Description
Delightful Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies combine tangy orange zest and juice with sweet dried cranberries in a buttery, crumbly shortbread base. These charming cookies are finished with a smooth orange glaze, making them perfect for festive occasions or a flavorful tea-time treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 60 g caster sugar
- Zest of 1 orange
- 125 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 180 g plain flour (all-purpose)
- 75 g dried cranberries, finely chopped
Orange Glaze
- 120 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 30 ml orange juice
- 1 tsp unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Rub sugar and orange zest together: In a bowl, massage the orange zest into the caster sugar using your fingertips. This releases natural oils, intensifying the orange flavor and turning the sugar slightly wet and orange-stained.
- Cream butter, orange sugar, and vanilla extract: Using an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the unsalted butter and orange-infused sugar on medium speed until pale and lightened. Scrape sides, add vanilla extract, and mix again.
- Add flour and cranberries: At low speed, mix in the plain flour and finely chopped dried cranberries until just combined, forming a ragged dough.
- Form dough and roll out: Gather dough into a ball and press into a rough disc. Lightly flour a surface and roll dough to about ½ cm thickness. If dough is too soft, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes until firm enough to roll without cracking.
- Cut out cookie shapes and chill: Use cookie cutters to stamp shapes, place on parchment-lined baking trays. Gather scraps, re-roll, and repeat. Refrigerate the cutouts for at least 30 minutes until the dough is firm and holds shape.
- Bake the cookies: Preheat oven to 170°C (335°F). Bake the chilled cookies for 12-15 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare orange glaze: In a bowl, whisk powdered icing sugar, orange juice, and melted butter until smooth. Adjust thickness by adding more icing sugar if too thin or more orange juice if too thick.
- Glaze and set cookies: Dip the face of each cooled cookie into the glaze, allowing excess to drip off. Place on wire rack and let the glaze set before serving.
Notes
- Ensure the butter is at room temperature for easier creaming with sugar.
- If dough cracks while rolling, let it rest longer in the refrigerator to firm up.
- Re-rolling dough too many times may dry it out; add a few drops of water if necessary.
- Chilling cookies before baking helps them retain their shape.
- The glaze should be thick enough to coat the cookies without dripping excessively.
