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five cranberry orange shortbread cookies dusted with powdered sugar on a black countertop
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Cranberry Orange Cookies

Cranberry orange cookies are delicious shortbreads with bursts of orange flavor and chunks of almonds and cranberries. These delightful little cookies are a wonderful party addition.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cranberry orange cookies, cranberry orange shortbread cookies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 16
Calories 186kcal
Author Lisa Bass

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup raw unsalted walnuts
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch flour
  • zest from two small oranges
  • 1/2 teaspoon unrefined salt
  • 1/3 cup dried sweet cranberries
  • 3/4 cup butter softened
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar in the dough
  • 1/3 cup icing sugar for coating the cookies

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 and roast the walnuts on a prepared baking sheet. Roast for 10-12 minutes until the walnuts smell lovely and are lightly browned on the edges.
  • After they have cooled slightly, blitz the walnuts up using either a blender or a food processor.
  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, arrowroot starch, salt, ground walnuts, orange zest, and cranberries.
  • In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the butter and icing sugar together until thoroughly combined and the butter is light and airy.
  • Add the dry ingredients and mix together until just combined, careful not to overmix.
  • Tip the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a flat round shape. Place in the fridge to allow the dough to firm up for a minimum of an hour.
  • Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Lightly flour a work surface.
  • Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to be approximately 1/2 inch thick.
  • Cut out circles using a cookie cutter with a diameter of approximately 2 and 1⁄4 inch.
  • Re-roll the scraps and cut out as many cookies as you can until the dough is gone.
  • Put the remaining 1⁄3 cup of icing sugar in a small bowl so you can coat the cookies once they’re baked.
  • Place cookies on baking sheets a few inches apart and bake for 10-12 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheets halfway through the bake time to achieve an even bake.
  • Allow the cookies to cool out of the oven for a few minutes and then toss in icing sugar to evenly coat. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Arrowroot starch can be substituted for cornstarch if needed.
  • Preferably use organic oranges when zesting, since the skin will be used.
  • I chose to snip the cranberries with kitchen scissors into 2-3 pieces just to achieve smaller bits of cranberries.
  • The dough freezes well, so you could freeze a batch of dough to have on hand for unexpected guests

Nutrition

Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 142mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 267IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg