Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
These gluten free shortbread cookies are filled with lots of tasty cranberries, orange zest, and vanilla! Topped with a refined sugar free icing and sprigs of fresh rosemary, these cranberry orange cookies are perfect to serve during the holidays, or any time of year.
WHY I MADE THESE CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD COOKIES
Anyone who knows me knows that cookies are my #1 passion. I love cookies so much that I wrote a whole cookbook filled with vegan cookie recipes! I even used to have a vegan cookie business that operated for a few years, too.
So it’s safe to say that developing cookie recipes is my real bread and butter. And now that the holidays have rolled around I knew that I wanted to make a holiday cookie recipe that would be buttery, sweet, vanilla-y, and delicious.
The answer to that craving turned into these Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies, which also happen to be gluten free! As you know, I’m a part-time gluten free girlie, so I wanted to share a recipe that other gluten free foodies could enjoy too, because we all deserve to enjoy cookies for Christmas, gluten free or not!
These Cranberry Shortbread Cookies are a soft, sweet cookie that’s drizzled with a little bit of Refined Sugar Free Icing and sprigs of rosemary, for fun. I also used unsweetened cranberries for this recipe to cut down on the sugar content.
So these cookies are a healthier alternative to traditional cranberry shortbread cookies, and just as delicious!
MY CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD COOKIE RECIPE
The full recipe for my gluten free cranberry shortbread cookies are below–it’s super easy! But here’s the gist of it:
In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, dried cranberries, and orange zest so that the cranberries and orange zest are distributed throughout the flour.
Add the honey (or maple syrup), coconut oil, vanilla, almond extract, and salt.
Cut the dough into circles and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake until the edges begin to turn golden brown.
As the cookies cool, prepare the icing.
Drizzle the icing on top of each cookie, and press a few pieces of rosemary on top to adhere.
CRANBERRY COOKIE KEY INGREDIENTS
almond flour
orange zest
honey, or maple syrup
coconut oil
rosemary, for topping
ORANGE ZEST ICING KEY INGREDIENTS
non-dairy milk
maple syrup
orange zest
HOW LONG DO THESE GLUTEN FREE COOKIES TAKE TO MAKE?
Plan out about two hours, start to finish, to make these gluten free cranberry shortbread cookies. That may seem like a long time, but keep in mind the time it takes to roll out the cookie dough, cut out the cookies, drizzle the cookies with icing, cool the cookies and icing, etc. I find the process meditative, personally!
As for cooking time, these cookies only take about 9 minutes to bake, and the icing takes about 5 minutes to prepare on the stove.
HOW TO STORE THESE COOKIES?
Once fully cooled, store leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter. They will stay fresh for about one to two days. Keep in mind that the cookies will soften over time.
CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD COOKIES FAQ
Can I use sweetened cranberries for this recipe?
You sure can. I prefer to use unsweetened cranberries, though, because dried, sweetened cranberries are loaded with added sugar. If you want your cranberries to be a bit sweeter (but I think you’ll be surprised that unsweetened cranberries are already a lil sweet) then toss them in a bit of date sugar before mixing into the dry ingredients.
Where can I find coconut butter?
Coconut butter can be found in most health food stores, near the coconut oil. If you can’t find it, then you can certainly make your own! You just need a package of dried, unsweetened coconut flakes. Pour the coconut flakes into a food processor and blend until the coconut flakes break down into a paste. This takes a while though, about 10 minutes.
Is this recipe gluten free?
Yes! This holiday cookie recipe is completely gluten free, thanks to the almond flour that we use as the base for our cookie dough. Yay! I haven’t tried this recipe with a gluten free flour substitute, but let me know how that turns out if you do give it a go.
Is this recipe vegan?
This cranberry shortbread cookie recipe can easily be made vegan by swapping out the honey for or maple syrup.
How long do these cookies stay fresh for?
I think these cookies taste best the day they are made. That’s because the cookies are the most crisp the first day, and they will soften over time. They’ll still taste yummy on day two or three, but texturally they’re yummiest on day one.
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Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 c almond flour*
- 1/4 c unsweetened dried cranberries, roughly chopped
- 2 tsp grated orange zest
- 1/3 cup honey, or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- Pinch of salt
- Topping: 1-2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves plucked from the stems
- 1/2 c coconut butter**
- 1/2 c non-dairy milk
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp grated orange zest
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, chopped dried cranberries, and orange zest so that the cranberries and orange zest are distributed throughout the flour.
- Add the honey (or maple syrup), coconut oil, vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Stir until a dough forms.
- Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out so it's about 1/8" thick.
- Remove the top piece of paper and, using a 1" or 2" round cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden brown.
- Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. The cookies will firm up as they cool.
- As the cookies cool, prepare the icing. Place all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the icing starts to bubble and thicken. Add a splash more non-dairy milk if the icing gets too thick.
- Remove the pan from heat and transfer the icing to a heat-proof bowl. Allow to cool completely.
- Dollop a bit of icing on top of each cookie, and press a few rosemary leaves on top to adhere.
- Feel free to enjoy the cookies immediately. The icing will harden as it cools.
Notes
*I have not yet tried this recipe with a gluten free flour substitute. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
**Coconut butter can be found in most health food stores. If you can’t find it, then you can certainly make your own! You just need a package of dried, unsweetened coconut flakes. Pour the coconut flakes into a food processor and blend until the coconut flakes break down into a paste. This takes a while–about 10 minutes.
The bottoms of these dark chocolate chip pistachio cookies are dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with pistachio dust to create layers on layers of chocolate and pistachio flavor! Serve these big, fluffy cookies with a scoop of ice cream for the ultimate pistachio cookie treat.