Cranberry Orange Pistachio Shortbread

4.72 from 25 votes

Cranberry Orange Pistachio Shortbread

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

Buttery shortbread cookies filled with sweet dried cranberries, orange zest, and pistachios. This slice and bake shortbread recipe is perfect for the holiday season.

Prep Time4 15

Cook Time12

Total Time4 27

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberry, orange, pistachio

Servings: cookies

Calories: 165kcal

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 medium orange
1 teaspoon orange extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
2/3 cup shelled pistachios, chopped

Instructions

In a food processor, add the butter, sugar, orange zest, and orange extract. Process until combined. (If you don't have a food processor, you can use a mixer, see note below).
Add the flour and salt and process until it starts to form a dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and press it out into a flat circle. Top with the cranberries and pistachios and press them into the dough. Knead the dough a little until the cranberries and pistachios are evenly distributed.
Using your hands, shape the dough into a log, roughly 12 inches long. Unroll a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Place the log onto the plastic wrap and use the plastic wrap to help roll and shape the log into an evenly round log. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Chilling the dough is mandatory. You can chill for up to 5 days.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the log from the refrigerator and use a sharp knife to cut the log into 1/4-inch slices. Place the slices on the prepared baking sheets spacing them about 1 inch apart. Keep them chilled until ready to bake.
Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until shortbread cookies are lightly golden brown around the edges.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

Notes

If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat the butter, sugar, orange zest, and orange extract. Mix in the flour and salt. Stir in the cranberries and pistachios with a spatula and then form the log.

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