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These Vegan Cranberry Almond Shortbread Cookies are buttery, nutty, and tart with a touch of sweetness. They’re delicious dipped in some chocolate or dusted with powdered sugar!
Originally published on November 15, 2020 and updated on November 11, 2022.
Why You’ll Love these Cranberry Almond Shortbread Cookies
Is it time for holiday baking yet? I love the start of winter because it means cozy days spent cooking up good food and baking up sweet treats in the kitchen. Cranberries are a classic winter flavor, so today I thought I would pair them with almonds in shortbread form.
These vegan cranberry almond shortbread cookies are perfect for holiday baking. They make a great, festive Christmas cookie!
- Perfect for Holiday and Christmas Baking
- Only 6 Ingredients
- Easy Recipe with Step by Step Photos
The Ingredients:
Shortbread is great because it requires very few ingredients. Shortbread originates from Scotland and typically contains 3 ingredients: butter, flour, and sugar.
- Salted Vegan Butter – I recommend Violife vegan butter
- Powdered Sugar
- All Purpose Flour
- Almond Extract
- Chopped Almonds
- Fresh Cranberries
- Optional- Vanilla Extract
Helpful Equipment
- Cooking Sheet or Baking Tray
- Food Processor
- Mixing Bowl
- Sharp Knife
How to Make Vegan Almond Shortbread
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below!*
Cream the room temperature vegan butter together with the powdered sugar.
ou’ll then add in the flour and almond extract. At this point, the dough should have a very crumbly appearance. This is totally okay! The dough will come together once you start shaping it.
fold in the chopped fresh cranberries and almonds. You’ll want to mix these in until they’re well distributed throughout the dough. At this point, the dough should still be a crumbly mixture.
Shape the dough into a loose ball and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a log that is about 12 inches long. Chill for 30 minutes
📌 TIP: I found it helpful to loosely wrap the dough with some plastic wrap at this point.
After chilling, you can slice the log into discs about 1/2 an inch wide.
Bake for 10 minutes.
📌 TIP: Chilling is important because it makes it easier to slice the log into individual cookies! If you don’t chill the dough, it will be too crumbly to slice. I made my dough the night before and let it chill overnight.
Serving
Let the shortbread cookies cool for 10 minutes before enjoying! The cookies will be slightly soft while still hot, but they firm up after cooling completely.
Dust the cookies with powdered sugar, dip them in dairy free white chocolate or enjoy with a glass of plant milk.
Storage
You can store these cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days (although they’re better the fresher they are).
You can also easily freeze these cookies in an airtight freezer bag. I know I currently have some in my freezer for those late-night cravings!
Helpful Tips for Vegan Shortbread
- Use room temperature vegan butter and not cold or melted butter! This will help give us the crumbly texture that shortbread is known for.
- Chill the dough so it’s easier to work with.
- Make sure the cranberries and almonds are finely chopped.
FAQ
Vegan shortbread cookies are made with plant based butter, powdered sugar, and flour. Dairy free shortbread follows the same ratio as traditional shortbread cookies.
For the best vegan shortbread, use room temperature, softened Violife vegan butter sticks.
More Vegan Christmas Cookies
Vegan Cranberry Almond Shortbread Cookies
Rate this RecipeIngredients
- 12 tbsp salted vegan butter, room temperature (like Violife Vegan Butter)
- ½ cup powdered sugar, not granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp almond extract
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract, optional
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup very finely chopped almonds
- ¾ cup finely chopped cranberries
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, cream the vegan butter and the powdered sugar together. Add the almond extract and vanilla extract, if using, then combine.12 tbsp salted vegan butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, ¾ tsp almond extract, ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- Add the all-purpose flour. Stir together until the dough is a crumbly mixture.1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- Add in the finely chopped almonds and cranberries. Stir until they are evenly distributed in the dough.¼ cup very finely chopped almonds, ¾ cup finely chopped cranberries
- In the bowl, gently press the dough together so it forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured or parchment-lined surface and roll the dough into a log shape (12 inches long and about 2 inches in diameter). Tip: If you’re finding the dough too crumbly, place the log onto a sheet of plastic wrap and use the wrap to help form the log.
- Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. You could also make the dough the night before and let it chill overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Unwrap the log of dough and slice it into ½ inch wide discs. This should make 18-24 cookies. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart from each other.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges just barely start to turn golden brown. For a crisper cookie, bake for 13 minutes. Let the cookies cool for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet. Then, transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Recipe notes
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