If you’re searching for the perfect cranberry shortbread star recipe to brighten up your Christmas baking, these buttery biscuits are a guaranteed crowd‑pleaser. Made with classic shortbread ingredients and studded with jewel‑like dried cranberries with a gentle hint of mixed spice, they’re ideal for holiday cookie boxes, edible gifts, and easy festive baking.

This simple, reliable recipe creates crisp, melt‑in‑the‑mouth stars that look stunning on any Christmas table.

Cranberry shortbread stars

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Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Chilling time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Biscuits

Ingredients

  

• 200 g unsalted butter, softened
• 75 g icing sugar
• 225 g plain flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp milk
• 100 g dried cranberries

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 160°c/Gas 3. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper and set aside.
• Beat together the butter in a bowl with the sifted icing sugar until the mixture is smooth.
• Add the flour and cinnamon and rub together using your fingers.
• Stir in the egg yolk and milk, add the cranberries. Shape into a ball and chill for 30 mins.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about ½ inch. Cut out the shortbreads using a small star shaped biscuit cutter. Reshape any remaining dough into a ball and repeat until all the dough is used up.
• Place the biscuits onto the baking trays and bake in the oven for 10-12 mins, until they are beginning to brown.
• Leave to cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight tin.