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Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

cranberry pistachio shortbread cookies with white chocolate stacked on top of each other with cranberries and pistachios around them.
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Slice and bake cranberry pistachio shortbread cookies with only 6 ingredients are the perfect easy Christmas cookie for the holiday season! A white chocolate drizzle makes them extra special. Make these buttery, lightly sweet shortbread cookies for Christmas cookie exchanges or to give out as holiday treats. (vegetarian)

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose)
  • 1 tsp pistachio extract
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt (omit if using salted butter)
  • 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • Optional: 1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, combine butter, powdered sugar, pastry flour, pistachio extract and salt until a smooth dough forms.
  2. Add pistachios and cranberries and pulse to roughly chop and incorporate them into the dough.
  3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 1 1/2 to 2-inch thick log. Roll in a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
  4. When you're ready to bake, heat oven to 350°F.
  5. Use a sharp knife to cut chilled dough into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
  6. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden.
  7. Remove from oven and cool.
  8. Optional: Melt additional white chocolate chips according to package directions (or in 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring in between each until smooth) to drizzle over cooled cookies or to dip of the cooled cookies in.

Notes

  • When making the dough, omit the salt if you're using salted butter or salted pistachios.
  • You can roll the dough into a log directly on the plastic wrap if you'd like to save a little mess.
  • Make sure to chill the dough until it's very firm. This will make the cookies easy to slice and help them to hold their texture.
  • Handle the dough with your hands as little as possible after chilling. You want it to stay nice and firm, and warm hands will soften the butter in the dough.
  • Use a large, sharp knife for slicing so you can get through the pistachios in a clean cut.
  • Allow the cookies to cool before handling and dipping/drizzling with chocolate so that they don't crumble.
  • I've made these shortbread with regular granulated sugar before and it works just as well as powdered sugar.
  • If you can't find pistachio extract (I get it on Amazon), you can use almond extract.

Keywords: cranberry pistachio shortbread cookies, slice and bake shortbread cookies, Christmas shortbread cookies

Find it online: https://livelytable.com/cranberry-pistachio-shortbread-cookies/