Food + Drink Sweets

White Chocolate Cranberry Shortbread Cookies Recipe

I’m really on a holiday baking kick as of late! This year, I decided to jump in on an awesome collaboration between The Little Kitchen and Love and Olive Oil – The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap! I’m whipping up some white chocolate cranberry shortbread cookies for it!

After signing up, all participants received three other bloggers’ info, and we sent a dozen cookies to them. In turn, each participant received 3 dozen different cookies from 3 other bloggers. I was so excited to receive my cookies, but maybe even more importantly: to make my own and share the recipe! And thankfully, all of the bloggers are sharing the recipe they used for their cookies today – if you are in need of some baking inspiration for the holidays, you really need to check them all out – the complete list will be published on Friday! I can vouch for the fact that the treats I received were stellar; from peanut butter molasses heath chip cookies from What Jen Does, to red velvet gooey butter cookies from Fried Ice and Donut Holes, to caramel apple cider cookies (ohhhh my gosh) from The Full Woman!

Anyway, on to my white chocolate cranberry shortbread cookies! When I started thinking about what type of cookie I wanted to send, I decided to consider durability. I knew that shortbread would hold up well in the mail…even if the box was shaken up a bit in transit! Hopefully my theory proved to be true.

When the holidays roll around, there are SO many sweet treats to be had. I opted for a shortbread as a bit of contrast to the sugary sweetness of other holiday cookies. I love the buttery goodness of shortbread, and when it’s paired with the tartness of dried cranberries and a hint of white chocolate, you’ve got a winner. But then again: I’m quite biased.

These cookies won over my husband, and even my dad…who tends to prefer dessert items that aren’t on the super sweet side. I may or may not have even eaten a few of them for breakfast one day. Oops. You can do that during the holidays though, right?

Now, without further ado: here is the recipe I concocted for my white chocolate cranberry shortbread cookies! I hope you enjoy them!

White Chocolate Cranberry  Shortbread Cookies

White Chocolate Cranberry Shortbread Cookies Recipe
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all purpose flour, sifted
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips, chopped
  • 4 ounces white baking chocolate
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with a rack in the center.
  2. In a large bowl, combine room temperature butter, sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, sifted flour, and salt. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined. The dough will be thick, but should not be worked until too creamy.
  3. Gently fold in dried cranberries and chopped white chocolate chips to the cookie dough.
  4. Generously flour a rolling mat and rolling pin. Roll about ⅓ of the dough out on the mat at a time. Roll as close to a square or rectangle shape as possible, until the shortbread dough is about ¼ inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into a rectangle/square, then cut the large rectangle/square into pieces about 2" x 3."
  5. Place cut shortbread on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake about 20 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are just starting to turn golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  6. When cookies are cool, transfer them onto a piece of parchment paper, leaving a few inches of a border on each side of the paper to avoid chocolate splatter. Melt white chocolate baking squares (I use 1 ounce at a time) according to package instructions. Dip the tines of a fork into the white chocolate, then quickly move the fork a few inches above the cookies, creating a drizzle effect. Repeat process until all cookies are drizzled with white chocolate. If you do not want to use the fork method, you can alternatively use a piping bag for the white chocolate.
  7. Allow white chocolate to harden completely before packaging or serving. You can speed up the process by placing the cookies in the refrigerator briefly. Enjoy!

 

If you didn’t get to participate in the cookie swap this year but would be interested in 2013, make sure to follow this link and submit your info to receive updates for the next event!

 

 

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