These Meyer lemon shortbread cookies with cranberries are perfect for Valentine's Day - or any day! Surprise your Sweetheart with some homemade sunshine.
Combine flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a food processor or blender jar, pulse cranberries and ¼ cup powdered sugar together until cranberries are about the size of coarsely chopped nuts. The powdered sugar will keep them from getting too clumpy, but don't pulse too long or you will have puree.You can also do this step manually, with a knife and cutting board. Set chopped cranberries aside.
Put room temperature butter into the mixer bowl, and start the mixer of High. Cream the butter for at least 5 minutes. The butter should be very pale before you move on to the next step.
Beat in remaining ¾ cup powdered sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy.Add vanilla and zest and mix to thoroughly combine. Mix in the chopped cranberries.
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and mix just until dough forms a ball on comes away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
Remove dough from bowl and form into two logs about 1¼" - 1½" in diameter. (Two shorter logs are much easier to work with than one long log.)Chill the dough log for 1 hour.
Form Heart-shaped Log
If you just want to keep things simple and make shortbread rounds, leave the dough-logs in the fridge for two hours and proceed to Bake.
After one hour, remove prepared dough logs from refrigerator.With the shortbread dough still in plastic wrap, shape the bottom point of the heart by resting the log on a cutting board and using the back of a spatula perpendicularly against a cutting board to form a point.You will need to rotate the log from one side to the other a couple of times to get it all even.
When you have the bottom point the way you want it, use a large skewer or chopstick to form the indentation opposite the point.
Once your Heart-Log is shaped the way you want, pop it back into the fridge for at least an hour before slicing.
Bake
Preheat oven to 350°F (175° C).
Using a clean, sharp knife, slice cookies ¼" - ⅜" thick and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
Arrange shortbread slices on baking sheet about ¾" apart. Bake in preheated oven 8-9 minutes, or until just firm.Watch carefully, and do not allow edges to brown. Leave the cookies on the pan for about 10 minutes to allow the shortbread to set. Remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Lemon shortbread dough can be made up to two days ahead of time. Mix the dough and form it into logs, then wrap it tightly in plastic film and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Substitutions
Meyer Lemons: In the US, Meyer lemon season runs late November to March.If you can't find Meyer lemons, use equal parts (zest or juice) lemon and orange/mandarine/tangerines.Dried Fruits: Cranberry and orange make a wonderful pairing; however, any dried fruit can be used in place of the cranberries. (Apricots and pineapple are both tasty choices.) Choose dried fruits that will remain relatively dry when it it finely chopped.