If you like boozy cookies you will love my new recipe for Amaretto and cranberry shortbread. These little golden triangles taste heavenly. They are buttery, delicate and melt-in-your-mouth. Amaretto flavour is very subtle and goes beautifully with tart dried cranberries. My recipe is easy to make, is eggless and vegetarian. These shortbread cookies are great for any occasion.
How to make Amaretto and cranberry shortbread
Everybody is saying that making a good shortbread is easy. I disagree with this statement. Making a good shortbread may seem easy but actually it requires certain knowledge and understanding of ingredients.
Many recipes are saying just mix butter with sugar and then add flour and bake. Well, please read the below tips. They will help you to avoid all the issues while making a great shortbread.
TIPS:
- BUTTER: In order to make the best shortbread you need to use the best butter. Not margarine, or any other butter substitute. Real butter at its best. I used salted butter in this recipe. If you can not find salted butter, you can use unsalted but add 1/4 tsp of table salt. The buttery indulgent taste comes from real butter, this is it.
- SUGAR: Traditional Scottish shortbread is made with standard white granulated sugar. I also used this type of sugar in this recipe. It works like a charm and is easily available everywhere. Using white granulated sugar makes shortbread airy and light but not powdery.
- FLOUR: As simple as it may be in order to make a good shortbread, you need to use a soft flour. If you did not know flour can be soft, hard or medium.
- Hard flour has a high protein content and has a good ability to form gluten. It is perfect to make bread.
- Soft flour has a low protein content and lower ability to create strong gluten. This flour is also called pastry flour or cake flour. It makes baked goods more flaky than doughy. For any shortbread recipe soft flour is the best option.
- Medium flour, also called AP flour – it is a mix of soft and hard flour and is the most commonly available in supermarkets.
Fort his recipe, apart from the 3 standard shortbread ingredients I have also used :
4. AMARETTO: If you have not heard about Amaretto before, I highly recommend it. According to Wikipedia It is a sweet Italian liqueur that originates from Italy, Saronno city. It tastes like almond but actually it does not include almonds at all. It is made of apricot kernels, burnt sugar, absolut alcohol and pure essence of seventeen selected herbs and fruits. I love using Amaretto in baking, it adds a lot of flavour and goes perfectly with tart cranberries.
5.DRIED CRANBERRIES: use good quality dried cranberries and always taste them for freshness before using in a recipe.
6.ALMOND FLAKES: they add an extra crunch to these wonderful boozy triangles and compliment Amaretto flavour very well. Of course, you can omit them and use finely chopped almonds instead.
HANDLING THE DOUGH – to make shortbread dough, I always use my hands. I rub butter and sugar together until combined. Then I add soaked cranberries and Amaretto, briefly rub all ingredients. Then add flour and flaked almonds and rub everything together until just combined. The whole secret is not to overwork the dough. Overworked dough means cakey and tough shortbread due to formation of gluten. We do not want it.
THICKESS AND SHAPING: I used 27cm x 18cm (11inches x 7inches) cake tin. It gave me optimal thickness. Not too thick and not too thin. I would say that they are 1 cm (0.39inch) thick. I have not tested this recipe for cut out cookies, so can not recommend it.
What does Amaretto and cranberry shortbread taste like?
These golden triangles taste incredible. They are perfect for people who love a little bit of booze in their baked goodies. The texture is firm but delicate. The sweet Amaretto flavour shines through and balances the tartness of dried cranberries. Flaked almond add extra crunch and sweetness to each cookie, I highly recommend adding these Amaretto and cranberry shortbread cookies to your cookie box or cookie platter, they are always a big hit!
How to store Amaretto and cranberry shortbread
Store shortbread at room temperature in a cookie jar or a cookie tin for up to a week. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months. In order to defrost shortbread, just take it out of the freezer and leave it at room temperature for an hour. It defrosts like a charm.
If you are looking for more shortbread recipes, I can recommend you the following:
Parmesan and black pepper shortbread
Spiced rum and raisin shortbread bites
Click this link to see the best shortbread recipes
I hope you will make my recipe and if you do, please leave a comment below and let me know your feedback. You can also find me on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Gab and Gettr. Please say hi and do not forget to tag me in if you make my recipe. I love seeing your creations.
Recipe source – my own
Amaretto and cranberry shortbread
Buttery, boozy and beautiful. These Amaretto and cranberry shortbread triangles are a perfect cookie to make.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Please read post above. It includes tips and useful information.
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In a small shallow bowl mix Amaretto and cranberries. Leave cranberries to soak for at least an hour, ideally overnight.
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Prepare baking tin, I used rectangular baking tin 27cm x 18cm (11inches x 7inches). Set aside.
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In a medium bowl add sugar and butter, rub together with your hands for about 8 minutes.
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Then add soaked cranberries and Amaretto, rub together for 2 minutes.
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Next add flour. Rub all ingredients together until crumbs start to form. It is important, do not knead the dough or work it for too long. If you overwork dough shortbread will be doughy.
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Preheat oven to 175C fan (347F).
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Transfer shortbread dough to the prepared baking tin and press it firmly.
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Bake shortbread for about 35 minutes until golden on edges. Check after 20-25 minutes how shortbread looks like as every oven is different.
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When shortbread is ready, remove it from oven and cut into triangle shapes or fingers shapes. It is the best to cut shortbread while it is hot. Let it to cool down completely.