This year, I wanted a festive pop of red in my cookie selection, and was very much in the mood for a cranberry cookie.  So, I turned to my old favorite recipe, Festive Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies, and made some adjustments for an all cranberry version.  These cookies are packed with cranberry flavor with a hint of orange, which to me is such a perfect Christmas-y combination.  They sparkle with the added sugar on top, and are packed with ruby-red cranberries, giving these the pop of color and joy that I needed in my cookie box this year.

This is a classic shortbread recipe, with all of the ingredients held together by butter alone.  They are truly amazing in how simple they are, but also so impactful in terms of flavor.  I made mine into cute little rounds this year, but any shape will do!  You can also re-work the excess dough to make more cookies – keep going until all of the dough is used up!

Recipe down below, photo up top!  Happy baking, friends!

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 175 g unsalted butter
• 225 g flour
• 60 g granulated sugar, plus more for dusting
• 1 ½ cups dried cranberries, pulsed until finely chopped
• Zest of one orange
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Measure out the cranberries into the bowl of a large food processor.  Pulse until very finely chopped, about 20 pulses or so. 
   1. If using a smaller food processor, work in ½ cup batches until all cranberries are chopped up. 
   1. You can also chop the cranberries finely with a knife if you don’t have a food processor.
2. Dice the butter and put into a mixing bowl to soften a little.  Add the flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract into the bowl with the butter.  Add the chopped dried cranberries, and the zest of one orange. 
3. Rub the flour and butter together with your fingertips and form the mixture into a ball.  Mixture will be crumbly at first, do not be tempted to add any water to the dough – continue kneading lightly and it will come together!
4. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator until fully chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.
5. Preheat the oven to 350F.
6. Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough out until it is about ¼ inch thick.  Cut into desired shape, either by cutting into strips or squares with a knife or by using cookie cutters to create shapes.
7. Lay the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper to prevent sticking.  Prick the surfaces of the cookies all over with a fork. 
8. Sprinkle sugar over the shortbread (if desired) and bake for 8 minutes, or until firm to the touch.  Cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the baking sheet.
9. Allow to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before packing and storing in a sealable plastic bag or air-tight container.  Cookies will stay fresh if sealed in an air-tight package for up to 2 weeks.