Pecan Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

Step 1

Toast the pecans: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Evenly distribute the pecans on the baking sheet and place into the oven to toast for 5 minutes. Watch carefully as they burn easily! Cool completely before proceeding.

Step 2

In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the vegan butter and sugars until creamy. Add the vanilla, salt, and orange zest, and continue beating.

Step 3

Next, add in all of the cranberries and flour and slowly beat it in until combined. The dough may seem crumbly but the last step here is to use clean hands to squeeze and sort of “knead” the dough together until it comes together and compacts into a cookie dough. Add in the crushed pecans and mix it together by hand just until combined.

Step 4

Shape the dough into a compact log about 2 inches in diameter and 8 inches in length. Tightly wrap the log in plastic wrap, parchment paper or a vegan wax wrap and place it into the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.

Step 5

Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and allow the log to sit out for about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. You can use the same one as earlier.

Step 6

Once the dough has softened a bit, using a very sharp knife (serrated works best), slice the log into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices. You want them pretty thick so they don’t crumble too much. If not they do, no worries! Simply press them back together with your hands. Arrange them on a lined baking sheet. The cookies will not spread much so they can be about 1/2-inch apart and be okay.

Step 7

Place into the oven and bake for 18 to 25 minutes, or until golden. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely.

Step 8

In the meantime, prepare the drizzle by mixing together the powdered sugar, orange juice and vanilla extract in a small bowl, and adding water or almond milk as needed to thin. Be careful! A little liquid goes a long way here.

Step 9

Once the cookies have cooled, drizzle them with the icing as desired, allow the icing to harden and then enjoy!

Step 10

Store the cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for about 7 days.