I wanted to make a really festive and classic shortbread flavor to contrast the kinako-palm sugar recipe I posted, so I came up with these blood orange and cherry shortbreads to do just that. There are some key differences in the dough besides this one containing gluten, however. Instead of using egg yolks, I’m using blood orange juice, so that I can not only add that flavor into the dough, but also bind it together in a similar fashion of a pie crust. With the cherries in there, I wanted it to almost look like a stain glass window, or like panettone, which is an Italian fruitcake. As we are now in Christmas season, things with dried fruits are all the rage, so I wanted these cookies to be a nod to that. With these cookies, you can expect zesty, sweet, sour, buttery, and tart, all in one bite. They are super addictive, and they are not a bad alternative to your typical chocolate chip.

For the cookies:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dried cherries
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and diced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest and juice from 1 blood orange

In a food processor, blitz together 1/4 cup of flour with the dried cherries until they are finely chopped. In a bowl, mix together your flour, sugar, cherries, baking powder, and salt first, then your butter to form a crumbly dough. Pour into that your blood orange juice and zest and vanilla and mix to form a smoother dough. Place the dough onto a large piece of cling wrap and roll and squeeze the dough into a log that is 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Refrigerate the dough for at least 45 minutes. Cut into 24 even pieces and then bake at 375 degrees F for 12 minutes, rotating halfway through to guarantee even baking.