Christmas Cookie Magic

Celebrate the season with these buttery shortbread cookies, brightened with zesty orange, tart cranberries and a luxurious white chocolate drizzle. Perfect for gifting or sharing at holiday gatherings, they bring a touch of sparkle with every bite.

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sugar (for sprinkling)

For the Topping:

• gold sprinkles
• 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped and melted

Instructions

Combine sugar and orange zest in a food processor and pulse for 1 minute. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, the orange zest, sugar and salt at medium speed until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add flour, mixing just until dough begins to come together in small pieces. Fold in chopped dried cranberries.

Scrape dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Shape cookies gently by hand or use a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter. Gather scraps, re-roll and cut until you have 12 cookies.

Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets and chill for another 20 minutes.

Sprinkle cookies with granulated sugar and bake until pale golden, about 15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.

Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt white chocolate using a double boiler, microwave or heatproof bowl over simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth and glossy.

Transfer melted chocolate to a small piping bag and drizzle over cooled cookies.

Top with gold sprinkles and let chocolate set before serving.

Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container.