I want to start off by saying that cranberry-orange is not usually my favorite combination.
I mean, if sugar is one of the ingredients I definitely won’t turn my nose up to it, however, there are many other combinations that I would go for before cranberry and orange.
However, I know that both my parents love this combination so when my mom asked for cranberry orange shortbread cookies I thought, “Ok, worse comes to worse I won’t gain 10 pounds when I make this recipe by stuffing my face.”
Unfortunately, that is not how this cranberry orange white chocolate chip shortbread cookie recipe worked. These cookies were so amazing that I continued to eat them. And when I made them for a friend over the holidays, she gushed over how delicious these cookies were.
These are definitely in line behind my all time favorite Peanut Butter Chocolate Blossoms.. If not a contender for my all time favorite cookie recipe.
The only thing I have against these cranberry orange white chocolate chip shortbread cookies? They can be a little time consuming to make. But I can tell you- they are oh so worth it!
Related Post: Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies
I found this recipe on the blog Love From The Oven and made some of my own revisions which you will find in the recipe down below!
I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe and I can assure you, there is just the right amount of cranberry and orange flavoring in the cookies.
These are perfect for anytime of year and you may even be able to convince yourself that these cranberry orange white chocolate chip shortbread cookies are healthy… I mean they do have cranberries AND orange zest in them.
Just sayin’…
Enjoy!
Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
*This post may contain affiliate links. This mean that if you choose to purchase through one of my links I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Please note- I only recommend products that I use and LOVE myself!
Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Softened Butter
- 1 Cup White Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 4 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2/3 Cup White Chocolate Chips (I prefer mini morsels)
- 1/2 Cup Cranberries (chopped if possible)
- Zest of 1 Orange
Glaze
- 1 1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tablespoon plus 3 Teaspoons Water
- 1 Teaspoon Orange Extract
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl or electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat on medium to high speed until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla until well combined. Add the flour and mix well (do not over mix!).
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Once the dough is combined, add in the chopped cranberries, zest of one orange and white chocolate chips.
Note: You do NOT need chopped cranberries or mini white chocolate morsels- it simply makes it easier in a later steps when cutting the dough.
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Once everything is mixed, using your hands, form the dough on your counter into a log like form. The log should be about one and a half inches thick and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. I usually separate the dough out into 2 seperate logs just to make it a bit easier.
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Place the dough in your fridge for at least two hours, up to overnight. If you are on a time crunch, place in the freezer for an hour. When you remove the dough to cook, I like to let my dough sit on the counter for an hour (if I let chill overnight) or about 10 minutes if I leave it in for two hours. However, this is not necessary.
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When ready to cook: Preheat oven to 350F
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Once you are ready to cook, unfold the dough from the plastic wrap. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 12 pieces. Reform your cookie if necessary using the heat from your hands. Place on a baking stone or baking sheet.
Note: This is where there dough can be difficult with un-chopped cranberries or big white chocolate chips. The dough will easily break apart, especially if taken right from the fridge. You can use the heat from your hands to form the dough back into the appropriate shape. This gets easier the longer the dough has been out.
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Cook the cookies in the oven for approximately 12 minutes or until bottoms are slightly browned. Allow to cool for five minutes on baking stone before placing on a cooling rack.
For efficiency: I set all of my sliced cookies on their respective baking stones so all I have to do is plop the sheet or stone in the oven and I can then focus on making the orange glaze.
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Glaze: Combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, orange extract and water in a mixing bowl and stir ( you shouldn't need an electric mixer). If the consistency is too runny, then keep adding powdered sugar one teaspoon at a time until it is thick and syrupy. Drizzle the glaze over the cookies and allow the glaze to dry before eating.
Other Products That I Used and Loved With This Recipe
Chocolate Drizzler: Although I did not drizzle chocolate at any point in this recipe, I DID drizzle orange glaze and this worked just as well for the glaze as it does for chocolate. It makes drizzling so much easier than using a whisk or a spoon. And, it is super easy to use!
Baking Stone: I use my baking stones for every cookie recipe I make. The stone is specific to evening out the cooking that occur on each cookie as well as decrease the chance of burning. And I have to tell you, it works wonders!
Kitchen Aid Mixer: I absolutely love my kitchen aid mixer! This tool is absolutely incredible and it has never failed me! I use it for just about every baking recipe I have and even some cooking recipes too. Plus, my mixer is at least 10 years old and I have never had an issue!
Mixing Bowls: These bowls are super easy to store and clean making them my go-to bowls whenever I cook or bake.
Cooling Racks: I LOVE these cooling racks because they save so much space! Because you stack them, you can cool double the cookies in half the amount of space! Yay! Plus, they are so easy to clean and to drizzle the cookies, I simply wrap the cooling racks in foil to limit the mess.
Sharp Knife: I love this knife. It is super duper sharp so I using it when chopping vegetables, meats or cookie dough. When you get the cookie dough out from the fridge it can be difficult to cut, at least for all knives besides this one 😉
Zester: This zester is awesome because it is so big! It makes zesting an orange super fast and really easy!
I would love to hear how you enjoyed these cranberry orange white chocolate chip shortbread cookies! I would especially love to hear how you enjoyed them if you aren’t a cranberry orange fan…
Let me know what you think in the comments below and share and pin to save for later or to simply share how AWESOME this recipe was!
Happy Baking!
