Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
These cranberry shortbread cookies combine buttery, crumbly shortbread with the sweet-tart flavour of dried cranberries. The dough is easy to make, and chilling the cut-out biscuits before baking helps them keep their shape. They’re lovely with a cup of tea and make a festive homemade gift.
For a colourful variation, replace some of the cranberries with chopped pistachios to make cranberry and pistachio shortbread.
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Recipe at a glance
Prep time: Approximately 15 minutes
Chilling time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 20 minutes
Oven: 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F
Makes: Approximately 18–24 biscuits, depending on the cutter and dough thickness
Ingredients
200g butter, softened
100g caster sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
280g plain flour, plus a little extra for rolling
100g dried cranberries
Optional cranberry and pistachio variation
Use 70g dried cranberries and 30g finely chopped, unsalted pistachios in place of the 100g cranberries. Chop larger cranberry pieces if needed to make the dough easier to cut.
How to Make Cranberry Shortbread
1.Prepare a baking tray. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. If the biscuits won’t fit with a little space between them, prepare a second tray or bake them in batches.
2. Mix the butter and sugar. Beat the softened butter, caster sugar and vanilla together until smooth.
3. Add the flour. Stir in the plain flour until the mixture starts to form a dough. Gently bring it together with your hands. Don’t work it more than necessary, as this can make the shortbread less tender.
4. Add the cranberries. Gently work the dried cranberries through the dough until they’re evenly distributed. If making the pistachio variation, add the chopped nuts at the same time.
5. Roll and cut. Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough to about 6mm (¼ inch) thick. Cut out biscuits with a cookie cutter. Bring the scraps together, re-roll gently and cut out the remaining biscuits.
6. Chill the biscuits. Arrange the shapes on the lined tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This helps them keep their shape as they bake.
7. Preheat the oven. While the biscuits chill, preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F.
8. Bake. Bake the chilled biscuits for 20 minutes, until the edges are set and just beginning to colour. The centres may still feel slightly soft, but they’ll firm up as they cool. Check a little earlier if you’re using a smaller cutter.
9. Finish and cool. Sprinkle a little extra caster sugar over the biscuits while they’re warm, if you like. Leave them on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for the Best Cranberry Shortbread
Use softened, not melted, butter. Soft butter mixes easily into the dough, while melted butter can make it too sticky.
Measure the flour before adjusting the dough. Shortbread dough can look crumbly at first. Try gently pressing it together before adding extra liquid. If it really won’t come together, add milk a teaspoon at a time. If it’s very sticky, add a light dusting of flour.
Keep the cranberries small enough to cut through. Roughly chop any particularly large pieces before adding them to the dough.
Don’t skip the chilling time. Cold dough is less likely to spread in the oven, especially when you use shaped cutters.
Avoid overbaking. Shortbread doesn’t need to turn deeply golden. Look for set edges and a lightly coloured base.
How to Store Cranberry Shortbread
Once the biscuits have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for around 5 days. Keep them away from heat and moisture so they stay crisp.
You can also freeze the unbaked, cut-out biscuits. Freeze them on a tray until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Bake from frozen, allowing a few extra minutes, and check for set, lightly coloured edges.
Cranberry Shortbread Biscuits
Ingredients
- 200 g butter (softened)
- 100 g caster sugar (plus a little extra for sprinkling)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 280 g plain flour (plus a little extra for rolling)
- 100 g dried cranberries
Instructions
- Prepare a baking tray. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. If the biscuits will not fit with a little space between them, prepare a second tray or bake them in batches.
- Mix the butter and sugar. Beat the softened butter, caster sugar and vanilla together until smooth and combined.
- Add the flour. Stir in the plain flour until the mixture begins to form a dough. Use your hands to gently bring it together. Avoid working it more than necessary, as this can make the shortbread less tender.
- Add the cranberries. Gently work the dried cranberries through the dough until they are evenly distributed. If making the pistachio variation, add the chopped nuts at the same time.
- Roll and cut. Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough to approximately 6mm (¼ inch) thick. Cut out biscuits with cookie cutter of choice. Bring the scraps together, re-roll gently and cut out the remaining biscuits.
- Chill the biscuits. Arrange the shapes on the lined tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This helps them keep their shape as they bake.
- Preheat the oven. While the biscuits chill, preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F.
- Bake. Bake the chilled biscuits for 18–20 minutes, until the edges are set and just beginning to colour. The centres may still feel slightly soft; they will firm up as they cool. Check a little earlier if you use a smaller cutter.
- Finish and cool. Sprinkle a little extra caster sugar over the biscuits while they are warm, if you like. Leave them on the tray for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Make and cut out the dough ahead of time, then keep the unbaked biscuits covered in the fridge overnight before baking.
Chilling is recommended for this cut-out recipe. It firms up the butter and helps the biscuits hold their shape in the oven.
Yes. Replace 30g of the dried cranberries with 30g of finely chopped, unsalted pistachios to make cranberry and pistachio shortbread.
The butter may have been too warm, the dough may not have chilled long enough, or the baking tray may have been warm when you placed the biscuits on it. Chill the cut-out shapes before baking, and use a cool tray for each batch.
Yes. Once they’ve cooled completely, pack them in an airtight tin or food-safe bag. If you make the pistachio version, clearly label it as containing nuts.