These slice and bake cranberry pistachio shortbread cookies are rich and buttery with a crumbly texture and flecks of dried cranberries and pistachios throughout.
Jump to:
Notes from the baker
I love a good buttery shortbread cookie around the holidays. For some reason, it feels like the best time for it. These cranberry pistachio shortbread cookies are low-fuss and easy to make ahead of time which means it's one less thing to stress about if you're making holiday cookie boxes or just busy with other holiday baking and prep.
They feel like a breath of fresh air amidst all the super sweet and indulgent chocolatey desserts around this time. These are like more elegant and elevated cookies while still being festive and delicious.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Rich and buttery cookies. These cranberry pistachio shortbread cookies are crisp and crumbly while still being soft and buttery.
- Chunks of cranberries and pistachios. The festive add-ins add colour and flavour to the cookies.
- Not too sweet or heavy. These cookies are perfectly balanced so you'll want to snack on several at a time.
- Easy to make. The total prep and baking time is done in under an hour - the hardest part is just waiting for the dough to chill.
- Great for making in advance. The dough keeps well in the fridge or freezer so you can make it ahead of time and bake it off when you're ready.
Tools
- Baking sheet - Use any baking sheet or baking tray for baking the cookies. The size of your baking sheet will determine how many cookies you can bake at a time. Luckily, the cookie dough can be kept in the fridge with no issues while another batch bakes.
- Electric hand mixer - You'll need a hand mixer to beat the softened butter and sugars together easily and quickly.
Ingredient notes
As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Unsalted butter - Butter is one of the most important ingredients in shortbread cookies and it's what makes them so rich and delicious. Use a good quality butter if you can. It should be softened to room temperature before to make it easier to mix and beat with the sugars.
- Granulated sugar - We're using a mix of both granulated sugar and powdered sugar to create the perfect shortbread texture. The granulated sugar gives a more crisp and crumbly texture while powdered sugar gives a softer texture.
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Dried cranberries - Finely chop the cranberries so that there aren't any large pieces that get in the way when slicing the cookies.
- Pistachios - Use unsalted pistachios. Salted also works if you want a saltier cookie but you can't really control how salty it will taste so I would just recommend using unsalted. Finely chop them so that there aren't any large pieces and so that they can be more evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.
Tips for making the best cranberry pistachio shortbread cookies
- Finely chop the dried cranberries and pistachios. Smaller pieces become more evenly distributed throughout the dough and are less likely to break off from the dough when it's sliced.
- Spend the time to shape the dough into perfect logs. Split the dough in half to make two logs if it's easier for you to work with. Press the dough together firmly and roll it against the counter to make it evenly sized down the whole length. Use a ruler if you want to make sure it'll make enough cookies. Chill the log(s) standing on one end to prevent one side of the log from flattening. The shape and size of the log will determine what your cookies will look like after being sliced.
- Slice dough with a sharp knife. If it's hard to slice, let the dough warm up slightly at room temperature for 10 minutes or try passing the knife through the dough several times. I find the first few slices to be the hardest and then it gets easier as the dough warms up in your hand.
- Add sweetness by dipping in chocolate. These cookies would look and taste great dipped or drizzled with white chocolate or dark chocolate if you wanted to do something extra.
Storage
These cranberry pistachio shortbread cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
These cookies freeze well! They can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature completely before eating.
Frequently asked questions
Baking by weight is much more accurate than volume. When using US standard cups, ingredients like flour and sugar can easily be overpacked into the cup causing you to add too much of certain ingredients. Recipes with weight measurements are also easier to scale to smaller or bigger batches without dealing with weird fractions. To measure by weight, you simply need a kitchen scale which you can usually pick up for less than $20.
Small measurements are given in tablespoons and teaspoons because most kitchen scales are not accurate under about 10g. Tiny amounts like a ¼ teaspoon may not register accurately unless you have a drug scale. Mixing these measurements is a common practice among other recipe sites and commercial kitchens.
More cookie recipes to try
- Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Ruby Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- Cranberry Linzer Cookies
- Salted Chocolate Sablé Cookies
Recipe
Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 260 g all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 230 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 50 g powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 70 g dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 70 g pistachios, shelled and finely chopped
Instructions
- Flour mixture: In a small mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Set aside.
- Butter mixture: In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the butter until it becomes very creamy and slightly pale in colour. Add the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat together until creamy.
- Combine: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until just barely combined, still a bit floury. Add the finely chopped dried cranberries and pistachios. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together. It will look too dry at first but just keep mixing and it will start to clump together and will hold together when squeezed.
- Shape dough: Turn the dough out onto a a sheet of plastic wrap. Press the dough together with your hands and roll and shape it into a log shape that's about 12" long and 2" in diameter. You can split it in half to make two 6" logs if that's easier for you.
- Chill dough: Wrap the log in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight, preferably. If you can, stand the log up on one end so that one side doesn't get flattened.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Slice: Once chilled and firm, use a sharp knife to cut the log into ½" coins. If any pieces break off, you can easily press the dough back together. Place the cookie dough coins on your lined baking sheet. They will only spread slightly but I still like to leave ½-1" in between each cookie.
- Bake: Bake cookies for about 15 minutes or until the bottom edges just start to become lightly golden brown.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nicki says
These are so buttery and just melt in your mouth! It’s the best texture, and I love the combination of cranberries and pistachios. I rolled the outside in sparkling sugar to make them more festive for my Christmas cookie boxes.
Lindakd says
Has anyone successfully converted measurements to tsp,tbs,cups???