It’s cookie season! Baking cookies, sharing with friends and family is one of my favorite things to do this time of the year. I first developed this recipe for the magazine Bake from Scratch in 2019. I loved these cookies then and loved it now as well.
Oranges are one of my go-to ingredients to add to baked goods in the winter. The zest of oranges has a ton of flavor, and adds a wonderful flavor profile to the cookie.
Here are some of my cookies that have orange in them.
Orange Zest and Cardamom Sugar Cookie
Orange Pink Peppercorn Shortbread with Pistachio Buttercream
Blood Orange Ganache Stuffed Cookie with Dark Chocolate
Cookie inspiration
The inspiration for this cookie is cranberry mimosas. It is the holidays, and the best way to celebrate during this time is with champagne or sparkling wine. Cranberry and orange are a match made in heaven, and keeping that in mind, the Orange Shortbread with Cranberry Champagne Buttercream was born!
The first step in this cookie is to reduce the champagne so that it can be added to the buttercream.
How to reduce champagne for the buttercream?
The champagne is heated in a saucepan on medium high heat, and brought to a boil. Once it starts boiling, you want to reduce the temperature to medium and boil until it is reduced to ¼ the quantity. The champagne will have a concentrated flavor.
You can use this champagne to make the buttercream.
How to make cranberry jam?
Cranberry jam is really easy to make. It comes together in about 10 minutes. It has fresh cranberries, orange juice and granulated sugar as the main ingredients.
You can even use frozen cranberries in this recipe. The ingredients are cooked in a saucepan, until the cranberries are tender. They are mushed with a masher and cooked down until the water content is reduced to a minimal amount. The jam thickens as it cools as well.
Cranberry Champagne Buttercream
The reduced champagne and the cranberry jam is added to a vanilla buttercream base to make a delicious, tart and sweet buttercream.
Ingredients of the orange shortbread:
The ingredients of the orange shortbread are:
- Unsalted butter: I almost always use unsalted butter in cookies, so that I can control the amount of salt in the cookie.
- Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar is used in this cookie, giving it that slight crunch on the outside of the cookie. It also contributes to the color of the cookie as well.
- Orange zest: adds a bright citrusy flavor to the cookie.
- All purpose flour
- Almond flour: I love adding almond flour to baked goods for that nutty flavor. It also adds texture to the cookie.
- Finally, salt!
Decoration for the cookie
I add a cranberry drizzle to this cookie, along with some sparkles for that festive touch. These cookies can even be made for New Year’s Eve along with the cranberry mimosas to bring in the New Year!
You can skip the last step of the cranberry drizzle if you do not want to go the extra mile of decorating the cookie. But personally I love a well decorated cookie to add pizzazz! Especially during the holidays.
Are these cookies shippable?
These cookies package beautifully as well, and can be shipped across the country. Be sure to pack it such that the cookies do not move in the box. I add parchment paper to the box, to avoid the cookie shifting.
How long do these cookies last?
The cookies will stay good for upto 2 weeks.
They can be stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to ship them.
Other holiday cookie recipes from my blog:
Have a wonderful holiday season! Happy Holidays!
XO
Amisha
Orange Shortbread with Cranberry Champagne Buttercream
Cranberry Jam:
- Makes about ¼ cup
- 1 cup (125 grams) fresh or frozen cranberries
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 grams) water
- ¼ cup (60 grams) orange juice
Cranberry Champagne Buttercream: (adding champagne to buttercream is optional!)
- 1 cup champagne or sparkling wine (optional)
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 to 3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons Champagne
- 2 tablespoons Cranberry Jam
Orange Shortbread:
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
- Zest of one orange
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (64 grams) almond flour
- 1 teaspoon table salt
Cranberry Drizzle:
- ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons cranberry juice
- Edible silver sprinkles
- Cranberry Champagne Buttercream (recipe follows)
Get Recipe Ingredients
Cranberry Jam:
- Add a cup of champagne in a medium saucepan, on a stove on medium to high heat. Bring to a boil. Then reduce to medium heat and reduce the champagne to ¼ cup. Cool completely before using it in the buttercream (optional step!)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, salt, and extracts starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Using a rubber spatula, collect the cream from the side. Add confectioners’ sugar, Champagne, and Cranberry Jam, and beat on low, gradually increasing the speed gradually to high, for 1 minute, until all is incorporated. Collect the mixture from the side to incorporate it completely.
- Place Cranberry Champagne Buttercream in a 12-inch pastry bag with a 1/4-inch round tip.
Champagne Cranberry Buttercream:
- Add a cup of champagne in a medium saucepan, on a stove on medium to high heat. Bring to a boil. Then reduce to medium heat and reduce the champagne to ¼ cup. Cool completely before using it in the buttercream (optional step!)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, salt, and extracts starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Using a rubber spatula, collect the cream from the side. Add confectioners’ sugar, Champagne, and Cranberry Jam, and beat on low, gradually increasing the speed gradually to high, for 1 minute, until all is incorporated. Collect the mixture from the side to incorporate it completely.
- Place Cranberry Champagne Buttercream in a 12-inch pastry bag with a 1/4-inch round tip.
Orange Shortbread:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, and orange zest until combined, about 1 minute. Add vanilla, beating until incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, combine flours and salt. With the mixer starting on low speed, gradually increase to high, add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until combined.
- Shape the dough into a disk, about 1 inch thick. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap,and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lining baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to ¼-cm thickness. Using a 2 inch fluted cutter, cut dough, and place on prepared pans. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Bake until light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely, for about an hour.
Cranberry Drizzle:
- In a small bowl, combine confectioner’s sugar and cranberry juice, and mix with a small rubber spatula until well combined. Place glaze in a piping bag fitted with a No. 2 Wilton tip, and drizzle on half of the top of half the cookies. Top with sprinkles.
Assembly:
- Pipe Buttercream onto the flat side of undecorated cookies. Place decorated cookies, flat side down, on top of buttercream. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- How long does the cranberry jam last?
-
- The cranberry jam will stay fresh in the fridge, for upto a month.
- Are these cookies shippable?
-
- These cookies package beautifully as well, and can be shipped across the country. Be sure to pack it such that the cookies do not move in the box. I add parchment paper to the box, to avoid the cookie shifting.
- How long do these cookies last?
-
- The cookies will stay good for upto 2 weeks.
- They can be stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to ship them.
