White Chocolate & Cranberry Shortbread

While I absolutely love the simplicity and ease of preparing and baking shortbread (waiting for the butter to come to room temp before creaming it is the most time consuming and challenging part), I love even more that it’s a blank canvas ready to take on a myriad of flavors and textures. The crumbly, buttery, crisp texture lends itself to so many flavors, although this is a personal favorite: the chewiness of dried cranberries juxtaposes the sandy texture of the shortbread while the white chocolate chips practically take on caramelized notes (especially the chips on the edges that toast and roast).

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream butter on medium speed until light and fluffy (approximately 5 minutes). Add sugar and gently mix on low speed (if you start whipping like crazy from the beginning you’ll end up in a cloud of powdered sugar). Once sugar is incorporated, crank of the speed to medium and continue to whip for another 1-2 minutes. Gradually add in flour, salt, and vanilla, and mix until combined. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate.

Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll into a log, about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Tightly twist each end of wrap, and chill in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes, although up to a few days.

When dough is chilled, firmed, and ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the log into 1/4 to 1/3-inch thick disks (since there are some chunky ingredients the slices may not look perfectly smooth, but just smoosh them together and they even out once baked). Place on parchment lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are lightly brown, about 13-14 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool to room temperature.

Notes

• Once baked, these stay fresh and delicious for several days, although I doubt they’ll last that long.
• Once the dough is made, it may be frozen for a month or two until ready to be used.
• In my house, once the dough is made and chilled, I’ll slice it into discs, flash freeze, then throw into a bag so I can pull out a few at a time and bake off as needed (just add on an extra minute or so of baking time).