These Cranberry Shortbread Cookies are so delicious and pretty for the Holidays! A crumbly, soft and buttery sliced shortbread with dried cranberries and nuts topped with melted white chocolate.
White Chocolate Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
These cranberry shortbread cookies are perfect for Holiday cookie trays. The great thing about these cookies is that they are really easy to make and only have a few ingredients.
I think one of the best parts about the holidays is all of the food! There is just something that makes life better when you smell the wonderful aroma of holiday baking coming from the kitchen. I adore baking Christmas cookies with cranberries! They are so versatile and provide such an amazing flavor!
Here are some of our other favorite cranberry recipes for the Holidays: Orange Cranberry Bread, Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake and Turkey Cranberry Sliders.
Ingredients Needed
Just a few staple ingredients with the addition of dried cranberries, chopped nuts and white chocolate chips.
- Butter – use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Vanilla extract – pure vanilla for the best flavoring.
- Powdered sugar – this is used in the cookie dough and gives the cookie a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Salt
- Flour – unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Cranberries – you will need sweetened dried cranberries for this cookie recipe.
- Nuts – chopped pecans.
- Chocolate chips – I use white chocolate chips, but dark chocolate chips can also be used.
How To Make Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
This is a very simple cookie recipe. The longest part is waiting for the dough to freeze.
- Cream the butter and vanilla. Mix in the powdered sugar and salt.
- Gradually add in the flour and combine, cranberries and pecans (the batter will be crumbly).
- Roll out some plastic wrap and place the mixture on top. Tightly wrap the dough into a log and place into the freezer for about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Unwrap the log and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Cut the log into 1/2 inch slices. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or a silicone mat) and arrange the slices onto the sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes and rotate the pan at the 5-minute mark.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes.
- In the microwave, melt the white chocolate in a glass bowl on high for 30-second intervals.
- Pour the melted chocolate into a plastic bag and cut the tip to drizzle on top of the finished cookies.
- Allow the chocolate to cool and serve!
Freezing and Storing
- Freeze before baking – Wrap the log of dough in plastic wrap, then in foil, and then put in a ziplock plastic bag. When ready to bake, leave the dough log in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.
- Store the baked shortbread cookies – Cover and store shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Freeze baked cookies – Let the cookies cool completely. Place parchment paper in between layering the cookies in an freezer friendly airtight container.
Tips and Variations
Cranberries – we leave the dried cranberries as is, but feel free to chop them in a mini food processor for a different texture.
Butter – Be sure to start with room temperature butter to get the best texture from the shortbread dough. You do not want the butter melted or too cold.
The Dough needs to be mixed completely making sure there are not any clumps.
Cookie Slices – The thicker the slices are, the softer the cookies will be. Too thin will be extra crispy. This is actually all by personal preference.
More Cranberry Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Cookies
- Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
- White Chocolate Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
- Cranberry Sandwich Cookies
Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
- 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer in a medium sized mixing bowl, cream together butter and vanilla extract.
- Add the powdered sugar and salt and mix until combined and smooth.
- Slowly add flour and mix well (scrape down bowl as needed). Fold in cranberries and chopped pecans (batter will be crumbly).
- Transfer dough to plastic wrap and press dough into a round log. Put the dough in the freezer for 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and take the dough out of the freezer and unwrap (let sit for 5-10 minutes if it is too hard to cut).
- Cut dough into 1/2 inch slices and put them on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes (rotate the pan after 5 minutes).
- Remove from the oven when the bottom of the cookie starts to brown and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are cool, heat the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until melted.
- Transfer the white chocolate to a zippered bag and cut the tip off to drizzle over cookies.
- Let cookies cool completely and enjoy!
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2 comments on “Cranberry Shortbread Cookies”
This is one of the best recipes I have used for baking shortbread. It has all the hallmarks of the traditional Celtic shortbread, but with the addition of pecans and cranberry. Fantastic full flavour with the hit of chocolate is a winner.
Thanks James and Inga!