Royal Ruby Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and chewy. Every time I make these, people ask for the recipe, they are that good. They are easy to make and prep days in advance to make even faster. These cookies are so versatile, you can add any kind of jam or filling of your choice, Nutella, chocolate ganache, lemon curd, almond filling...the list goes on and on. That's what makes these cookies so fabulous, the fact that you can customize the flavor profiles to however you like!
Enjoy eating!

Step 1: Royal Ruby Shortbread Cookies

Begin with the cranberry - orange jam so it has a chance to thicken and cool down for the cookies

Start by adding cranberries, water, and sugar to a saucepan and stir so that all the sugar has been hydrated.
Put on medium heat until the cranberries start to leech out water...
Then carefully transfer mixture to a blender or food processor.
Blend until the mixture is completely smooth, skins and all...
Return mixture back to saucepan and continue to cook for 15 to 20 mins on medium heat...
The jam should coat a wooden spoon without dripping comepletely off.
Once the jam is done cooking add the zest of one orange, mix and then transfer into bowl and set in fridge.

Then continue on to making the shortbread dough...
Start by creaming sugar, salt, and butter in mixer or a bowl if using a hand mixer.
Once creamy and smooth add vanilla and mix.
Then add flour and mix on slow to prevent flour from going everywhere.
Once the shortbread is done, wrap it up with plastic wrap and set in fridge for 45 mins to hour to get it cold and ready to roll out...

Once ready to roll...
Preheat oven to 350

After the dough is chilled...
Take dough out of fridge and flour counter surface that you are rolling the dough onto...
Don't forget to flour the top of the dough and the rolling pin too
Roll dough out to about 1/4 in...
You want to work a little fast because once the dough is warm, it is harder to work with and sticks to pin and counter... If the dough starts to become warm, no worries just transfer onto sheet tray and put back in fridge for 20 mins or so until dough is cold again...
Once you have the dough rolled out take a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter about 3 inches in diameter and cut out rounds out of dough...
You can use scrap dough, just remember to smoosh all scrap pieces back together and put back in the fridge to get cold again...
Once you have your rounds, pull out your jam and in the center of each round put about 2 teaspoons of jam...
Once the jam is in place...
Take a bowl and add one egg with a dash of water in it and mix with fork tto make egg wash...this is used as the glue to hold to triangle cookie shape...
Brush egg wash with pastry brush circling around the jam on the dough on each round...
Once egg was is on, pinch the sides of the round into threes to get that traditional triangle shape, should pinch 3 times on each round to make 3 corners to create the triangle...
I like to cook these cookies on parchment paper, easy clean up... also the parchment helps prevent the bottom from over browning... And then you don't need to grease the sheet tray either!
Set in oven at 350 for 12 to 15 mins ( until the corners are slightly golden browned)
Once done take out and transfer onto a cooling rack...
If you want to make these cookies even prettier, dust a little bit of powdered sugar on top for a more finished look!

You can also make these cookies with raspberry, or strawberry... Just swap out the berries for the jam recipe.

These cookies are so easy to make, and look extremely impressive. You can prep in advance by making jam and dough days before hand. You can alway make dough in advance ( even freeze dough) just remember if you plan on using frozen dough take it out of the freezer a day before making and set in fridge to thaw.
Jam you can make up to a week in advance, just remember to put in air tight container to prevent any other flavors from the fridge seeping in...

These cookies are such a delight, you will have all your family and friends asking for the recipe... Not to mention they make a very affordable gift!