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Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies | Forks In The Road

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Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Despite my complaints that I think I might be developing a mild allergy to citrus fruits, my mom keeps buying oranges by the box, faster than we can eat them. That, coupled with the fact that we have a giant bag of Craisins that has been sitting around the pantry, I’ve made it my personal mission to bake as many orange-cranberry flavored things as possible before I go back to school.

I’ve always loved slice and bake cookies for their simplicity and convenience, and these shortbread rounds are no exception. The ingredients list is pleasantly short, so I whipped up the dough while I was making some other cookies on Christmas Eve. Then I plopped the log in the fridge and promptly forgot about the dough, until a few days later when I realized that I meant to write a ‘cookies for Santa’ post with this cake stand:

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

I know Christmas is over, but look at this little guy! He’s too cute not to post. Ever since I received this cake stand for Christmas last year from a friend, I knew I had to photograph it with some festive Christmas cookies. It’s New Year’s Eve now so I’m a few days late (oops), but anytime is a good time for cranberry orange shortbread cookies. For anyone planning on dieting or hitting the gym more often in 2015 – quick, make these and shove a few of in your mouth before we ring in the new year!

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Goodbye, 2014, you’ve been good to me 🙂

Recipe: Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 3 teaspoons orange zest
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until soft and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in the egg, yolk, vanilla and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  3. Add the flour mixture, orange zest, and cranberries to the egg mixture and beat on low until just incorporated. Stop the mixer and finishing incorporating the ingredients with a spatula.
  4. Place the dough on a sheet of waxed paper. If it is very sticky and hard to work with, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours. When the dough is firmer, roll it into a log about 2.5 inches in diameter. Rewrap with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours, although overnight is best. (Here is where I forgot about the dough in the fridge for a few days, although if you are setting it aside for later on purpose it is best to freeze the log at this point.)
  5. When ready to bake, place racks in the middle and upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unwrap. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into 1/3-inch-thick rounds. Place on baking sheet 1 inch apart. (They spread more than I thought they would)
  7. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until barely browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Number of servings (yield): ~2 dozen cookies

 

Adapted from Peaches and Cream


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