These orange cranberry shortbread biscuits are crisp, buttery and gently sweet, with bright citrus notes and chewy bursts of fruit in every bite.
They’re easy to prepare, slice neatly from a chilled dough log, and make a lovely addition to a biscuit tin or a gift to take to friends.
The combination of orange zest and dried cranberries brings a fresh, slightly tart flavour that lifts the richness of the shortbread.
The cranberries, once baked, turn soft and chewy, like little bursts of candy-like fruitiness scattered through the crumb.
To make the dough, you'll start by rubbing the orange zest into the sugar.
This helps release the citrus oils, giving the dough a beautifully fragrant base.
After that, the dough is made the traditional way, with cold butter rubbed into flour and sugar until you reach a sandy crumb.
A touch of cold water brings everything together, then the cranberries are folded in.
The key then is to knead just enough to form a dough without making it tough, then roll it into a log and chilled to help it firm up.
This makes slicing easy and helps the biscuits hold their shape as they bake.
A quick prick with a fork before baking encourages even cooking and gives them that classic shortbread look.
Like all shortbread, these ones only need a light bake, just enough to set and take on the gentlest hint of golden colour.
This keeps the texture light and crumbly, with a melt-in-the-mouth quality that contrasts beautifully with the chewy fruit.
This shortbread keeps well in an airtight container and is especially good with a cup of tea or coffee.
The combination of buttery crumb, citrus zest and sweet-sharp fruit makes it a satisfying bake that’s simple to prepare and easy to enjoy throughout the week.
Read on for the full recipe with detailed instructions and a helpful photograph for every step. And if you have any questions, just leave me a comment. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 75 g (2.6 oz) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 2 oranges finely zested
- 250 g (8.8 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour) sifted
- 125 g (4.4 oz) salted butter cold and cubed
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dried cranberries
Instructions
Put the sugar in a bowl and add the finely grated orange zest.
Rub together with your hands to help release the oils.
Add the flour and cold, cubed butter.
Rub together until you have an even crumb.
Add 1 tbsp of cold water and cut through with a cutlery knife. Give a little bit of the mixture a squeeze. If it comes together, it’s ready. If it’s dry and sandy, cut in up to another 1 tbsp cold water.
Sprinkle the cranberries into the bowl.
Stir lightly.
Gather up the dough and knead together only as much as it takes to get a smooth ball of dough.
Roll the dough into a cylinder with a length of 30cm (12 inches) and a diameter of 5cm (2 inches).
Wrap in greaseproof paper or plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest and chill for 15 minutes.
Tip! You can use a couple of kitchen roll tubes to help keep your dough round, as shown below.
While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 170C (150C fan / 340F).
Slice the dough into 1 cm cookies. Place them on a lined baking tray and prick each one a few times with a fork.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until they've taken on just a very slight golden colour.
Once you've given my recipe a go, I'd love you to come back and leave a comment letting me know how yours turned out.
I'd love to see your videos and pics, too! Just tag me on social media. I'm @emilylearycooks on Twitter and TikTok or @amummytoo on Instagram.
Print this Orange Cranberry Shortbread Recipe
Orange Cranberry Shortbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 75 g (2.6 oz) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 2 oranges finely zested
- 250 g (8.8 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour) sifted
- 125 g (4.4 oz) salted butter cold and cubed
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dried cranberries
Instructions
- Put the sugar in a bowl and add the finely grated orange zest. Rub together with your hands to help release the oils.
- Add the flour and cold, cubed butter and rub together until you have an even crumb.
- Add 1 tbsp of cold water and cut through with a cutlery knife. Give a little bit of the mixture a squeeze. If it comes together, it’s ready. If it’s dry and sandy, cut in up to another 1 tbsp cold water.
- Sprinkle the cranberries into the bowl. Mix lightly.
- Gather up the dough and knead together only as much as it takes to get a smooth ball of dough.
- Roll the dough into a cylinder with a length of 30cm (12 inches) and a diameter of 5cm (2 inches). Wrap in greaseproof paper or plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest and chill for 15 minutes.
- While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 170C (150C fan / 340F).
- Slice the dough into 1 cm cookies.
- Place them on a lined baking tray and prick each one a few times with a fork.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until they've taken on just a very slight golden colour.
Nutrition
More shortbread recipes to try
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