Festive Orange Cardamom Shortbread with Brandy Glaze

This festive orange cardamom shortbread blends fragrant citrus, floral cardamom, and rich buttery notes, finished with a silky brandy glaze for a refined holiday treat. Simple yet elegant, these orange cardamom shortbread cookies with vanilla make a wonderful addition to your Christmas dessert table, and the keyword orange cardamom shortbread cookies fits naturally throughout the post for strong holiday intent.

Hey, folks – I hope you’re all doing well!

With the holiday baking season in full swing, I’m delighted to share these festive orange cardamom shortbread cookies. They’re buttery, aromatic, beautifully citrusy, and topped with a lightly spiced brandy glaze that feels warm and wintery without being heavy. If you enjoy simple cookies with refined flavours, this recipe will be right up your alley.

Why You’ll Love These Festive Orange Cardamom Shortbread with Brandy Glaze

• Bright and aromatic. The combination of orange zest and cardamom creates a festive, citrus-forward flavour that feels elegant and seasonal.
• Buttery and tender. Classic shortbread texture with a fine crumb that melts in your mouth.
• Not overly sweet. The cookies themselves are intentionally lightly sweetened, allowing the orange, cardamom, and brandy glaze to shine through beautifully.
• Elegant brandy glaze. Adds depth, gentle warmth, and a glossy finish without overpowering the cookie.
• Easy to make. Simple dough that comes together quickly with no complicated steps.
• Perfect for gifting. They keep well, pack beautifully, and look festive on cookie trays.
• Customizable. Use different citrus, skip the alcohol, or play with additional spices.

Flavour and Texture Profile

These orange cardamom shortbread cookies are buttery, tender, and delicately crumbly, with vibrant citrus notes and warm cardamom running through each bite. The glaze adds sweetness and a soft boozy glow, while the optional rosemary garnish brings a subtle herbal hint. The flavour is refined but festive, never overpowering, and the texture becomes even more tender after resting overnight.

Ingredients You’ll Need for These Orange Cardamom Shortbread Cookies

To make these festive orange cardamom shortbread cookies, you will need the following ingredients. Each plays an important role in the texture and flavour.

For the shortbread:

• Good-quality butter. Essential for richness and the classic shortbread crumb.
• Flour. Provides structure; can fully replace the cornstarch if preferred.
• Corn starch (optional). Adds extra tenderness; may be swapped for flour.
• Icing sugar. Dissolves smoothly, giving a fine, tender texture.
• Cardamom. Brings warm, floral spice that pairs beautifully with citrus.
• Orange zest. Adds bright, fragrant citrus notes.
• Vanilla bean (or extract). Rounds out the flavour with soft warmth.
• Salt. Balances sweetness and enhances flavour.

For the glaze:

• Icing sugar. Creates a smooth, glossy finish.
• Cardamom (a small amount). Adds gentle warmth without turning the glaze grey.
• Brandy. Adds festive depth; triple sec or rum work equally well.
• Orange zest. Brightens and reinforces the citrus aroma.
• Rosemary (for garnish). Offers a subtle aromatic accent and a festive look.

Possible Additions and Variations

Although these cookies are already delicious, you can always customize this recipe to make it even more exciting:

• Try different citrus – Clementine, mandarin, or blood orange zest work beautifully.
• Make it alcohol-free – Use orange juice or milk (or cream for extra rich and smooth glaze) in the glaze instead of brandy.
• Add warm spices – A touch of cinnamon or nutmeg for a cozier winter profile.
• Dip in chocolate – Dark or white chocolate pairs well with orange and cardamom.

A Note About Cookie Stamps

I used cookie stamps for this batch; however, this dough is quite soft and delicate, so the designs didn’t hold perfectly. Only a few patterns transferred cleanly. It’s entirely up to you whether you want to try stamps or keep the cookies simple.

If you’d like to use stamps, here are a few helpful tips:

• Chill the dough very well before stamping for 20 minutes.
• Dust the stamp lightly with flour to prevent sticking.
• Press firmly and evenly to get clean lines.
• Choose deeper, simpler designs — intricate patterns may blur during baking.

More Festive Holiday Cookie Recipes

If you enjoy these orange cardamom shortbread cookies, you might also like:

• Orange Clove Christmas Cookies – Festive Spiced Shortbread
• Soft Ginger Christmas Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze
• Orange Pecan Toffee Shortbread Cookies
• Orange Almond Gingerbread Cookies – Festive Gluten-Free Christmas Recipe
• Festive Cranberry Pecan Shortbread Cookies

I’d love for you to try these Festive Orange Cardamom Shortbread with Brandy Glaze. If you give this holiday cookie recipe a go, please share your results in the comments, message me on Instagram, or post your photos with the hashtag #havocinthekitchen. I look forward to seeing your creations and hearing your thoughts!

Cheers!

Festive Orange Cardamom Shortbread with Brandy Glaze

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

Festive orange cardamom shortbread with a brandy glaze – buttery, citrusy holiday cookies perfect for gifting or Christmas dessert tables.

Course: Cookies, Christmas, Christmas CookiesCuisine: EuropeanDifficulty: Easy

5.0 from 3 votes

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Servings

18-24

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Chilling time

1-2

hours

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 170 g (3/4 cup) butter, soften

• 185 g (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
  you may need a little more for dusting

• 30 g (3 tbsp.) corn starch
  or substitute for more flour

• 2 tbsp. (20 g) icing (powdered) sugar

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1-2 tbsp. orange zest, finely minced

• 1 tsp. (about 2 g) ground cardamom

• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds – or 1-2 tsp. vanilla extract

• Glaze:

• 1 and 1/4 cup (about 150 g) icing sugar

• 2-3 tbsp. (30-45 ml) brandy or orange liqueur

• a small pinch of cardamom
  large amount could result in the greyish hue

• extra orange zest and rosemary, optional, for garnish

Directions

• First Method (Requires Mixer and Longer Chilling):
• For this method, you will need softened butter; just remove it from the fridge 1-2 hours prior baking. In a bowl, with a mixer cream the butter, cardamom, sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium speed, about 2 minutes.
• Gradually stir in the flour and corn starch (if using) and mix until the mixture starts to remain dough.
• Stir in the orange zest; do not overmix. Wrap up in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 – preferably 60 minutes. After chilling the dough should be pliable, moist, and slightly crumbly (yet easily coming together). You may need to dust it with some flour when rolling. If the dough is too firm and crumbly after chilling, let it stay 5-10 minutes at room temp.
• Roll the dough out with a rolling-pin (if the dough feels too moist, sprinkle with a little flour). Cut cookies using cookie cutters.
• If using cookie stamps: Press the flour-dusted stamp over a ball of dough also dusted with flour, then firmly press down on the dough, until it flattens and spreads out all the way to the edge of the stamp. Carefully pull the dough off the stamp and set onto the baking sheet. If you have the uneven edges, use a smaller round cookie cutter to cut the pressed cookie and trim off. Reuse the scraps. Note: not all stamp patterns worked well with this type of dough.
• Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (350 F). Arrange the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheets, allowing some space between each cookie.
• Bake for about 10-14 minutes (depending on size and your preference) or until edges are slightly golden. If you prefer delicate, moist, and soft cookies, bake them less, depending on their size, thickness, and your oven. If you prefer them crisp and more browned, bake them for extra 2-3 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and let completely cool.
• Second Method (No Mixer and Brief Chilling Required):
• Cut the butter into few large pieces, place in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat for about 25-30 seconds or until very soft (partly melted); or melt a small saucepan over stovetop heat. It should not be completely melted, otherwise you may need to chill it longer.
• Combine the soften butter with orange zest, icing sugar, cardamom, vanilla, and salt. Beat with a wooden spoon for 40-60 seconds until well-incorporated.
• Stir in the flour and starch and mix until remains dough; don’t overmix.
• If the dough feels too sticky, dust with a little of flour. If it feels to crumbly / dry (that happens as density of ingredients could wary), you can fix it by stirring in a little more of melted butter or a splash of milk.
• You do not need to refrigerate the dough, but if you have time, giving it 10 minutes of resting will improve the texture even more. If you plan to use cookie stamps, I recommend chilling for 20-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (~175 degrees C). Repeat steps 4 to 6 from the 1st method.
• In a meantime, in a small bowl make the glaze by whisking together the icing sugar, brandy, and cardamom. Adjust the consistency by adding more juice or/and liqueur – it should be quite thick but still spreadable (like honey which is not too runny).
• Pour the glaze over the cooled cookies and help spread, if necessary, using a spoon or butter knife. Garnish as desired. Let the glaze set for 30-60 minutes.