Slice and Bake Cranberry Orange Cookies (2024)

Cranberry Orange Cookies - atender, buttery shortbread slice and bake cookie loaded with tangy cranberriesand zingy orange. These easy-to-make cookies melt in your mouth!

Cranberry Orange Slice and Bake Cookies

Cranberry Orange Slice and Bakecookies are easy to make shortbread cookies filled with the festive flavors ofcranberry and orange. Sprinkled with sugar before and after baking for anirresistibly, sparkly cookie.

So easy to make!

Simply mix up the dough and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Then slice and bake whenever you want a batch of fresh cookies. Perfect for guests during the busy holiday season or for wrapping up and giving as hostess gifts.

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

These Cranberry OrangeCookies are a shortbread cookie, with the addition of egg yolks. Traditionally,shortbread cookies do not contain eggs and that gives them their crisp, crumblytexture.

Adding egg yolks makes the shortbreaddough sturdier and tender, with a finer texture and more defined edges. Yolksalso add structure and subtle flavor.

The base of this cookie dough was adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Vanilla Ice Box Cookies which is nearly identical to Dorie Greenspan’s French Vanilla Sablés – French shortbread cookies – which she considers “the perfect butter cookie, the one all shortbread strives to equal.”

The Cook’s Illustrated recipehas ¼ cup more each of flour, sugar, and confectioner’s sugar. I used these increased amounts to make thedough sturdier for a slice and bake cookie. Dorie Greenspan calls her dough toohiggledy-piggledy to turn into… anything…that’s structured. (She bakes herSablés in muffin tins to get a perfectly round shape.)

What Ingredients do I need to make slice andbake Cranberry Orange Cookies?

• Flour– all purpose
• Butter– for tenderness and buttery flavor.
• Sugar– granulated white sugar gives the cookies structure and a good snap
• Confectioners'sugar – gives the cookies that extra tender melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Egg yolks– for a richer, tender, more attractive cookie and a less sticky cookie dough.
• Driedcranberries – for their tangy, festive flavor. Fresh cranberries wouldrelease too much moisture into the dough.
• Orangezest – because cranberries and orange are a match made in heaven. Zestinstead of juice because that’s where all the flavor is and added liquid wouldhave a negative effect on the texture of the cookie.
• Vanilla– adds to the rich buttery flavor.
• Salt– salt brings out the sweetness and enhances the flavor. Without salt, sweetstaste flat.

How to make

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies are so easy to make.

• Cream the butter, sugars, and zest together in a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) for 1 ½ minutes. Over beating can put too much air in the dough, causing the cookies to rise or bubble.
• Add the egg yolks and vanilla.
• Mix in the flour and salt just until combined.
• Mix in the dried cranberries.

Now we’re going to roll the dough into 2 equally sized logs, about 8 inches long and 1 ¾ inches in diameter. Wrap it up tight in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325° F. Whenthe oven is ready, slice the cookie dough into about ⅓ inch circles. If youwant a thinner cookie, slice them into ¼ inch rounds.

Use a sharp knife (serrated is helpful) and a gentle sawing motion to slice through the dough cleanly.

Put the cookies about 1 inch apart (they won’t reallyspread) on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them with a little sugar. Iuse a coarse granulated sugar. Bake until the bottom edges are just turninggolden for a crisper cookie.

For a softer cookie, pull them out when the cookies are setbut not yet turning golden on the bottom edges.

I sprinkle the cookies with a little sugar again as soon asthey come from the oven for extra sparkle.

Keeping Slice and Bake cookies round

Slice and bake cookies don’t get as perfectly round as cutout cookies, but that’s part of their charm. They have a more tender texturedue to not being rolled, floured, and handled as much as cut out cookies.

When you put the log of cookie dough into the refrigeratorto chill, it will become flat on the bottom, making a round cookie with oneflat edge.

To keep Slice and Bake Cookies Round:

1. Cut the cardboard inner tube from a roll ofpaper towels lengthwise down the center. Put the dough log inside the tube andchill.
2. Set the dough log on a bed of rice duringchilling.
3. If all else fails, I try to adjust the shapewith my fingers or a spoon when putting them on the baking sheet.
4. Half way through baking, remove them from theoven and using a spoon, quickly nudge them into a little more perfect circleshapes, then finish baking.

Cranberry Orange Slice and Bake cookies are so easy to make in advance

Slice and bake cookies are perfect for making in advance,which is perfect during the busy holiday season. Once the dough is mixed androlled into a log, it can chill in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Whenyou’re ready for cookies, simply slice and bake.

You can also freeze the log of dough for 3 months. Let thawin the refrigerator overnight before slicing and baking.

The cookies will also stay fresh at room temperature, afterbeing baked, for 3-4 days.

Can I freeze Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies?

Yes! Cranberry Orange Cookies can be frozen before or afterbaking.

Freezing before baking:

Wrap the cookie dough logs tightly in plastic wrap. Placethem in plastic freezer bags. Then place in freezer. The log of dough can befrozen, well wrapped, for 4-5 months.

Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight or sit on the counterfor a few minutes before slicing and baking. The dough (especially the outside)needs to be firm before slicing. If it gets soft, put it back in therefrigerator to chill.

Freezing after baking:

Baked slice and bake cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.

MORE FAVORITE COOKIES TO LOVE:

• Italian Pignoli Cookies
• Italian Almond Paste Cookies (Almond Macaroons)
• Browned Butter Pecan Cookies
• Peanut Butter Blossoms
• Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
• Lemon White Chocolate Cookies
• White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
• White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
• Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Triple Chocolate Cookies
• Soft and Chewy Funfetti Cookies

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