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.

You can try different combinations like these chocolate shortbread cookies , lemon shortbread cookies, or these pistachio shortbread cookies, to have a fun variety of different flavors for everyone!

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:

Our latest cookie recipes

Cranberry orange shortbread cookies lying on a platter
4.91 stars (11 ratings)

Melt In Your Mouth Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 22 minutes
Servings: 24 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!
Print Pin Review Save

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup (60 g) confectioners sugar
  • 2 tsp (2 tsp) orange zest, 1 large orange
  • 1/3 cup (40.4 g) dried cranberries, chopped
  • 1 tsp (1 tsp) vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (250 g) flour
  • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) kosher salt
  • 2 cups (400 g) turbinado sugar

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.
  • Cookie dough with orange zest in a glass bowl on a gray background
    Add the 2 tsp orange zest and 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix lightly to combine.
  • Add in 1/3rd cup dried cranberries, the 2 cups of flour, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Mix until a unified dough forms.
  • A log of cranberry orange shortbread rolled in plastic wrap
    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.
  • Log of cookie dough rolling in turbinado sugar in a rimmed baking sheet
    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.
  • A log of cookie dough waiting to be sliced on a wooden cutting board.
    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.
  • Sliced cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet
    Line the cookies 1 1/2" apart on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until firm.

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
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 188kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 26mg, Potassium: 18mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 236IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Cookies
Author: Sam Adler
Cuisine: Scottish
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