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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

    Published: May 8, 2020 · Modified: Nov 18, 2021 by Michelle Ferrand ·This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
    The specks of red and white in these Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies bring joy and merriment to every holiday celebration. So buttery, tart, and sweet, these Christmas cookies are perfect for parties, cookie exchanges, and Santa!
    Jump to Recipe Leave a Comment
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    5 from 1 vote
    Close up of shortbread cookies that have cranberries and chunks of white chocolate in them.

    The specks of red and white in these Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies bring joy and merriment to every holiday celebration. So buttery, tart, and sweet, these Christmas cookies are perfect for parties, cookie exchanges, and Santa!

    A Christmas cookie that’s merry and bright

    While these ​​Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies are delicious year-round, I think they’re one of the best Christmas cookies. Classic buttery shortbread cookies are mixed with dried cranberries and white chocolate to not only speckle them with traditional Christmas colors but flavors as well!

    If you didn’t know already, dried cranberries and white chocolate happen to be a perfect pairing. Cranberries can sometimes be overly tart on their own, but the sweet and buttery white chocolate helps to tone this down and add balance to every bite.

    Whip up a batch of these cranberry and white chocolate cookies for cookie exchanges, gifting, or to put out for Santa! They, along with my Eggnog Shortbread, would be a great fit for any holiday celebration.

    rows of cranberry white chocolate shortbread cookies on a light grey background

    Christmas shortbread cookie ingredients

    This easy Christmas cookie recipe has 6 simple ingredients and makes a whole bunch of cookies. What could be better?

    Salted butter

    Wanna know the secret to deliciously soft shortbread? Butter! 

    Salted butter is key in this easy shortbread recipe because of the lack of moisture in the dough. Unlike lemon cupcakes or chocolate chunk candy cane cookies, making shortbread dough with salted butter means you don’t have to add the salt on its own. If you use unsalted butter and add salt, your cookies would likely be overly salty.

    Ingredients placed on a white service to make cranberry white chocolate shortbread cookies, including white chocolate bars, butter, vanilla extract

    Powdered sugar

    Making white chocolate cranberry shortbread cookies with powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar ensures they turn out light, soft, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. If you were to use granulated sugar, the granules wouldn’t fully dissolve in the dough because there’s so little moisture.

    Vanilla

    Vanilla extract is needed to bring a warm flavor and balance to the shortbread. If you’re a big fan of vanilla and want to give these cookies an impeccable flavor, swap the extract for vanilla bean paste instead.

    All purpose flour

    A few cups of all purpose flour will bring the cookie dough together and leave you with light and airy cookies.

    shortbread cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet with multiple stacked on their sides in two metal baking tins

    Dried cranberries

    This tart and sweet raisin-like garnish is so perfect in shortbread! Don’t swap them for fresh cranberries or else there will be way too much liquid in the batter and cookies.

    White chocolate

    White chocolate and shortbread are so good together. Both are buttery, sweet, and rich. 

    Now, the true question is, “Should I make these cookies with a white chocolate bar or white chocolate chips?” Please, for the sake of delicious flavors, use a high quality white chocolate bar.

    The best white chocolate is made with a short list of ingredients, the most important being cocoa butter. According to Cook’s Illustrated, most big brand white chocolate chips “contain no cocoa butter and thus can’t be labeled ‘chocolate’”. For this recipe, chopping up a white chocolate bar is best.

    multiple shortbread cookies stacked on their sides in a metal baking tin

    How to make cranberry white chocolate shortbread cookies

    These slice and bake shortbread cookies are really easy to put together, can be made ahead of time, and can even be left in the freezer for months. Any home baker can master this recipe in a few simple steps:

    butter and sugar creamed together in a white bowl with hand mixer beaters next to it

    Step 1: Cream the powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter together.

    a white bowl filled with shortbread cranberry white chocolate cookie dough

    Step 2: Add in the flour, cranberries, and white chocolate. Slowly beat it all together until it looks crumbly.

    two logs of shortbread cookie dough on a cutting board

    Step 3: Turn the dough out onto the counter and form it into two logs.

    Wrap each log up in plastic and leave them to chill in the fridge.

    slices of cranberry white chocolate shortbread cookie dough on a baking sheet with a log of dough being cut at the top of the image

    Step 4: Slice up the cookies into rounds, then bake!

    rows of slice and baked cranberry white chocolate cookies on a piece of parchment paper

    Step 5: You’ll know the cookies are ready when they’re just slightly brown around the bottom edges.

    Frequently asked questions

    Why is my cookie dough so crumbly?

    Because it’s too dry! If you’re having a hard time forming the dough into a ball, add a little more butter or a few drops of water to add more moisture.

    Do you have to chill the shortbread cookie dough?

    Chilling the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours will prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.

    How long do shortbread cookies last?

    Shortbread cookies can be stored in an airtight container or sealed tin at room temperature for about a week.

    Can you freeze shortbread?

    Absolutely! Both the baked and unbaked white chocolate and cranberry shortbread cookies can be frozen:

    To freeze unbaked: Wrap the 2 dough logs in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 2 hours. Once it’s chilled and firm, transfer the dough to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. 

    To freeze baked cookies: Wait for the cookies to cool completely. Transfer them to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

    Can you make these cookies ahead of time?

    The shortbread cookie dough can be made up to 3 days before baking. Just wrap the dough logs in plastic and keep them in the fridge until it’s time to slice and bake.

    close up of a shortbread cookie with a bite taken of it and crumbs scattered around it
    Close up of shortbread cookies that have cranberries and chunks of white chocolate in them.

    Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

    The specks of red and white in these Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies bring joy and merriment to every holiday celebration. So buttery, tart, and sweet, these Christmas cookies are perfect for parties, cookie exchanges, and Santa!
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    Author: Michelle Ferrand
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Scottish
    Keyword: christmas, cookie swap party, holiday
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Makes: 40 cookies

    Equipment

    baking sheet
    oxo cutting board
    hand mixer

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup salted butter, softened
    • ¾ cup powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
    • 6 ounces white chocolate bar, chopped
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until it just becomes light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
    • Add flour, cranberry, and white chocolate. On low speed, beat until the dough just starts to come together, about 3 minutes.
    • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press together to form a log. Divide the dough in half and form each piece of dough into a 7-inch log. Wrap in parchment paper and chill for at least 2 hours, up to 3 days.
    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
    • Slice each log into ¼ to ¾-inch slices and evenly space on the baking sheets. You should have about 40 cookies.
    • Bake until the bottom edges of the cookies just start to brown, 14-16 minutes.
    • Allow cookies to cool and serve!
    Did you make this recipe?Share a pic and tag @cupofzest and use #cupofzest so I can see it!

    Watch the Video!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 45mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 143IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

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    Comments

    1. Ashley says

      December 25, 2021 at 9:49 pm

      5 stars
      These were my favourite out of all the Christmas cookies I made this year! So delicious, and very pretty as well. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Michelle Ferrand says

        December 27, 2021 at 10:32 am

        Ashley!!! You are so welcome! I'm glad this recipe brought you joy this year!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Michelle and welcome to the party!

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