Christmas Cookie Week: Cranberry-Orange Shortbread

Do you have certain foods that are mandatory for Christmas in your house. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without them.  For us it is shortbread cookies.  We make them every year using a recipe that has been in our family for generations. I got the recipe from my Grandmother, but it probably belonged to generations before her.
You can see what they look like in this post and this post.

The recipe is old and simple and delicious:

Ingredients:

1 lb butter (2 cups) at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

5 cups flour

pinch salt

Method:
1.  Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
2.  Knead until they form a ball
3.  Roll out on a lightly-floured surface to a thickness of between 1/4 and 1/2 inch
4.  Cut or stamp cookies with cookie cutters and place on an ungreased cookie sheet
5.  Bake at 350F for about 8-10 minutes or until they are lightly brown (do not overbake)

Of course I'm making some regular shortbread, but this year I decided to do something a little different as well. I made half the batter into cranberry-orange shortbread.  All I had to do was add:

• 1 teaspoon of grated orange peel
• 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries

And I had all this deliciousness.  So worth it!

Angie from Echoes of Laughter and I are having Christmas Cookie Week all week long starting today.  Pop on over to her blog to have a look and see what she has made. 

Linked to Foodie Friday Recipes at Rattlebridge Farm,
Fall into Fall Party at DIY by Design,
WOW Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style,
Uncommonly Yours Link Party at Uncommon Designs,
The Creative Spark at Clean and Scentsible,
Flaunt if Friday at Chic on a Shoestring,
Overflowing with Creativity at It's Overflowing