• Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cooking Time: 30 mins
  • Serves: 16

Cranberry Almond Shortbread Bars

  • Recipe Submitted by on

 Ingredients List

  • For Shortbread:
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet™ Valencia Orange Peel
  • 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Almond Extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
  • For Glaze:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons milk or cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Almond Extract

 Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, followed by orange peel, almond and vanilla extracts, and salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add flour and mix on low speed until mostly incorporated, then add cranberries and mix until evenly distributed.
Press dough into prepared baking pan in an even layer. The dough is quite sticky, so it might help to lightly flour your fingertips so they don’t stick to the dough; you can also use a piece of plastic wrap to help you press the dough into an even layer in the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes or until top is puffed and matte in finish and the edges are just starting to turn a very light golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
For glaze, sift powdered sugar into a bowl. Add milk or cream and whisk until smooth; whisk in almond extract. If necessary you can add a bit more cream or powdered sugar as needed to acheive desired consistency. Drizzle over top of shortbread, then cut into squares or triangles. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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