I have beef with the NYT Cooking section. They are behind a paywall about 90% of the time. Just give me ads! I’m not paying you! There’s so much free baking information on the internet that if I can’t access one specific recipe, I’m going to figure it out myself. Which is what happened with these. My brother in law sent a post about these cookies, and I decided they simply had to be made. But because the recipe was behind a pay wall, I peeked at what I could see behind the popup on their site, and then cobbled together my own version of old fashioned cocktail shortbread cookies.
What, like it’s hard? Come on NYT.
Some of my favorite bakes have been based off of Old Fashioned cocktails. Namely, this Old Fashioned cocktail cake and these old fashioned old fashioned donuts I made a few years ago. So I was pretty determined to make old fashioned shortbread a success as well.
My first attempt at making these admittedly did not turn out how I wanted. My family insisted they were alright, but they also said that they were more “stollen-like” than I was intending. The second attempt went much better, and was more like what I was envisioning! It just took a bit of retooling. It certainly didn’t take paying the NYT.
My brother asked me “what did you do differently?” when I made the second batch. I, very helpfully, said, “Everything!” Because it was an entirely new recipe. Some recipes you have to troubleshoot… some you have to entirely overhaul. The second time, I kept it as simple as possible. Butter, powdered sugar, whiskey + bitters, and flour. A pinch of salt. Dried fruit. No complicated methods. Comes together in 10 minutes. You’re good to go.
I know not everyone is in to dried fruits in their baked goods. And I get that! I’m usually not a dried fruit person. But I couldn’t think of how else to capture the orange and cherry that goes into an old fashioned. Luckily, with this version, you can get some cookies that are loaded with fruit, and others that aren’t. So you can pick a cookie that has a ratio that appeals to you.
If I made these again, I might see how adding more whiskey would go. (With a bit more flour as well, to keep the consistency.) Not because it needs more whiskey flavor, but because I’m wondering, in the name of science, how powerful you could make the whiskey flavor in a cookie? But that is an experiment for another day. I’ve used up the cherries and oranges I bought, and have other bakes to make in the meantime. I’ll add it to my list to return to.
Since they’re shortbread, I think these pair well with tea. But maybe, if you’re feeling compelled, these might taste pretty good with a cocktail as well?
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PinIngredients
- ½ cup dried cherries, chopped into smaller bits
- ⅓ cup diced candied orange peel
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons whiskey + 1 tsp bitters
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar for approximately 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the whiskey and bitters.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour to the butter mixture. The dough will resemble small pebbles. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough comes together—but be careful not to over-mix. Once it just comes together, add the cherries and oranges and mix for just a few more seconds to incorporate them. Using your hands, form the dough into a 2-inch thick log. Cover with plastic and chill for 30 minutes. ball.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the log into ½ inch thick slices and arrange them on the baking sheet
- Place the cookies in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, then bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are golden around the edges, but still pale in color. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.