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–+ servings

Orange Cherry Shortbread Tea Cookies

Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth tea cookies brightened with orange and cherry, gently spiced with cardamom and vanilla for a warm holiday feel.
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Servings: 36
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern
Calories: 97
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 148 g Powdered Sugar
  • 282 g Butter
  • 2 g Sea Salt
  • 216 g 1:1 Gluten Free Flour We use Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1
  • 1/4 tsp Cardamom
  • 11 g Orange Zest
  • 3/4 tsp Vanilla
  • 78 g Dried Cherries roughly chopped
  • 98 g Pumpkin Seeds roughly chopped
  • 78 g Flax Meal

Method
 

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Prep the mix-ins.
  1. Roughly chop the pumpkin seeds and cherries.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine them with the flour and flax. Set aside.
Infuse the sugar.
  1. In a separate bowl, add the powdered sugar and orange zest.
  2. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant and the oils release.
Build the dry mixture.
  1. Add the sugar–zest mixture, cardamom, vanilla, and salt to the flour bowl.
  2. Stir to distribute everything evenly.
Add the butter.
  1. Add the softened butter and use your fingers to rub it into the dry mixture until a soft dough forms.
  2. Mix only until it holds—don’t overwork it.
Shape.
  1. Scoop the dough into small rounds (1–1.5 tablespoons each) and place on the lined baking sheet.
Chill.
  1. Refrigerate the shaped dough for 30 minutes.
Bake.
  1. Bake for 12–15 minutes at 350°F, until the bottoms are lightly golden.
  2. If your oven runs hot, begin checking at 12 minutes—pull them when they smell toasty and set.
Rest in the oven.
  1. Turn off the oven and crack the door. Let the cookies sit inside for 10–15 minutes to finish setting.
  2. Then remove and let cool completely on the sheet.
Coat in sugar.
  1. Once fully cooled, toss the cookies in powdered sugar.
Store.
  1. Keep in an airtight container.
  2. They hold well at room temperature and can be refrigerated or frozen—though they rarely last that long.

Nutrition

Calories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 2gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.02gSodium: 80mgPotassium: 44mgFiber: 2gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 78IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg

Notes

Nuts
If you tolerate nuts, these are excellent with chopped pistachios in place of pumpkin seeds.
Almonds or walnuts also work, but pistachio is the best match for the citrus and cardamom.
Dried Fruit
You can swap the cherries for:
  • cranberries (a little brighter and more tart)
  • chopped dried apricot (soft and fragrant)
  • currants (smaller bursts of sweetness)
Seeds
If you want a nut-free swap for the pumpkin seeds, use:
  • sunflower seeds
  • hemp hearts
Sunflower gives the most similar crunch.
Lower Sugar Option
These cookies rely on powdered sugar for texture, but you can reduce the sweetness a bit:
  • Roll them more lightly in powdered sugar
  • Reduce the powdered sugar in the dough by 10–15%
    They will be slightly less tender but still hold together well.
If you want a fully low-sugar version, you can skip the outer dusting and rely only on the sweetness from the dough and fruit. You can also reduce the fruit by about 50%.
Flavor Swaps
  • Add a little extra orange zest for a brighter cookie
  • Increase the cardamom slightly for a warmer spice profile
  • Add a pinch of cinnamon for a more classic “holiday tea cookie” feel
Butter Alternatives
Any softened dairy-free butter works. It must be a butter that hardens when chilled and has some water content. 

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