Soft, buttery and tender, these Cranberry Orange Shortbread Bars are perfect for sharing this holiday season. Or keep it all to yourself. I won’t tell.
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
These Butter Cranberry Orange Shortbread Bars come together in a snap and last for weeks, meaning you can whip up a large batch on a whim and have sweet treats for weeks. Of course you eat them all within two days because they’re seriously addictive, but sometimes you just gotta lie to yourself a little, you know?
What are Cranberry Orange Shortbread Bars?
We love a butter cookie. You just tick all the boxes for a holiday cookie. Super easy to do – CHECK. Sturdy enough to box up and ship to friends – CHECK. Stay soft for days – CHECK. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that they’re just as pretty as they are delicious. That’s, like, A LOT.
And these Cranberry Orange Shortbread Bars are the *elite* shortbread this holiday season. The hint of orange peel and the acidity of the cranberries perfectly complement the tender shortbread into a truly magical biscuit. Second, what I like best about these babies is that you don’t have to hollow out the cookies one at a time. Just toss your dough in a pan, pat it flat, bake it and then cut it into perfect little cookie bars, aka a lazy girl’s dream.
Tips for making the best cranberry and orange shortbread
Shortbread is super easy to make, but these few tricks make a perfect, flavorful cranberry orange shortbread!
- Don’t overwork the dough: The key to good shortbread is a dough that contains as little gluten as possible. This creates a tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture you’ve come to expect from shortbread. Your dough will be a little crumbly but will stick together when you press it together. Don’t be alarmed!
- Use good quality butter: I know I’ve said this before, but I just had to say it again. The butter is what makes these shortbread bars so good.
- Bake them to perfection: With shortcrust pastry there is a fine line between doughy and overdone. The bars should take about 25-30 minutes to bake, and you’ll know they’re done when they’re golden brown on the edges, puffy, and dry to the touch.
Happy baking, my sweet friends!
XXX
Soft, buttery and tender, these Cranberry Orange Shortbread Bars are perfect for sharing this holiday season. Or keep it all to yourself. I won’t tell.
-
Preparation time:
10 mins -
Cooking time:
25 minutes -
Total time:
35 minutes -
Yield:
16 bars 1x -
Category:
Dessert -
Method:
oven -
Kitchen:
American
-
Preparation time:
10 mins -
Cooking time:
25 minutes -
Total time:
35 minutes -
Yield:
16 bars 1x -
Category:
Dessert -
Method:
oven -
Kitchen:
American
Units:
Scale:
- Preparation time: 10 mins
- Cooking time: 25 minutes
- Total time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: oven
- Kitchen: American
ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and diced
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Cup dried cranberries
- 4 ounces white chocolate, melted
instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8″ x 8″ pan with parchment paper on all sides. Put aside.
- In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, orange zest and butter. Pulse until just combined and mixture forms a dough ball.
- Remove from the food processor and stir in the cranberries.
- Press the batter into the prepared pan and use your hands to spread the batter into an even layer.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until just lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the bars cool completely.
- Once the bars have cooled, use a spoon to drizzle the bars with the melted white chocolate. Place the bars in the freezer for a few minutes or in the fridge for half an hour to set. Once hardened, cut into desired size rectangles with a large sharp knife. Enjoy!
Keywords: Cranberry Orange Shortbread