These melt in the mouth cranberry orange shortbread stars are flavoured with fresh orange zest and studded with dried cranberries, then finished with a drizzle of melted white chocolate, to create a delicious festive cookie that is quick and easy to prepare.
Rich and buttery, these egg-free cookies have a wonderful crisp yet tender texture.
We love traditional shortbread at Christmas, buttery and melt in the mouth, but for a spin on this classic Christmas cookie, these cranberry shortbread cookies flavoured with fresh orange zest are a fun – and less buttery! – treat.
The sweet buttery shortbread goes so well with the slightly tart dried cranberries, and a touch of festive orange zest and the white chocolate drizzle makes them into something a little special. You can of course make them into any shape you like: rounds, trees, snowflakes…but I love a star cookie – like these German cinnamon stars – at Christmas!
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities.
- Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter and adding a pinch of salt. I don’t recommend substituting with margarine in this recipe, as real butter gives the shortbread cookies their classic buttery flavour.
- Confectioners / icing sugar – also known as powdered sugar. This helps create melt in the mouth cookies.
- Cornstarch / cornflour – together with the icing sugar creates a tender, light shortbread cookie.
- Orange zest – fresh orange zest, finely zested. This amount is from 1 orange.
- Dried cranberries – Make sure the cranberries are finely chopped to make it easier to stamp out with the star cookie cutter.
- White chocolate – roughly chopped white chocolate, or use white chocolate chips.
How to make these cranberry orange shortbread cookies
Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the full recipe.
- Beat the butter, sugar and orange zest together until pale and creamy.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients until just combined. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes, up to 48 hours.
- Roll out the dough between two sheets of greaseproof paper and cut out star shapes with a cookie cutter. Place on a baking tray and bake until lightly golden at the edges (you don’t want them to be too dark in colour).
- Cool completely then drizzle with melted white chocolate.
FAQ
Can I make these cookies without a cookie cutter?
Yes you can make these without a cookie cutter! The easiest way to do this is to roll the shortbread dough into a log shape before placing it in the fridge. Using a sharp knife cut into 6mm (¼ inch) thick slices.
Why do you add cornstarch / cornflour to shortbread?
Adding cornstarch / cornflour to the dough adds a soft and tender texture to the baked cookie.
Can I freeze shortbread cookies?
Yes! These cookies freeze well without the chocolate. Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
My recipe tips
- Use softened butter, otherwise it will be hard to incorporate the rest of the ingredients.
- Placing the dough in the fridge helps develop the rich flavour and stops the cookies from spreading in the oven.
- Don’t overwork the dough as this can make your shortbread cookies tough.
- Don’t overbake the shortbread stars as they can taste slightly bitter and become dry.
- White chocolate can easily clump or burn, so whether you use a double boiler (heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water) or microwave, use a gentle heat and keep an eye on the chocolate as it melts.
Make ahead/storage
- Room temperature: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. They tend to lose their crisp texture after this time.
- Freeze: Freeze the unbaked dough for up to 3 months, or freeze the cooked cookies (without chocolate) for 3 months.
Variations
The base shortbread biscuit recipe is great for mixing up with different flavours! Try:
- Lemon Cranberry: Use lemon zest instead of the orange zest – or use this lemon shortbread biscuit recipe for a lemon cookie/biscuit.
- Chocolate: Use milk chocolate instead of white chocolate.
- Nuts: Add chopped pistachios or almonds to the shortbread.
Why not try…
You may also like these other Christmas cookie recipes:
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Author: Robyn
These easy egg free cookies, flavoured with orange and dried cranberries and drizzled with white chocolate, are the perfect festive cookie!
Equipment
- Stand beater with paddle attachment or hand mixer
- 3 baking trays lined with baking paper
- 8cm / 3 inch star shaped cookie cutter
Ingredients
- 150 g unsalted butter softened
- 55 g icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest from approx. 1 orange
- 210 g plain flour
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- pinch salt
- 100 g dried cranberries finely chopped
- 50 g white chocolate roughly chopped
Instructions
- Place the butter, sugar and orange zest in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy using either a handmixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Sift in the flour, cornflour, salt and add the finely chopped dried cranberries and beat until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Form the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film / plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 48 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 140 ℃ fan / 160˚C / 325˚F.
- Line 3 baking trays with baking parchment and set aside.
- Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking parchment to a thickness of 6mm.
- Using a 8cm star shaped cookie cutter, cut out stars and carefully place them on the lined trays.
- Re-roll the scraps of dough and continue to cut out stars until all the dough is used.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges.
- Cool the cookies on the trays for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are cold, melt the white chocolate. Either place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water, and slowly melt. Or place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt for 20 seconds, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
- Drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies and leave the chocolate to harden at room temperature.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
Notes
STORAGE
- Room temperature: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. They tend to lose their crisp texture after this time.
- Freeze: Freeze the unbaked dough for up to 3 months, or freeze the cooked cookies (without chocolate) for 3 months.
- Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter and adding a pinch of salt. I don’t recommend substituting with margarine as real butter gives the shortbread cookies their classic buttery flavor.
- Icing sugar – also known as confectioners or powdered sugar. This helps create melt in the mouth cookies.
- Plain flour / all purpose flour – provides structure to the cookies.
- Cornflour / cornstarch – creates a tender, light shortbread cookie.
- Orange zest – fresh orange zest, finely zested. This amount is from 1 orange.
- Dried cranberries – Make sure the cranberries are finely chopped to make it easier to stamp out with the star cookie cutter.
- White chocolate – roughly chopped white chocolate, or white chocolate chips.
- Use softened butter, otherwise it will be hard to incorporate the rest of the ingredients.
- Placing the dough in the fridge helps develop the rich flavour and stops the cookies from spreading in the oven.
- Don’t overwork the dough as this can make your shortbread cookies tough.
- Don’t overbake the shortbread stars as they can taste slightly bitter and become dry.
- White chocolate can easily clump or burn, so whether you use a double boiler (heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water) or microwave, use a gentle heat and keep an eye on the chocolate as it melts.
Nutrition
Calories: 88kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 2mgPotassium: 16mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 126IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 0.3mg
HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to see your creation!
Tag me! #atmrsjoneskitchen
Tag me! @atmrsjoneskitchen
Or just leave a comment below!
Ingredients
- ⅔ c unsalted butter softened
- ½ c icing sugar
- ¾ tablespoon orange zest from approx. 1 orange
- 1 ¾ c plain flour
- 1½ tablespoons cornflour cornstarch
- pinch salt
- ¾ c dried cranberries finely chopped
- 50 g white chocolate roughly chopped
Instructions
- Place the butter, sugar and orange zest in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy using either a handmixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Sift in the flour, cornflour, salt and add the finely chopped dried cranberries and beat until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Form the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film / plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 48 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 140 ℃ fan / 160˚C / 325˚F.
- Line 3 baking trays with baking parchment and set aside.
- Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking parchment to a thickness of 6mm.
- Using a 8cm star shaped cookie cutter, cut out stars and carefully place them on the lined trays.
- Re-roll the scraps of dough and continue to cut out stars until all the dough is used.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges.
- Cool the cookies on the trays for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are cold, melt the white chocolate. Either place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water, and slowly melt. Or place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt for 20 seconds, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
- Drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies and leave the chocolate to harden at room temperature.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
Notes
STORAGE
- Room temperature: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. They tend to lose their crisp texture after this time.
- Freeze: Freeze the unbaked dough for up to 3 months, or freeze the cooked cookies (without chocolate) for 3 months.
- Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter and adding a pinch of salt. I don’t recommend substituting with margarine as real butter gives the shortbread cookies their classic buttery flavor.
- Icing sugar – also known as confectioners or powdered sugar. This helps create melt in the mouth cookies.
- Plain flour / all purpose flour – provides structure to the cookies.
- Cornflour / cornstarch – creates a tender, light shortbread cookie.
- Orange zest – fresh orange zest, finely zested. This amount is from 1 orange.
- Dried cranberries – Make sure the cranberries are finely chopped to make it easier to stamp out with the star cookie cutter.
- White chocolate – roughly chopped white chocolate, or white chocolate chips.
- Use softened butter, otherwise it will be hard to incorporate the rest of the ingredients.
- Placing the dough in the fridge helps develop the rich flavour and stops the cookies from spreading in the oven.
- Don’t overwork the dough as this can make your shortbread cookies tough.
- Don’t overbake the shortbread stars as they can taste slightly bitter and become dry.
- White chocolate can easily clump or burn, so whether you use a double boiler (heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water) or microwave, use a gentle heat and keep an eye on the chocolate as it melts.
Nutrition
Calories: 88kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 2mgPotassium: 16mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 126IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 0.3mg
HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to see your creation!
Tag me! #atmrsjoneskitchen
Tag me! @atmrsjoneskitchen
Or just leave a comment below!
Ingredients
- ⅔ c unsalted butter softened
- ½ c confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest from approx. 1 orange
- 1 ¾ c all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- pinch salt
- ¾ c dried cranberries finely chopped
- 2 oz white chocolate roughly chopped
Instructions
- Place the butter, sugar and orange zest in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy using either a handmixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Sift in the flour, cornflour, salt and add the finely chopped dried cranberries and beat until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Form the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film / plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 48 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 140 ℃ fan / 160˚C / 325˚F.
- Line 3 baking trays with baking parchment and set aside.
- Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking parchment to a thickness of ¼ inch (6mm).
- Using a 3 inch star shaped cookie cutter, cut out stars and carefully place them on the lined trays.
- Re-roll the scraps of dough and continue to cut out stars until all the dough is used.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges.
- Cool the cookies on the trays for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are cold, melt the white chocolate. Either place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water, and slowly melt. Or place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt for 20 seconds, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
- Drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies and leave the chocolate to harden at room temperature.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
Notes
STORAGE
- Room temperature: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. They tend to lose their crisp texture after this time.
- Freeze: Freeze the unbaked dough for up to 3 months, or freeze the cooked cookies (without chocolate) for 3 months.
- Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter and adding a pinch of salt. I don’t recommend substituting with margarine as real butter gives the shortbread cookies their classic buttery flavor.
- Icing sugar – also known as confectioners or powdered sugar. This helps create melt in the mouth cookies.
- Plain flour / all purpose flour – provides structure to the cookies.
- Cornflour / cornstarch – creates a tender, light shortbread cookie.
- Orange zest – fresh orange zest, finely zested. This amount is from 1 orange.
- Dried cranberries – Make sure the cranberries are finely chopped to make it easier to stamp out with the star cookie cutter.
- White chocolate – roughly chopped white chocolate, or white chocolate chips.
- Use softened butter, otherwise it will be hard to incorporate the rest of the ingredients.
- Placing the dough in the fridge helps develop the rich flavour and stops the cookies from spreading in the oven.
- Don’t overwork the dough as this can make your shortbread cookies tough.
- Don’t overbake the shortbread stars as they can taste slightly bitter and become dry.
- White chocolate can easily clump or burn, so whether you use a double boiler (heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water) or microwave, use a gentle heat and keep an eye on the chocolate as it melts.
Nutrition
Calories: 88kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 2mgPotassium: 16mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 126IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 0.3mg
HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to see your creation!
Tag me! #atmrsjoneskitchen
Tag me! @atmrsjoneskitchen
Or just leave a comment below!
Let me know your thoughts!