Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Shortbread

Some days we all need a simple but delicious cookie and this is when my recipe for Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Shortbread comes in handy. The buttery goodness and festive flavors make these shortbread cookies a tasty addition to your holiday cookie collection. They're simple, crumbly like shortbread should be, and downright delicious!

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I have tested this recipe for Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Shortbread with King Arthur Measure for Measure, Cup4Cup, and my own gluten free flour blend. While King Arthur and my own blend worked wonderfully in this recipe, the cranberry orange cookies made with Cup4Cup did spread a lot. Not a flour blend I would recommend in this recipe. So, keep this in mind when choosing which flour to use in this recipe.

Dried Cranberries: The dried cranberries bring tart sweetness and a bit of candy-like chew to this orange cranberry shortbread. When available, I use dried cranberries sweetened with apple juice but sadly, they can be tricky to find at times. If you cannot locate dried cranberries, feel free to substitute them with dried cherries.

Orange Zest: Most of the flavor of oranges can be found in fresh orange zest. I like to use organic oranges, especially when I plan on using zest. No matter what, make sure to give the orange a good rinse before using. You will need ONE medium-sized orange.

Almond Extract: I use Nielsen Massey Almond Extract. Almond Extract does not taste like almonds since it is made with bitter almond oil and ethyl alcohol. Whole bitter almonds are actually inedible, but their oil has a strong, sweet flavor and gives the gluten free shortbread cookies a little extra hint of almonds can complement the tartness of cranberries and the citrusy notes of oranges. Please be very careful with this extract. A little goes a very long way! (Optional Ingredient)

What's the difference between shortbread and sugar cookies?

Shortbread and sugar cookies are two distinct types of cookies with notable differences in ingredients, texture, and flavor.

Shortbread, known for its simplicity, relies on a blend of butter, sugar, and flour. The generous amount of butter creates a rich and crumbly "short" texture, delivering a delicate, melt-in-the-mouth experience. Remember the quality of the butter used greatly influences the taste and texture of the end result. Simple add-ins like tangy cranberries, citrus zest and nuts are a delicious way to add some variety to buttery shortbread cookies.

In contrast, sugar cookies have a more complex ingredient list, typically including butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda. The addition of eggs contributes to a more structured and chewy texture in sugar cookies. Sugar cookies are versatile. They are popular for cut-out cookies with icing, colored sugars, sprinkles, or other toppings.

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Dough

The dough for cranberry orange shortbread cookies is very straightforward. I like to use my stand mixer for this but you can also make it with an electric hand mixer. Make sure the butter is at room temperature, around 65-70 degrees (18 to 21 degrees Celsius). At this temperature range, the unsalted butter is soft enough to cream well with the sugars.

1. Start by chopping the dried cranberries. You can either do that with a chopping board and a sharp knife or with a small food processor.
2. To do so, take some of the granulated sugar used in the recipe, toss it with the sugar and with a sharp knife, slice them into smaller pieces. The sugar should help to make them less sticky. Another way is to place them in a small food processor and pulse a few times until the cranberries are broken up into smaller pieces. (I have a tiny chopper just for those odd jobs)
3. In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room temperature butter, both sugars, the zest of one orange, almond extract and a generous teaspoon vanilla extract. Cream the ingredients together for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Since this dough does not contain any leavening agent or eggs, the creaming will provide structure. Make sure to scrape down the bowl halfway through the creaming process.

4. Add the gluten-free multi-purpose flour, kosher salt, and the chopped cranberries to the wet ingredients and at a low speed, mix everything together. This may take up to a minute, but the cookie dough will slowly come together.
5. Retrieve two pieces of parchment paper and place on your kitchen counter. Divide the gluten-free shortbread dough into two portions and place one half on each piece of parchment paper. Give each piece of dough a quick knead to ensure there are no hidden air or flour pockets.
6. With lightly floured hands (if needed!) roll each piece of dough into a log. The logs should be around 1.5 - 2 inches thick (4-5 cm). Make sure the surface of the logs is smooth and tight.
7. Wrap each log of dough with parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. At this point, you can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze up to 2 months. This makes these orange cranberry shortbread cookies a great make ahead recipe for the holidays. Chilling not only firms up the dough but also allows the flavors to meld.

Baking Instructions for Orange Cranberry Shortbread

When ready to bake the gluten free shortbread, preheat the oven to 350°F and arrange your oven rack in the middle.

1. Working with one cookie dough log at a time, slice each log into around ¼" (6mm) slices. They don't need to be perfectly precise, but try to keep them all at the same thickness, so the cookies bake at the same time. The easiest way to slice the logs is with a sharp chef's knife or a serrated knife.
2. Arrange the cookie slices on a parchment lined baking tray. I actually reuse the same parchment paper I used to wrap the dough. I like to bake 12-16 cookies per baking sheet.
3. If your cookie dough appears to be soft, stick the sheet tray with the sliced cookie dough in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. This will help to reset the dough and make sure the cookies don't spread while baking.
4. Bake the shortbread cookies, one tray at a time, for 9-10 minutes. Keep an eye on the edges; they may show a slight golden hue while the tops remain mostly pale. Baking time does depend on the oven and how thick and wide your orange cranberry shortbread is. Personally, I prefer to slightly underbake shortbread since it will continue to bake on the sheet tray anyway for a few minutes after removing it from the oven.
5. Take the orange shortbread out of the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes until they are set.
6. With a small off set or a slotted spatula, carefully lift the cookies to a wire rack/cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.

Storage & Freezing

Shortbread cookies are best stored at room temperature. Avoid storing them in the refrigerator, as the excess moisture can affect their texture and flavor.

These gluten free shortbread cookies can be kept at room temperature for 5-7 days. Store shortbread cookies in an airtight container to prevent them from absorbing moisture and becoming soft. Use a container with a tight-sealing lid to create a protective barrier. If you need to stack the cookies in the container, place sheets of parchment paper between the layers. This prevents the cookies from sticking to each other. You can also freeze the fully baked orange shortbread for up to one month. Thaw at room temperature. If the shortbread loses some of its crispness after freezing, you can refresh them by placing them in a preheated oven for a few minutes. Allow them to cool before serving.

To freeze the unbaked shortbread cookie dough, wrap the shaped dough tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Ensure that it is well-covered to prevent freezer burn and the absorption of odors from the freezer. Unbaked shortbread dough can generally be stored in the freezer for up to two months. While it may still be safe to use after this period, the quality may gradually decline.

When you're ready to bake, remove the wrapped shortbread dough from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Thawing in the refrigerator ensures a more even and controlled thaw. Once thawed, bake as directed.

Variations of Gluten Free Shortbread

This recipe for Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Shortbread is a great "base recipe" to have on hand. Feel free to play with the add-ins.

• Add 2 teaspoons of instant espresso with the dry ingredients and add a handful of finely chopped dark chocolate to the dough along with the dry ingredients.
• Mix in finely chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts. Make sure they are finely chopped so you won't run into issues when cutting the shortbread.
• Make it seasonal by adding spices such as 1 teaspoon of Pumpkin Spice or a Chai Spice Mix.
• Dip the fully-cooled shortbread into melted white chocolate or dark chocolate and sprinkle with some chopped nuts for a festive look.

Note about Salt in my Recipes

I use Diamond Kosher Crystal Salt in all of my recipes unless otherwise stated. If use use a different brand or kind of salt in your kitchen please adjust accordingly since some salts can be saltier. If you use Morton’s Kosher Salt please be aware that their salt granules are smaller in size, denser, and crunchier and twice as salty.

Baking in grams

I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and easy to use. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. For small amounts under 10 grams, I like to use this Precision Pocket Scale. Measuring cups are very inaccurate which can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.

Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures

All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.

If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Convection oven can cause baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Since takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.

Substitutions and Modifications

Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.