Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

You all know how much I love my cookies. Cookies will ALWAYS be my first choice for sweets. I can skip the cakes and puddings and candy. But cookies. Oh no! I can’t pass up a good cookie. That being said, I am always on the lookout for new cookie recipes to try, especially for the holidays.

When I was planning my Thanksgiving menu, I was toying around with a bunch of different ideas for desserts. I didn’t want to make too much, because we, and me especially, are all trying to watch out sweet intake, and I didn;t want a lot of sweets leftover to tempt me. I had already made the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, though a lot of them had already mysteriously disappeared. I have no idea where they went either. 🙂 I needed to make some more desserts for the day. I came across a recipe for some cranberry orange shortbread cookies that I decided upon. I mean cranberry and orange is perfect for this time of year, right?!

Tart cranberry and sweet orange are two flavors simply meant for each other. When paired in treats like cookies, cakes, and breads, or even savory options like relish and meatballs, the two fruits become better together. Definitely a case of two great tastes that taste great together. Cranberries, like their cousins blueberries, tend to pair well with citrus. And cranberries pair best with oranges because oranges have a softer, less acidic or tart taste, more suitable for balancing the natural tartness of the cranberries.

Cranberries were a staple for Native Americans, who harvested wild cranberries and used them in a variety of remedies, foods and drinks. National Geographic’s Sarah Whitman-Salkin writes that the berries were even used in an energy bar-like food called “pemmican,” which served as a vital source of nutrition for fur traders during the winter months.

Commercial cranberry cultivation started in the United States in 1816. Shawnie M. Kelley writes that when Captain Henry Hall, a Revolutionary war veteran, came across a cranberry vine thriving in some sand on Cape Cod, he became the first person to successfully cultivate cranberries.  And from that moment on, history was made.

Today, Americans consume 5,062,500 gallons of jellied cranberry sauce every year and leave only 5% of North America’s annual cranberry harvest to be eaten as fresh fruit. If we travel back in time to 100 years ago, we would discover that this was not the case. Food processing techniques to preserve the beautiful red berry known as the cranberry had not been applied to cranberries yet, so the berries could only be eaten in their fresh form during peak harvest time, from about mid-September to mid-November, which provides some insight into how cranberry sauce was selected by Americans as a perfect Thanksgiving side.

Cranberries and cranberry sauce, in its many different variations, are a staple at every American Thanksgiving table every year. This year, we had both the canned cranberry jelly, since that is the only kind the kids will eat, and some delicious homemade cranberry-orange sauce that Lauren made. I make my own too, adding, not only oranges, but apples and pears too.

Cranberry-Orange Shortbread Cookies

Frosting these delicious cookies is optional, but one accidentally broke that was not frosted, and needed to be eaten. I personally think they are much better with the frosting, but the choice is yours. The question you have to ask yourself is “do you want them naked or dressed”. I prefer them dressed. 🙂

1/2 cup sugar

2 TBSP orange zest

3/4 cup +1 TBPS softened butter

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp orange extract

2-2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup orange juice or peach juice

Add the juice, orange zest and the orange extract to the cranberries and stick in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Then let rest for a bit. This is to plump up the cranberries and make them softer, juicier, and more flavorful.

Beat the sugar and butter together until creamy. Add the almond extract and mix again. Then add the flour and mix just until everything is combined.

Fold in the cranberry mixture.

Divide the dough into two and roll into logs. Wrap with plastic wrap and set in the freezer for about an hour to allow the dough to set, making it easier to slice and to work with.

When you are ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350* F or 180*C. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Slice the dough into rounds about 1/4 inch thick and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared pans.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges start to turn lightly golden. Allow the cookies to sit for a bit before transferring them to cookie rack to cool completely. If you are going to frost them, them must be completely cooled first.

The Frosting

1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar

3 TBSP orange juice

1 tsp orange extract

Combine together until it is the consistency you like. If you like it thicker, add more powdered sugar. Then spread on the cooled cookies. To make them more festive, I added some orange sprinkles on top too. Then eat and share with family and friends and watch them disappear.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.