Cherry Pecan Sliced Shortbread Cookies

CHERRY PECAN SLICED SHORTBREAD COOKIES — Festive Christmas shortbread cookies with cherries and pecans. Freeze the dough until you’re ready to slice and bake your holiday cookies.

We have a new favorite holiday cookie at our house. These Cherry Pecan Sliced Shortbread cookies are everything you want in a Christmas cookie–beautiful, delicious and easy!

But wait, there’s more! The dough for these festive little cookies is made ahead and kept in the freezer. When you’re ready for a holiday treat, you just slice and bake.

And just like that, you have a plate of freshly baked Christmas cookies to share with friends and neighbors. That is, if you can get around to sharing before your husband and children eat them all!

My husband swore he wouldn’t like these, because he’s not a fan of candied cherries, but he could not stop raving about (or eating) these cookies.

These cookies taste a lot like a traditional pecan shortbread, but with a pop of added sweetness and holiday color from the candied cherries. They really are wonderful!

Once I’ve shaped my dough into logs, I wrap it in parchment, and then secure it in an old paper towel or wrapping paper tube that I’ve cut down to size.

That helps the dough keep a perfectly round shape until your ready to bake your cookies. So save a few empty paper towel rolls and set them aside for cookie baking!

The other great thing about this cookie recipe is that it makes quite a few cookies without having to double the recipe. Of course, that depends on how thick or thin you slice your cookies. I usually aim for about 1/4 of an inch.

But most of all, I love how festive and fun these cookies look on my holiday cookie trays. And they’re absolutely delicious too!

I know they’ll be a hit with our neighbors, and they are destined to become a Christmas tradition at my house!

Be sure to save this recipe for Cherry Pecan Sliced Shortbread Cookies to your favorite Pinterest board for later.

Here’s what you’ll need to make Cherry Pecan Sliced Shortbread Cookies

• Butter
• Powdered sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• Salt
• Flour
• Red and green candied cherries
• Pecans

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Cherry Pecan Sliced Shortbread

Yield: 4 dozen

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Festive Christmas shortbread cookies with cherries and pecans. Freeze the dough until you're ready to slice and bake your holiday cookies.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup red candied cherries, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup green candied cherries, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and salt. Mix well. Stir in the flour until well blended. Stir in cherries and pecans.
2. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour, or until easy to handle. Shape dough into three 10-inch logs.
3. Wrap each log in plastic wrap or parchment paper , then place in a freezer bag. (I put my wrapped dough logs in cardboard paper towel tubes before placing them in freezer bags). Freeze up to 2 months or until ready to bake.
4. To bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut frozen logs into 1/4-in. slices. Place on ungreased baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely on wire racks.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 48 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 129Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 48mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 1g

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If you love this recipe, you might also like:

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Who Dished It Up First: Adapted from Taste of Home