Description
Cranberry and Pistachio Shortbread Cookies bake up buttery, tender, and gently crumbly. Tart cranberries sparkle against toasty pistachios for a festive bite. They follow the classic 3:2:1 shortbread ratio by weight for reliable texture and flavor.
Ingredients
Unsalted butter 227 g 1 cup room temperature
Granulated sugar 112 g 1 cup plus 1 tbsp
Kosher salt 3/4 tsp
All purpose flour 340 g 2 3/4 cups sifted
Unsalted raw pistachios 100 g toasted and chopped
Dried cranberries 85 g finely chopped
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast pistachios about 10 minutes until lightly brown and fragrant. Cool, then chop.
2. Finely chop cranberries in a food processor with 10 to 15 pulses or by hand.
3. In a stand mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt on medium about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
4. Add all flour. Mix on low until combined, then medium until dough just comes together.
5. Add pistachios and cranberries. Mix on low until evenly distributed.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/2 inch thick. Cut 2 inch rounds.
7. Prick the center of each cookie with a fork. Arrange on a lined tray.
8. Chill the tray at least 20 minutes to help cookies hold shape.
9. Preheat oven to 300°F. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until pale golden with lightly browned bottoms.
10. Cool on the tray 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
Yield 24 cookies. Total time 1 hour 20 minutes 30 prep, 30 bake, 20 chill.
3:2:1 shortbread ratio by weight 12 oz flour, 8 oz butter, 4 oz sugar.
Best results with weighed ingredients. Sift flour after weighing.
Use high quality butter for rich flavor.
If dough is too crumbly, knead gently by hand until it holds.
If cookies spread, chill longer or recheck flour to butter ratio.
Avoid very old dried cranberries since they can turn tough.
Alternative shaping Form dough into a log, chill until firm, then slice.
Flavor ideas Add 1 tsp vanilla or 1 tsp orange zest. Swap nuts or dried fruit.
Equipment note A stand mixer gives the most even texture. A hand mixer works but is slower.
Sheet choice Dark pans brown bottoms more than shiny pans.
Storage Room temperature in airtight container up to 1 week. Flavor improves after 2 days.
Freezer Freeze raw cut cookies on a tray, then bag up to 2 months. Bake from frozen adding 1 to 3 minutes.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Christmas Dessert Recipes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 177
- Sugar: 8
- Sodium: 74
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 21
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 20