These slice and bake Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies are buttery and literally melt in your mouth. They’re studded with pistachios, dried cranberries, and are not overly sweet either.
You’ll love how easy they are to make and how they never lose their shape! They’re an effortless option for holiday parties, Christmas cookie boxes, or enjoying with a hot cocoa.
We all know someone who complains about holiday desserts being “too sweet.” I know I have a few of them in my family.
But, these Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies are what I make when I want to keep them quiet. There’s only 1/4 teaspoon of sugar in each cookie which is not enough to taste it. Don’t be fooled though, the balance of salty pistachio, buttery cookie, and sweet cranberry is absolute perfection.
For more holiday cranberry recipes, try my Cranberry Pie Dip or this Cranberry Margarita Mocktail.
Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies Ingredients
Here’s everything you will need to make this recipe and a few important notes too. Keep in mind, since the shortbread base is only 5 ingredients, they need to be high quality or it will lack in flavor.
- Unsalted Butter: Softened to room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar: Sometimes known as confectioner’s sugar.
- Vanilla Extract: Use pure or homemade extract.
- All-Purpose Flour: This recipe has not been tested with gluten free flours so I cannot recommend. Also, be sure to measure it using the spoon and level method or you may get too much flour.
- Salt: This is essential in a super flavorful shortbread, don’t leave it out!
- Unsalted Pistachios: Finely chop them because they will go in the dough and be rolled in them as well.
- Dried Cranberries: Also finely chopped.
- Sanding Sugar: We roll the shortbread in this for a pretty sparkling effect. If you do not have sanding sugar just roll the cookies in pistachios. This is the brand I used.
You’ll also need a hand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, two parchment lined baking sheets and cooling rack.
How to Make Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
1. Mix, Roll, and Refrigerate the Cookie Dough. Cream together the unsalted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Slowly add the all-purpose flour and the chopped dried cranberries and pistachios until sandy. Using your hands, work it together until it resembles play dough. In plastic wrap, form and roll it into two, 2 inch thick logs and refrigerate.
2. Roll, Slice and Bake the Shortbread Cookies. Slice each into 12 shortbread cookies, roll outside in the pistachio/sugar mixture, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until pale and the tops no longer glisten. Cool on cooling racks before serving.
3 Important Recipe Tips to Read
Slice and bake shortbread is fairly simple to make, but there are a few things you should know. These tips below will ensure you have beautiful, successful, and tasty Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies every time!
Properly measure the all-purpose flour. The biggest cookie mistake people make is using too much flour. The spoon and level method gives you the perfect amount every single time. Just aerate the flour with a whisk, scoop it into a measuring cup, and level off with a knife.
Don’t overwork the dough, it’s a fine line. If underworked your cookies will fall apart when you cut them. If overworked your cookies will bake up to be tough and dry. You’ll want the dough to resemble playdough before rolling it into a log. And once it is rolled in a log you’ll want to firmly roll it a few times to really bind it all together.
Use a really sharp knife to the slice the cookies. I cannot stress enough how important this is! You’ll want a really sharp and wide knife. It needs to be able to cut through frozen dough and the nuts without smooshing or breaking apart the cookies.
Storing and Freezing Shortbread Cookies
You’re going to want to store your baked Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies in an airtight container. It can be a lidded container or sealable plastic bag. At room temperature they are good 5 days and in the refrigerator 7 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
As for the unbaked plastic wrapped shortbread log, it can placed in a sealable plastic bag and refrigerated for up to 3 days before slicing and baking. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month. They may need a few extra minutes of baking but they still turn out so delicious.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
More Holiday Cookie Recipes You Might Like
Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
EQUIPMENT
- hand mixer - fitted with paddle attachment
- 2 baking sheet - lined with parchment paper
- cooling rack
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour - measured using the spoon and level method
- ½ cup dried cranberries - finely chopped
- ¼ cup pistachios - finely chopped
For Rolling
- 2 tablespoons sanding sugar - white
- ¼ cup pistachios - finely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened unsalted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until light and fluffy (about 2 to 3 minutes).
- Add the all-purpose flour a ½ cup at a time until all the flour is added. Then mix in the finely chopped cranberries and pistachios. Stop mixing when the dough becomes a medium sized pebble like texture (about 2 to 3 minutes).
- Using your hands, work the dough into a smooth ball then divide into 2 equal pieces.
- On top of plastic wrap, use it to help roll and form each piece into a 2 inch diameter log and 7 to 8 inches long with flat ends. Wrap the log tightly in the plastic wrap and freeze* for 1 hour.*ELIZABETH'S NOTE: Or refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- On a small plate, stir together the finely chopped pistachios and sanding sugar.
- Remove logs from the freezer and unwrap. Cut each log with a very sharp and thick knife into 12 equal pieces (about ½ inch thick).
- Roll outside of cookies in the pistachio sugar mixture. Place on baking sheet in 3 rows of 4.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies will be pale and the tops will no longer glistened when they have finished baking.
- Allow them to cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
RECIPE NOTES
STORING INFORMATION:
- At room temperature, in an airtight container or sealable bag, for up to 5 days.
- Refrigerated, in an airtight container or sealable bag, for up to 7 days.
- Frozen, in a sealable freezer-safe bag, for up to 3 months.
COOKIE DOUGH STORING INFORMATION:
- Refrigerated, in a log wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. Slice and bake as directed.
- Frozen, in a log wrapped in plastic wrap and in a sealable bag, for up to 1 month. Slice and bake as directed.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
Hi! I have a question about the Cranberry Pistachio Cookies: about how long are your logs of dough? I saw 2” in diameter but nothing on the length.
I’m trying to get my recipes together for Christmas cookie trays and I’m including these cookies! I can’t wait to try them!!
Hi Daryl,
Sorry about that. I will be sure to correct it. But they are about 7-8 inches long.
Hope this helps!
~Elizabeth