These cranberry pistachio shortbread cookies start with my classic shortbread cookie dough with finely chopped toasted pistachios and tart-sweet dried cranberries in every bite. They're thick, buttery cookies flecked with all-natural red and green, which makes them a natural fit for your holiday cookie tray.
I originally made these cookies because I searched a long time for a shortbread cookie recipe where the cookie retained its shape and didn't spread.
After testing different ratios of butter, flour, and sugar, I found that a simple 3-2-1 shortbread dough helps the cookies hold their shape without spreading and these were the first shortbread cookies I made for the blog.
This red and green shortbread cookie is very festive and one of my most popular recipes at Christmas time. I also used as the inspiration for my apricot and pistachio shortbread cookies and chocolate and hazelnut shortbread.
Update to My Original Shortbread Recipe
My original recipe used a cookie cutter, but one of the issues with that method was cutting cleanly through nuts and dried cranberries.
Based on my experience and feedback from readers, I've added instructions rolling the dough into a log, and slicing it into rounds. The dough logs take up less room in the refrigerator, it's easier to get clean slices, and they freeze easily for later.
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Cheryl's Baker's Notes
- I use fewer add-ins than I used to. I've learned a lot about shortbread since I first published this recipe. One of the things I learned is that too many add-ins make it hard to form a cohesive dough and get clean cuts, whether you use a knife or a cookie cutter. I cut back the amount pistachios and cranberries so the dough holds together, but I still get cranberry and pistachio in every bite.
- More salt for the sweetened cranberries. Sweetened dried cranberries are infused with sugar, so they add more sweetness than you'd expect. I increased the salt in this version. It sharpens the butter and pistachio flavor and keeps the cookie from tasting only sweet.
- Lemon zest was a Flavor Bible idea that worked. The Flavor Bible lists lemon zest as a pairing for both pistachios and cranberries, so I tried and it works really well. The lemon adds brightness and balances the sweetness of the cranberries. If you love cranberry and orange together, try my cranberry orange cookies. The lemon zest is totally optional.
- Chop the add-ins small. Big pieces of cranberry and pistachio drag through the dough when you slice it and tear the edges. Small pieces let the knife or cookie cutter go through cleanly. That's why I chop the cranberries in a mini food processor.
Cranberry Pistachio Cookie Ingredients
- Dried Sweetened Cranberries: My biggest piece of advice for dried cranberries is to buy a fresh bag right before you make this recipe. Do not grab that bag that has been sitting in the back of you kitchen cabinet all year long.
- Pistachios: There are multiple pistachio varieties. For this recipe look, for raw and unsalted pistachios. You can buy them shelled or unshelled, but I recommend shelled because it will be less work. Taste the nuts before you start making this recipe to ensure they haven't gone bad and don't have an off taste.
- Lemon Zest (Optional): This is an optional ingredient. If you do use lemon zest, use lemons that have a slight shine to the peel. Lemons with dried peel won't provide much zest or flavor because most of the lemon oil would have evaporated. Zest the lemon directly into the sugar and rub the ingredients together with your fingers before adding sugar to the rest of the ingredients.
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread
Step 1: Toast and finely chop the pistachios.
Step 2: Finely chop the dried cranberries in a mini food processor or with a sharp knife.
Step 3: Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until creamy and smooth.
Step 4: Mix in the flour until dough comes together.
Step 5: Add the chopped pistachios and cranberries.
Step 6: Mix until the add-ins are distributed throughout the dough.
Step 7: Divide the dough and shape into 2 dough logs.
Step 8: To keep their round shape while chilling in the refrigerator place each inside paper towel cardboard rolls that have been cut in half lengthwise.
Step 11: Cut one dough log at a time into 1/2-inch thick pieces
Step 9: Place 12 cookies on a parchment line baking sheet.
Step 10: Bake the cookies until they are light golden brown on the bottom.
Troubleshooting Your Cookies
- The cookie dough would not come together and remained crumbly. It's supposed to look crumbly right after the flour goes in but will eventually come together. If it never comes together smoothly, the butter probably wasn't fully mixed with the sugar before you added the flour.
- My slices cracked or crumbled. Small cracks on the edges are normal and those pieces can be pressed back into the dough. If the slices completely crumbled the dough was too cold
Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a rating and a comment below.
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Cranberry and Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- Half Baking Sheets
- Mini Food Processor optional
- Quarter Baking Sheets optional
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (80 grams) unsalted raw pistachios
- 1/2 cup (80 grams) dried sweetened cranberries
- 4 ounces (113 grams) granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons (3 grams) lemon zest (about 1 large lemon) optional
- 8 ounces (227 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1-1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 12 ounces (340 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
Instructions
Make the Cookie Dough
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Toast the pistachios for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and then finely chop them.
- Place the cranberries in a mini food processor and process until cranberries are finely chopped into small pieces. If you don’t have a mini food processor, chop them by hand with a chef’s knife.
- Optional lemon zest: If you’re adding lemon zest, place the sugar in a small bowl. Using a Microplane or other fine zester, zest the lemon directly into the sugar. Remove only the yellow peel; the white pith underneath is bitter. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar for about 1 minute, until the sugar is damp and fragrant. Rubbing the zest into the sugar releases the oils in the zest, so the lemon flavor spreads evenly through the dough. If you’re not using lemon zest, skip this step.
- Pour the sugar (or the sugar-lemon mixture, if using) into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, vanilla extract, and salt. With the paddle attachment mix on medium speed until the mixture is well combined and smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl and add all the flour at once. Mix on low speed until no dry flour remains; the dough will look crumbly. Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix until the dough has completely come together. Add the pistachios and the cranberries and mix on low speed until they are well combined into the dough.
Choose Your Shape
- You can shape the dough into logs for slice-and-bake cookies, or roll it out and cut it with a cookie cutter. Both versions bake at the same temperature and for the same amount of time.
Slice-and-Bake Cookies
- Weigh the dough and divide it into two equal-sized pieces, about 420 grams each. On a lightly floured surface shape each piece of dough into a log that is about 7-inches long and 1-3/4-inches in diameter.
- Wrap each dough log in plastic wrap or wax paper. Twist the ends to make sure they are completely closed.
- Chill the dough logs for at least 1 hour. If you chill the dough for more than 2 hours or overnight, you will need to let the dough logs sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before they are soft enough to slice.
Rolled Cut-Out Cookies
- Line a quarter sheet pan or flat board with parchment paper. As soon as the dough is mixed, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to 1/2-inch thick. Cut out the cookies with a 2-inch round cookie cutter and place them on the parchment, right next to each other. Prick the center of each cookie once with the tines of a fork.
- Gather the dough scraps, reroll them to 1/2-inch thick, and cut out and prick more cookies. When the first layer is full on the sheet pan, cover it with a piece of parchment paper and place the next layer of cookies on top. The parchment is used so the cookies don’t stick to the pan or to each other.
- Chill the cookies for 30 minutes.
Bake the Cookies
- Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 300°F (150°C). Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper if you’re making slice-and-bake cookies.
- Slice-and-bake cookies: Remove one dough log from the refrigerator. Cut a little dough off the ends, so they are perfectly straight. Mark the logs at 1/2-inch intervals using a ruler and slice it into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Use a sharp knife and as you slice, use a gentle sawing motion to cut cleanly through the nuts, instead of pushing straight down. Place 12 cookies on the baking sheet, evenly spaced.
- Cut-out cookies: Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and place 12 cookies on the baking sheet, evenly spaced. Keep the rest of the cookies in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- Bake the cookies for 22-25 minutes. The tops of the cookies will have a matte finish, and the bottoms will be slightly brown.
- Take the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire cooling rack.
- Bake the next batch, following the directions above. If you’re using one baking sheet, let it cool completely before baking the next batch of cookies.
Store the Cookies
- The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 1 week.
Notes
- To make it easier to mix and cut the dough, I reduced the pistachios from 100 grams to 80 grams, and I reduced the cranberries from 85 grams to 80 grams.
- I increased the kosher salt from 3/4 teaspoon to 1-1/4 teaspoons because that saltiness balances the sweetness of the dried cranberries.
- I added directions for shaping the cookie dough into logs for those who might prefer a slice and bake cookie.
- Lemon zest is added as an optional flavor. I love the flavor of the lemon zest, but feel free to leave it out.
Rose says
Thankyou so much for your lovely cookie recipe but I need to ask if I may use a very low fat butter- like nuttelex or other that you may suggest because I have to be low fat for my colesterol. Please reply to me soon.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Rose
I don't know if a low fat butter will work in a shortbread cookie recipe. If you're interested in testing it, I recommend testing it with my classic Shortbread Cookie recipe and make half the recipe to see if it works.
Paula P says
If I want to make this gluten free, would a substitute of almond flour be the same amount as the flour in this recipe?
Kelle says
Question: Do you use unsweetened or sweetened cranberries? This recipe looks fantastic!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Kelle
I used the sweetened dried cranberries from Trader Joe's, but I'm sure another brand will work
Kelle says
Thank you, Cheryl.
Stacy says
Don't overthink this recipe. It's fun and easy to make. Whatever you find at the store will work. There is sugar in the recipe. I also doubled the amount of pistachios and craisins.
claire griffen says
can this dough be made ahead of time and rolled like the apricot pistachio one is and frozen?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Claire
Yes, you can freeze the unbaked cookies. Cut out the cookies, freeze them on a baking sheet, then store them in a freezer bag. Bake them straight from the freezer.
Catherine Steed says
Can these cookies before baking be put in the freezer
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Catherine
Yes, these cookies can be frozen before baking. Cut out the cookies and lay them on a board or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place them in the freezer and freeze for about 8 hours. Then place them in a freezer bag until ready to bake.
Catherine Steed says
Thank you so much, because I'm doing a lot of baking and it's easier if I have everything in the freezer and then bake. So looking forward to making these!
Cheryl Norris says
You're welcome
Annie M says
Okay, this is the closest recipe I've seen for something I dreamed about when recovering from surgery. They are lovely, and I just switched the cranberries for dried cherries. These are beautiful and I like to freeze them before baking because it's so easy to thaw as many as I need. Thank you for the great recipe!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Annie
Thank you for trying this recipe and leaving a review. I'm so happy to read that this recipe came close to your dream recipe. I know what it is to envision a recipe and look for it. I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Cynthia says
I really liked this recipe. I over looked toasting the pistachios, but they turned out OK anyway. Will do it next time though. Great flavor!
Jana says
Amazing! These are easy to make and so good.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Jana
Thank you for trying this recipe. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Ashu M says
Wow! Made it today, reduced pistachios and cranberries by 1/2 - but cut the nuts and berries into very small size. Followed the recipe otherwise and it came out great!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Ashu
Thank you for trying my recipe, and leaving the details on your adjustments. I'm glad you enjoyed these cookies.😁