Ingredients for Shortbread:
- 1 orange zest from Kelley Produce
- ½ cup of granulated sugar
- 1 stick of unsalted butter (room temperature) from Kelley Produce
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract from Kelley Produce
- 1 ½ cups of flour
- ½ cup of cranberries from Kelley Produce
Ingredients for Orange Icing:
- ½ cup of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons of Toasted Simple’s Orange Peel simple syrup or Orange Juice
Instructions:
- Rub sugar and orange zest together – Add the orange zest into the bowl with the sugar and using your fingertips, massage/rub the zest into the sugar granules. This releases the natural oils and will intensify the orange flavor in the cookies. The sugar will become orange stained and feel wet. This is perfect.
- Cream together the butter, orange sugar and vanilla extract – Line one or two baking trays with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and orange sugar and cream on medium speed until pale and lightened. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add in the vanilla extract and mix again.
- Add in flour and cranberries and beat them together – Add the flour and cranberries into the creamed butter, and, at a low speed, mix them all on the low speed until they are combined. The dough will look quite raggedy.
- Form a dough and roll out – With your hands, squeeze the cookie dough together making a ball. Press it into a rough disc. Then on a lightly floured surface roll it out to ¼ inch thick. Note: if the dough is too soft at this point, then wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or longer until it firms up slightly and makes it easier to roll out.
- Cut out cookies shapes and chill – Once the dough is rolled out, use a cookie cutter to stamp out the cookies. Lay them onto the prepared baking tray. Bring together any scraps, re-roll and stamp out more cookies. And then, do it again if needed. Just be aware that every time your re-form the dough, it will pull in the flour from the surface and may dry out the dough. Add a couple of drops of water to the dough if that happens.
Now refrigerate the stamped cookies for 30 minutes minimum or until the cutouts have hardened. This means the butter has resolidified and will give you the best possible chance of the cookies retaining their shape in the oven.
- Bake – Preheat the oven to 335 degrees F. Remove the cookies from the fridge, then bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cool on the tray for ten minutes before transferring them to the wire rack to cool completely.
- Mix ingredients together – Add the icing sugar, orange juice, and butter to a medium-sized bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined and smooth. If the glaze is too thin, then add a tablespoon at a time of icing sugar until reaches the right consistency. If it’s too thick, add a teaspoon of orange juice until the correct consistency is reached.
Dip cookies into glaze – Dip the face of the cookies into the glaze and gently lift, letting the excess glaze drip off and place on a wire rack and wait for them to set. Serve and enjoy!