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ingredients:
Makes about 3 dozen 2- to 3-inch cookies
Shortbread
1⁄2 cup blanched whole almonds
1⁄2 cup dried cranberries,
finely chopped
2 teaspoons grated orange zest (about 2 oranges)
2 cups
all-purpose flour, divided
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted
butter, softened
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
1⁄4 cup confectioners’
sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (or
premium orange liqueur)
2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar (for sprinkling on
cookie tops)
Decoration
(optional)
About 1⁄4 cup Royal Icing (see recipe)
About 1⁄4 cup (2
ounces) small (2 mm) silver dragées or sugar beads (available at specialty food
stores or online at fancyflours.com)
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![holiday cookies]()
Cranberry-Orange Shortbread
(a) With a slight tartness from cranberries and orange zest, these buttery
shortbread cookies are a delightful contrast to the usual Christmas confection.
Edge them with tiny silver sugar beads, and they’ll lend even more sparkle to
your cookie collection.
 1. Prepare the shortbread dough: In a food processor fitted with a metal
blade, grind the almonds with the chopped dried cranberries, grated orange zest,
and 2 tablespoons flour, until the fruit and nuts are finely textured but not
pasty. (Note: It is best to chop the cranberries before processing to ensure
that they end up in very small pieces.) Stir the remaining flour and salt
together and combine with the ground fruit-nut mixture. Set aside. Place the
softened butter and sugars in a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a
paddle attachment. Cream until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Turn the mixer
to low speed and add the vanilla extract and Grand Marnier, followed by the
flour mixture. Blend until the dry ingredients are just incorporated, scraping
down the sides of the bowl as needed. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap
tightly in plastic. Chill for at least 3 hours, or until very firm.
2.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 300°. Line two
15- x 10-inch cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Roll and
bake the shortbread: Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1⁄4-inch
thickness. Cut with a 2-inch round or 2- x 13⁄4-inch oval cookie cutter.
Carefully transfer cookies with an offset spatula to the prepared cookie sheets,
spacing the shortbread about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle the cookie tops evenly with
the remaining sugar to create a thin coating. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or
until the shortbread is lightly brown underneath and firm to the touch.
Immediately transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely before decorating
or storing.
4. Decorate: To create beaded borders, pour small (2 mm) sugar
dragées into a shallow bowl. Paint thick Royal Icing (page 90) on the cookie
edges and then dip them in the sugar beads to evenly coat. Store the decorated
cookies in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 1-2 weeks.
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