY NEW YEAR 🍾🥂
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Recap of all the cookie boxes!!! This year’s @ta Recap of all the cookie boxes!!! This year’s @taylorswift theme has got to be my fave (see my last reel for the explanation of each cookie!) but I have so much fun every year making these! Which one is your fave?! 

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ARE YOU READY FOR IT?! 2022 Cookie Box is @taylors ARE YOU READY FOR IT?! 2022 Cookie Box is @taylorswift themed!! 
1. “Like a rainbow with all of the colors” sprinkle cookies 
2. “Lover” heart sugar cookies 
3. “Lavender Haze” shortbread (made with lavender and a pearly shimmer powder)
4. “Midnight” cookies AKA my chocolate brownie cookies 
5. “Red lip classic” sugar cookies 
6. More midnight cookies- (dusted with powdered sugar to look like the midnight cloudy sky)
7. “Bejeweled” sugar cookies (Navy bc black fondant was out of stock)
8. @taylorswift famous chai cookies 

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating and hope you have a happy New Year’s Day!
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#cookiebox #taylorswift #taylorswiftcookies #holidaycookiebox #swifties #swiftie #swiftieforever #holidaycookies #cookieseason #cookiedecorating #cookiebox #cookieboxes #taylorswiftlover #taylorswiftlyrics #taylorswiftvideo #sugarcookies #shortbread #browniecookies #christmascookies #christmascookiebox #lavenderhaze
#ad This year for Chanukah we’re switching it up #ad This year for Chanukah we’re switching it up from classic sufganiyot to make these fun donut fries! Puffy, golden, and delicious, dip your “fries” into melted chocolate or raspberry jelly and celebrate all week long! @aldiusa makes it super easy with their amazing selection of high quality products at seriously unimaginable prices. Run to your nearest @aldiusa to find all the ingredients you need to make these and have a Happy Chanukah!
Find the recipe below!

#ALDILove
Prep time: 1 hr 45 mins
Cook time: 1 min
Yield: 40 donut fries
2 pack Baker’s Corner Active Dry Yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup Sugar
2 Simply Nature Grade A Organic Cage Free Brown Eggs
2 tbsp Stonemill Pure Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup Carlini Pure Vegetable Oil
5-6 cups Baker’s Corner All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Kosher salt
½ cup Baker’s Corner Powdered Sugar
For Dipping:
1 cup Baker’s Corner Dark or Milk Chocolate Morsels
Simply Nature Organic Raspberry Preserves
Method:
•Mix the yeast with water in a mixer bowl and let stand for 10 mins until frothy. Add the
sugar, eggs, vanilla, and oil to the bowl and mix until well combined.
•Start adding only 5 cups of flour and salt, and knead/mix on medium speed in a stand mixer
fitted with the dough attachment for 5 minutes until a soft, non-sticky dough forms. If the
dough seems sticky, add ¼ cup flour to the dough until it no longer sticks to the bowl when
mixing.
•Let the dough rest in the bowl for an hour to double in size. 
•Punch down the dough and remove it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Using a
lightly floured rolling pin, roll it out into a rectangle. About 18”x 15” and 1/2 of an inch in
thickness. 
•Using a pizza cutter, cut in half vertically. Then slice thin strips horizontally. You want them
thin as they will puff up while frying.
•Let the fries rest for another 15 mins. 
•Meanwhile, using a deep fryer or a large pot, heat your oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the donut
fries 30 seconds per side, then drain on a paper towel.
•Dust the donut fries with powdered sugar and set aside.
•Microwave 1 cup of dark or milk chocolate for 30 seconds at a time until melted. Scoop
jelly into another bowl. Dip the fries in the chocolate or jelly!
Happy birthday @taylorswift 👸🏼 hope it feels Happy birthday @taylorswift 👸🏼 hope it feels like a perfect night and you’re not weepin in a party bathroom. IYKYK
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Also here’s to wishing me getting those tix!
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I sure do like these gingersnap cookies babe 😂 I sure do like these gingersnap cookies babe 😂 

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