Almond and cranberry shortbread

Ingredients

• 170 g butter softened cut into smaller pieces
• 125 g powdered sugar 
• 2  egg yolk 
• 2 tsp juice of lemon 
• 190 g flour 
• 110 g almonds finely
• 110 g cranberries dried
• 1 handful blanched almonds and coarsely chopped

Equipment

• baking sheet
• baking paper
• oven
• knife
• whisk
• aluminum foil
• cutting board

Directions

1. Cream the butter for about 5 minutes until fluffy.
2. Add powdered sugar, continue beating until the mixture is shiny and smooth.
3. Add the yolks and lemon juice and whisk until fully incorporated.
4. Mix flour and almonds and gradually add to the butter mixture.
5. Mix until the doug has consistency of a thick paste. Do not overmix (too much mixing makes the cookies hard).
6. Add dried cranberries by kneading by hand.
7. Divide the dough into two equal parts, shape each part into a 20-22 cm long roll.
8. Roll each of the rolls in chopped almonds and/ or pistachios sprinkled over two aluminum sheets long enough to wrap the roll of dough. With fingers lightly press the roll towards the center to remove any air bubbles or cracks from the dough.
9. Wrap each roll in foil, twist the ends and place in the refrigerator for several hours, preferably overnight.
10. Remove foil from a roll of dough (keep the other cool until use) and place on a cutting board. With a large, sharp knife cut the roll into 5-6 mm wide slices.
11. Place the slices well apart, on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
12. Bake the cookies in the oven preheated to 180C for about 12 min (be careful not to burn them).
13. Let them cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack or a plate to cool fully. Repeat with the second roll of dough.
14. Store the cookies in an airtight container.