Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies are the perfect melt-in-your-mouth treat for the holiday season! This shortbread cookie recipe produces a delicious flavor combination with dried cranberries and pistachios.
Servings: 30 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup (3 ounces) confectioners' sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (0.5 ounce) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour (See Tip 1)
- ¾ cup (3 ounces) shelled roasted and salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup (2 ounces) dried cranberries, coarsely chopped (See Tip 2)
Instructions
- Place butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Beat with a medium-speed electric mixer until the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Do not beat until light and fluffy. Add the flour, and mix on low speed only until the flour disappears into the dough, about 1 minute. Don't work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the pistachios and dried cranberries with a wooden spoon (See Tip 3)
- Transfer the dough to a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Put the bag on a flat surface. Leaving the top open, roll the dough into a ¼-inch thick rectangle that completely fills the bag. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so that it doesn't cause creases. Seal the bag, and place in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer. (See Tip 4)
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
- Put the Ziploc bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Discard the bag and turn the firm dough onto a parchment-lined board or counter. Using a ruler as a guide and a serrated knife, cut the dough into 1-½ inch squares. Transfer the squares to the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated 325°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
- Yield: 30 cookies.
Video
Notes
- You should weigh your ingredients to ensure consistent results.
- I used Craisins for the dried cranberries.
- You don't want to overbeat the dough because the more you beat, the more air is incorporated into the dough. This causes the cookies to puff up when baking and sink when cooling.
- I tend to put the prepared dough in the freezer primarily because I tend to have more room in the freezer. You want the butter to become hard, whichever method you use.