Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes Yield: 36 (2-inch) cookies Diet: Vegetarian
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
½ cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange zest (zest from 2 oranges)
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup dried cranberries, chopped
Cream the butter and sugar together using a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add vanilla, orange zest, and salt and beat until incorporated. Add flour and cranberries and beat until mixture forms into a dough.
Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball. The dough will be slightly dry, but it will soften up as you work with it. Then, roll the dough into a log, 2-inches in diameter. You can roll it thicker but you will get less cookies out of it.
Wrap the log tightly with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a half sheet baking pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Cut the dough into ¼-inch to ½-inch slices, and place on the baking sheet about ½-inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until just starting to brown on the edges.
Allow cookies to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
