Hello lovelies,
3 more sleeps to go. 3 more sleeps till Santa.
How many of you sang that in your head as you was reading it? I did whilst typing haha.
Well ladies and gents, the time has come… today’s the last instalment of my Christmas bakes for 2021! I’ve honestly had the BEST time creating and bringing these festive treats to life. One of my favourite things about Christmas is baking and the fact I get to share all my creations with you guys is just so special to me. I love it!
Of course we had to end the festive season with a cookie. I mean I’ve made plenty of them this year but one more can’t hurt… right?
I can honestly say that cranberries has become one of my favourite fruits to bake with. It just pairs beautifully with so many different ingredients. As you’ll see by today’s title, today I’ve paired cranberries with orange extract and dark chocolate and DAMN, this concoction of ingredients good together!
Personally, these cookies just scream Christmas to me.
Just picture this: it’s Christmas morning, it’s still dark outside, it’s cold and your all wrapped up in dressing gowns and blankets, you’ve got a nice cup of tea warming your hands and you want the perfect cookie to dunk… Well today’s cookie is THAT cookie. Todays cookie is the perfect Christmas morning dunking cookie. Don’t question me, just try it for yourself. You’ll soon agree haha.
So if my very detailed picture got you wanting to make these yourself, just keep on scrolling;
Category: Sweet Treat
Serves: 14
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 Minutes
Cooling Time: 1 Hour
Decorating Time: 15 Minutes
Overall Time: 1Hour 42Minutes
Ingredients You Need To Make Shortbread:
- 4oz Of Caster Sugar
- 8oz Of Unsalted Butter
- 12oz Of Plain Flour
- 2tsp Of Orange Extract
- 200g Of Dried Cranberries
Ingredients You Need For Decorating:
- 200g Of Dark Chocolate
How To Make Shortbread:
- Firstly, gather together your ingredients and equipment, line two baking trays with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 190C / 170C Fan / Gas Mark 5.
- Secondly, in a large bowl, beat together the 4oz of caster sugar with the 8oz of unsalted butter until light and fluffy.
- Mix in your 2tbsp of orange extract and 200g of dried cranberries.
- Next, slowly add in your 12oz of flour. (TIP: if it resembles breadcrumbs and not a dough, add in a splash of milk and bind it together).
- Once a dough has been formed, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to around a 1cm thickness.
- Using a circle cutter, cut out your shortbreads and place them onto the baking trays.
- Place the shortbread in the oven for around 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Once the shortbread are baked, allow to cool on baking tray for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
How To Decorate Your Shortbread:
- Once your shortbread has completely cooled, it’s time to decorate.
- In a microwaveable bowl, break up your dark chocolate into pieces and place into the microwave and in 30 second blasts, melt the chocolate until it’s nice and runny.
- Finally, dip half of your shortbread biscuit into the chocolate, making sure half of the biscuit is completely coated.
That’s your Cranberry, Orange & Dark Chocolate Shortbread prepared, baked, decorated and ready for you to enjoy!
I can’t quite believe I’ve just shared with you my last Christmas bake for 2021, that’s madness! Don’t worry though, I’ll have one more recipe going live for new year, before New Years (wow, that was a mouthful haha).
My lovely readers, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Wherever you are with whoever your with, I hope you have the best Christmas filled with happiness, laughter, good memories and lots of yummy food.
I really hope you’ve enjoyed my festive bakes for 2021. Ive had a blast creating and sharing them with you all. Do let me know in the comments below wether you made any of my bakes yourself and if you did, what your thoughts were.
Sending you all tons of love & hugs as always,
Elle xo
Theseook so delicious Elle!! I’m not a a big fan of cranberry but I could actually get on board with it in a shortbread with chocolate!! They also sound so easy to make, I’m definitely going to give it a go!! Thanks for sharing xx
Em – https://www.earthlyem.co.uk
Author
Honestly the cranberry is such a great addition to these shortbread but you can defiantly replace it with something else if you’d prefer! These are such easy cookies to make and taste absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for commenting Xo
I definitely sang the little tune at the start of your post 😀 These shortbread cookies look so tasty, especially with the added cranberry, orange and chocolate!
Author
Ah I’m glad I’m not the only one who sang haha! The addition of cranberry, orange and dark chocolate is just delicious. A beautiful combination of ingredients! Thank you so much for commenting Xo
Wow…. Cranberry, orange & dark chocolate. What a combo. This sweet treat sounds unique. Thank you for sharing.
Author
It’s the best combo, honestly they work like a dream together! Thank you so much for commenting Xo
They look so yummy! I’ve never made shortbread before but I do really like it, especially with a cup of tea, so I’m going to try it out over the break 🙂
Author
It’s honestly super easy to make and I always think homemade is utterly delicious. Shortbread is the best biscuit for dunking in a cuppa tea! You’ll have to let me know how you get on. Thank you so much for commenting Xo
Perfect – I have all these ingredients and I was looking for a festive treat to make that wasn’t mince pies. Any idea how long they keep for, assuming they don’t all get eaten as soon as they are made!?
Author
Ah amazing. Apologies I’m only just replying but they usually last around 5-7 in a airtight container! They still taste just as good on the 7th day as it does on the 1st. They really are delicious! Thank you so much for commenting Xo
These look so yummy. Cranberries sound wonderful in this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
Pastor Natalie
Letstakeamoment.com
Author
Oh my, the addition of cranberries in shortbread is absolutely delicious. The perfect festive combo! Thank you so much for commenting Xo
This combination sounds great! I love when biscuits are dipped half in chocolate too 🙂 x
Author
It really is the best combo! Ah you can’t beat a chocolate dunked shortbread, it’s just amazing. Thank you so much for commenting Xo
I do love shortbread, but I’m not a fan of mixing orange flavours with my food for some reason, so I’ll likely make this without the orange. What would be a good replacement for the orange?
Author
Oh defiantly, you can take out or add anything you like to these shortbread, I can guarantee it will taste just as delicious! Ooo good question, I’d probably just say vanilla extract as it doesn’t take away from the flavour of the cranberries. Thank you so much for commenting Xo
Fab recipe – these look absolutely delicious! I love a good shortbread, haha. Thanks for sharing x
Author
You can’t beat a shortbread biscuit can you? They are just the best! Thank you so much for commenting Xo