Chocolate and Pistachio Dipped Cranberry Shortbreads

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and salt on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl every minute or so. The mixture should be creamy and light in color.

Add the flour and blend until a soft dough forms. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the cranberries, orange zest and orange juice.

Line 2 large baking pans with parchment paper. Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. They’ll look pretty small, but they’ll spread out into nice size cookies so resist the temptation to make them huge. Believe me, I felt it too. Place dough onto the parchment paper lined trays, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Then use a small glass dipped in sugar (to prevent sticking) to press the balls into 1/4 inch thick rounds.

Place pans in the freezer for 30 minutes. Do not skip this step. I tried and I ended up with a solid sheet of shortbreads. Not exactly what I was going for.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300 F. After 30 minutes, remove pans from freezer. Place them in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges are very light brown and centers are barely set. They can go from done to burnt quickly so keep an eye on them.

When done remove pans from the oven. Allow cookies to cool on the pans. While the cookies are cooling, melt chocolate in a microwave safe container (stirring after every 30 seconds) or in the top of a double boiler. Set up a nice dipping station with the bowl of melted chocolate, the bowl of chopped pistachios, and a big sheet of wax paper beside them.

Once cookies are cooled, dip them in the chocolate (just cover them halfway), using a spoon to scrape off any extra chocolate. Sprinkle the chocolate end with pistachios then lay the cookies on the wax paper to dry.

Once dry, store in an airtight container, separated by sheets of wax paper. They should last for a few days. They might last longer, but we couldn’t keep them around to see!