Christmas Shortbread
Cranberry and orange Christmas Shortbread dipped in white chocolate. Quick and easy to make.
Servings: 20
Ingredients
For the Christmas Shortbread:
- 200 g cold butter
- 125 g icing sugar
- 300 g plain/all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1-2 teaspoons orange extract (5-10ml)
- 50 g dried cranberries finely chopped
- 1 orange, zested
For the optional decoration:
- 150 g white chocolate
- Edible sprinkles or decorations
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/ 150°C fan/ gas mark 3/ 325°F
- Line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment or magic liner
- Roughly chop the cranberries (they will get chopped more later).
For the Christmas Shortbread:
- In a food processor, blitz the butter, sugar, flour and pinch of salt until the mixture begins to clump together. The mixture won't be a solid lump
- Add the orange extract and zest, and cranberries and pulse to combine
- Press mixture into the prepared tin and level (using your hands or the back of a spoon is easiest). You need to push quite hard to firm up the dough
- Prick dough well with a fork
- Bake the shortbread for 45-50min or until nicely golden.
- While it’s still warm, cut the shortbread in half across the middle. Then cut each half into 10-12 fingers about 1.5-2cm (¾ inch) wide
- Cool completely in the tin.
For the decoration (optional):
- Arrange the biscuits on a wire cooling rack set over a tray
- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water or in 30-second bursts in the microwave.For step-by-step instructions see How to Melt Chocolate
- Using a spoon, pour chocolate onto one end of each shortbread finger and gently spread with a knife. Decorate and leave to set for about an hour, or chill for about 20 minutes
- Store in an airtight tin in a cool place, or in a sealed box in the fridge for up to a week.