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These easy Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies are a slice and bake cookie that are flavored with orange zest and cinnamon. Big pieces of pistachio and cranberries add flavor and texture! The dough comes together in just 15 minutes and easy to make ahead.
These cranberry orange cookies are one of my favorite Christmas cookies of all time. They were a smash hit in our first Christmas box at the bakery! We flavor the buttery dough with cinnamon and orange zest then mix in as many pistachios and cranberries as it can hold!
The dough is simple to make and easy to prepare ahead, which makes them perfect for a holiday cookie tray or a Christmas cookie box! I like to pair them with snowball cookies, pfefferneusse, speculoos cookies and chewy soft gingerbread cookies.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love these Cranberry Orange Cookies
- Perfect make-ahead dough. Just make the dough, roll it into logs, wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. These easy ice box cookies keep for weeks in the refrigerator or frozen for months! Simply slice and bake when you’re ready. The baked cookies also store nicely and the flavor improves over time!
- Festive appearance. The red cranberries and green pistachios bring all the Christmas cheer and bright flavor.
- Soft, tender cookies. These flavorful shortbread cookies are soft and tender rather than dry and crumbly like traditional Scottish shortbread.
Professional Tips for Making Cranberry Orange Shortbread
- Let the sugar sit with the orange zest for at least 30 minutes prior to mixing. This draws out the flavorful oils from the zest and flavors the sugar. This makes the dough even more flavorful!
- Brush with egg white and roll in turbinado sugar for a sparkly edge. It is optional but it really dresses up these holiday cookies! Plus the extra crunch is a wonderful touch.
- Slice with a serrated knife. I like to keep the pistachios and cranberries in large pieces, which can be a challenge to slice, but a serrated knife makes it a breeze!
Ingredients Needed
- All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour has just the right amount of gluten to make soft chewy cookies.
- Cinnamon: I use Saigon or korintje cinnamon but any cinnamon will do.
- Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is less salty than table salt and a teaspoon weighs less than other finer ground varieties. It heightens the flavor here and will keep your cookies from tasting dull or flat.
- Butter: Choose unsalted butter so that you control the amount of salt in your cookies. There is a lot of butter in this dough, so choose one that is higher quality to really pop that flavor!
- Granulated Sugar
- Orange: This recipe uses just the zest from an orange. Any orange that you have on hand will do. Use the orange juice for the mixture of an orange glaze drizzle or make an orange upside down cake!
- Pistachios: I use whole, roasted, shelled pistachios. If you can only find salted, omit the kosher salt in the dough.
- Dried Tart Cranberries: Try to find unsweetened dried cranberries to add that welcome pop of tartness! This compliments and contrasts with the sweet buttery dough and the savory pistachios.
- Egg White: I use egg whites to adhere the sugar to the outside of the dough before slicing. You can also simply brush with water, but egg white provides a stronger hold!
- Sanding Sugar or Turbinado
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Nuts & Dried Fruit: This recipe is incredibly versatile! You can substitute any dried fruit and nuts that you want. My favorite variation is dried tart cherries with pistachios, sometimes walnuts.
- Changed up the dough flavor: Try a different citrus zest in the dough like lemon or grapefruit, or really think outside the box and try yuzu or bergamot. Simply smell the zest before deciding a nice fruit and nut pairing! Play with vanilla extract and chocolate, I even have chocolate orange shortbread cookies on the blog!
- Brown sugar: You can also make this same recipe with brown sugar. It will keep the cookies softer and will add a lovely caramel molasses flavor.
- Change the shape! No one says that ice box cookies have to be round! I have made these same cookies square. The trick to keeping the shape is shaping the cookie dough before refrigerating and then rotating the dough log 90° after every 2-3 slices.
How to Make Orange Cranberry Cookies
Use these instructions to make the best cranberry orange shortbread cookies with pistachios! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Prepare the dough:
Step 1: Zest orange into sugar and mix in with your fingers or a spoon.
The longer the zest sits in the sugar, the more pronounced the orange flavor will be.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and whisk to distribute. Set aside. In a separate bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until combined but not light and fluffy.
Step 3: Reduce mixer to low and add dry ingredients just until combined. Add cranberries and pistachios until distributed. There is basically just enough dough to hold all the mix-ins together.
Step 4: Turn dough out onto parchment paper or plastic wrap and shape into 2 logs approximately 1 inch in diameter, tighten to compress dough and release air pockets. Flatten sides to create a long rectangle.
For the best cookies, you want to make sure the dough is compressed or they will fall apart. I find the easiest way to do this is to shape the dough into a log in the middle of a piece of parchment. Leave about 2 inches on either side so the dough can press out without squeezing out of the paper! Then fold the side farthest away from you over the dough. You now have both edges in front of you. Press a ruler or bench scraper on top of both pieces into the seam at the bottom of the log. Hold the bottom piece of the parchment and press into the seam, tightening the log. Work your way down the entire log. This is optional but makes exceptional cookies.
Step 5: Refrigerate until solid. The dough can also be frozen for 3 months at this point.
Slice & Bake the cookies:
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 7: Lightly beat egg whites until foamy and loosened. This is optional but makes it easier to get just a thin coating. Brush log with egg whites using a clean pastry brush or your fingers. Roll in sugar.
Step 8: Using a serrated knife, slice 1 cm thick, place on parchment lined sheet about 1 inch apart, and bake at 325°F until golden brown at the edges. They should look matte (no longer shiny) in the centers. I like mine soft and chewy but if you want crispy cookies, continue to bake them 4-6 more minutes.
The dough is easiest to slice when it is cold, not frozen. Try working in batches to keep the dough cold. If the dough gets too warm while slicing, refrigerate 10-20 minutes or until firm again before baking.
Step 9: Cool on wire racks (any cooling rack will do). Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
To maintain the shape of the cookies, rotate the dough 90° after every few slices. I made mine squares but you can do the same with circular cookies or go wild and make hexagons!
Frequently Asked Questions
These cookies are best stored at room temperature for up to 7 days. The dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months or refrigerated for 2 weeks!
I have successfully made this exact recipe in an 80 quart mixer. It is easy to make large batches, roll, wrap and freeze until ready to bake!
Because the flavor and texture of these cookies is still excellent after a week, these make great shipping cookies. They can be easily crushed by other cookies, so try shipping them in a padded tin with tissue paper.
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅓ cup + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ orange zested
- 1 cup pistachios whole, lightly toasted
- ¾ cup dried cranberries preferably unsweetened
- 1 egg white beaten until frothy
- turbinado sugar or sanding sugar
Instructions
- Combine flour, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and whisk to distribute
- Zest orange into sugar and mix in with your fingers or a spoon. The longer this sits, the more pronounced the orange flavor will be.
- Cream butter and sugar until combined but not light and fluffy.
- Reduce mixer to low and add dry ingredients just until combined. Add cranberries and pistachios until distributed. There is basically just enough dough to hold all the mix-ins together. All the nuts and fruits!
- Turn dough out onto parchment paper or plastic wrap and shape into log, tighten to compress dough and release air pockets. Flatten sides to create a long rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap to maintain shape. Refrigerate until solid. The dough can also be frozen for a month at this point.
- Brush log with egg whites and roll in sugar. Slice 1 cm thick and bake at 325°F until golden brown at the edges. They should look matte (no longer shiny) in the centers. I like mine soft and chewy but if you want crispy cookies, continue to bake them 4-6 more minutes.
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Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out more of the best Christmas cookies or these 20 traditional Christmas cookies! You might also enjoy perusing all our Christmas cookie recipes or all of our 250+ cookie recipes!
