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Home » Desserts » Cookies & Bars » Easy Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

Easy Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

Last Updated December 18, 2021. Published November 18, 2021 By Rosemary 57 Comments

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Cranberry Shortbread Cookies are a delicious Christmas cookie recipe that is easy to make. The buttery shortbread pairs perfectly with the tart dried cranberries making them a festive cookie for holiday dessert platters.

6 cranberry shortbread cookies stacked.

One of my favorite Christmas cookies is shortbread. I love the buttery melt-in-your-mouth texture and they can be flavored in so many ways. For the holidays, you can’t beat a red and white cookie and these cranberry shortbread cookies are just perfect.

Shortbread cookies are so easy to make and they keep well at room temperature so they are great for gifting. For this recipe, you only need five ingredients!

They are so simple and the flavors are great. Sweet, buttery, and each bite has tart cranberry. If you want an easy cookie recipe to make this year, you need to give them a try.

Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour – be sure your flour is at least 11-12% protein, this will help keep the cookies from spreading.
  • Softened butter – I use salted butter, but if you use unsalted add a bit more salt.
  • Caster sugar – this is a very fine sugar.
  • Pinch of salt
  • Dried cranberries

Instructions

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer (or stand mixer) in a large bowl for about two to three minutes or until the mixture is creamy.

Dry ingredients sifted and butter creamed.

Sift the flour and salt into the butter mixture and stir. When it’s almost combined, add the cranberries and continue mixing on medium speed until the dough is firm.

Adding the cranberries & forming a dough.

Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 to 60 minutes. You can also chill it overnight.

The dough made and ready to be refrigerated.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator. If it’s very firm, gently knead it to soften it up. Place the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap and roll it out until it’s 1/4″ thick.

Rolling the dough between parchment paper.

Cut the dough out into rounds or squares using a cookie cutter and place them on baking sheets or cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle sugar over the tops, if desired.

Cutting the dough out and placing on prepared cookie sheet.

Place the pans in the refrigerator for 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 320°F. 

Bake the cookies for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool them for two to three minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Cookies stacked and some on a wire rack.

FAQs

What extras can you add to the cookies?

You could add some orange zest a little orange flavouring, some white chocolate chips or even some coarsely chopped nuts.

Can you use fresh cranberries or frozen ones?

Fresh and frozen cranberries are not good for this recipe. They have too much moisture which will change the texture of the shortbread cookies. For best results, use dried cranberries.

Can you use granulated sugar instead of caster sugar?

Caster sugar is very fine and really makes a difference in these cookies. it melts into the butter so your cookies practically melt in your mouth. If you only have granulated, you can blend it in a food processor until it’s finely ground like caster sugar.

Why did my cookies spread?

Did you chill the dough for at least 30 minutes? Chilling it allows the butter to firm up so your cookies don’t spread. And be sure to use a flour with at least 11-12% protein, this also helps from spreading.

How long do they keep at room temperature?

Store them in an airtight container. They can keep for several weeks as long as they are in a good container stored in a cool, dry spot.

Can you freeze them?

Yes, the baked cookies freeze great. Place them in a freezer container and separate the layers with parchment paper. They will keep for up to three months.

Cookies stacked with one leaning against them.

Whether you make these cranberry shortbread cookies for you or to share, I hope you love them! You can’t beat the color combination – it’s perfect for the holidays. Enjoy!

More Cookies Recipes

  • Brown Sugar Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Blossoms 3 ways
  • Italian Christmas Cookies / Pasta Frolla
6 cranberry shortbread cookies stacked.
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5 from 44 votes

Easy Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

Cranberry Shortbread Cookies are an easy Christmas cookie recipe. They're festive red & white cookies perfect for the holidays!
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Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 20 cookies
Calories 117kcal
Author Rosemary Molloy

Ingredients

  • 1¾-2 cups all purpose flour (at least 11-12% protein / sifted)** (220-250 grams)
  • ⅔ cup + 1 tablespoon butter (softened) (165 grams)
  • ⅓ cup + 1½ tablespoons sugar (caster / fine) (85 grams)
  • 1 pinch salt*
  • ¼-½ cup dried cranberries

*If using unsalted butter then use ¼ teaspoon salt.

    US Customary – Metric

    Instructions

    • Beat the butter and sugar until creamy, approximately 2-3 minutes, add the sifted flour (start with 1 3/4 cups add the remaining 4 tablespoons if needed one at a time) and the salt, combine, when almost combined add the cranberries and continue to beat with the flat beaters (#2 speed) until a firm dough is obtained, be aware that it does take time to bring it together. If you knead by hand it will take approximately 4 minutes of kneading.
    • Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes or even overnight).
    • Remove the dough from the fridge, and if very firm, gently knead, place the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll to ¼ inch thickness, cut out with round or square cookie cutters, place on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle with sugar before baking if desired. Refrigerate the cookies while the oven is pre-heating, for about 15 minutes.
    • Pre-heat the oven to 320F (160C). Line 1 or 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
    • Bake the cookies for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, let sit 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    I recommend adding 1 3/4 cups of flour and adding the remaining 3-4 tablespoons if needed one at a time. For some it worked with 1 3/4 cups and other 2 cups. Although the dough must be firm and not too wet or the cookies could spread. I have made this recipe at least 3 times now and I use 2 cups of the flour, you may not need it all, also depends on the flour type. You do need time to bring the dough together.
    If you prefer you can roll the dough into a log and then refrigerate. Then cut into slices and bake.
    My cookie cutter measured approximately 2 1/2 inches or 6 cm.
    Caster sugar is very fine and really makes a difference in these cookies. it melts into the butter so your cookies practically melt in your mouth. If you only have granulated, you can blend it in a food processor until it’s finely ground like caster sugar.
    Store them in an airtight container. They can keep for several weeks as long as they are in a good container stored in a cool, dry spot. 
    Yes, the baked cookies freeze great. Place them in a freezer container and separate the layers with parchment paper. They will keep for up to three months.
    If you prefer to slice and bake, then freeze the dough formed into 2 logs, be sure to wrap it well and place in a freezer safe bag, thaw it enough that the knife will slice through it, and bake. If it’s still a little frozen, it may take a couple of extra minutes to bake. Or freeze the dough ball, thaw then roll and cut. It will last 2 months in the freezer.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 271IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @anitalianinmykitchen or tag #anitalianinmykitchen!

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      Filed Under: American Favorites, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Cookies & Bars, fruit

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      1. Patricia says

        February 27, 2022 at 8:33 am

        5 stars
        Woo…. All my friends loved it and is now ordering from me. Love it!

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          February 28, 2022 at 2:37 pm

          Hi Patricia, thanks so much, so glad you and your friends like them. Have a great week.

          Reply
      2. Laura says

        February 3, 2022 at 9:18 pm

        The dough was extremely crumbly even though I followed the recipe to a T. Added a bit more butter but that did not help. After putting it in the frig for an hour I tried rolling out but still was extremely crumbly. Very disappointing for sure. Any suggestions for next time?

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          February 3, 2022 at 10:42 pm

          Hi Laura, start with 1 1/2 cups of flour and if it is too wet then add more, adding more butter should actually bring the dough together. Hope that helps.

          Reply
      3. Nancy says

        January 6, 2022 at 11:24 am

        5 stars
        I made these at Christmas. They were delicious. Will make them again next year

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          January 6, 2022 at 7:23 pm

          Hi Nancy, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. Happy New Year.

          Reply
      4. Taza G. says

        December 18, 2021 at 12:14 am

        Is there a reason why you can’t roll the dough into a log before refrigerating it, and then just cut 1/4″ rounds?
        I’m planning to make these tomorrow.

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          December 18, 2021 at 10:35 am

          Hi Taza, no reason, you can certainly do that. Let me know how it goes.

          Reply
      5. Linda says

        December 14, 2021 at 9:47 pm

        What quantities – for everything!

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          December 15, 2021 at 9:30 am

          Hi Linda, the recipe card is at the bottom of the post. 🙂

          Reply
      6. elizabeth says

        December 4, 2021 at 8:15 pm

        5 stars
        Have made many shortbread recipes and this is the best! Really melts in your mouth

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          December 4, 2021 at 8:48 pm

          Hi Elizabeth, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. Have a great weekend.

          Reply
      7. Lynn says

        December 4, 2021 at 7:19 pm

        Note there is an inconsistency in the directions for using unsalted butter vs. salted butter. At the top under Ingredients it says for unsalted butter to add more flour. At the bottom is says to add more salt. I assume you meant salt. You may want to correct

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          December 4, 2021 at 8:07 pm

          Hi Lynn, thanks so much, I corrected. Have a great weekend.

          Reply
          • Lynn says

            December 5, 2021 at 7:09 pm

            🙂

      8. Becca Degenhardt says

        November 28, 2021 at 11:44 pm

        5 stars
        My dough didn’t come together either. I added a bit of butter, Still didn’t. Then added juice of half of an orange. And about tsp water. It did come together finally. I’ve had them in for 10 and am adding time at 5 min at anytime as they are not getting done yet. I may have made them too thick. But, they are not spreading at all!

        Reply
      9. Donna Ann Martucci says

        November 28, 2021 at 4:15 pm

        5 stars
        I was wondering could you use fresh cranberries in this recipe?

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          November 28, 2021 at 5:13 pm

          Hi Donna, to tell the truth I have never used fresh cranberries, you could try it and see how it goes. Let me know if you do.

          Reply
      10. Carol Della Valle says

        November 27, 2021 at 3:28 pm

        Ingredients….??? How much flower, sugar etc

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          November 27, 2021 at 3:47 pm

          Hi Carol, it’s in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 🙂

          Reply
      11. michelle ruggiero says

        November 26, 2021 at 6:39 am

        So disappointed in this recipe.I measured using a kitchen gm scale for accuracy. Dough was so crumbly.I then added another tbsp of butter and attempted to gather in a ball. Finally I squeezed a tbsp a tbsp fresh orange juice after adding some zest of an orange to get it to come together and refrigerated over night. Next day so difficult to roll. I left on counter for two hrs and proceeded. They looked perfect . But the taste was too bland for my palate.Since they looked so pretty, Im going to attempt again with a few changes. Im going to lightly moisten cranberries with a tbsp of fresh oj then drain and chop them up smaller, and add additional tbsp of caster sugar. I re review to see if this helps. I did watch the video twice to see what I did different. I could not determine the problem.

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          November 26, 2021 at 4:24 pm

          Hi Michelle, I recommend that you knead or mix the dough longer. My daughter who did the video likes to make the dough by hand and she said it took 3-4 minutes to knead it together. I used a machine and it was at least 2 minutes. What do you mean by bland?

          Reply
      12. michelle ruggiero says

        November 25, 2021 at 12:40 am

        5 stars
        I just loved the girls. The video was a nice addition. Jw who they are, dtgs, cousins, sisters? Love the accent!!!!!

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          November 25, 2021 at 8:06 pm

          Hi Michelle, thanks so much, they are sisters and also my daughters. Erika and Vanessa. 🙂 They were both born and raised in Italy although they now live in Toronto.

          Reply
      13. Pam Biggs says

        November 23, 2021 at 11:49 pm

        I don’t have an electric mixer
        Can I do with a whisk or should I use food processor?

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          November 24, 2021 at 8:01 pm

          Hi Pam you could use a whisk, but it will be easier with a food processor. Pulse until almost combined then finish gently kneading to form a dough ball. I hope you enjoy it.

          Reply
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      Hi, I'm Rosemary.

      Living in Italy I learned to cook authentic Italian dishes using whole ingredients, fresh veggies and delicious spices. So take a seat and have a taste! Read More

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