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1
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and salt on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl every minute or so. The mixture should be creamy and light in color.
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2
Add the flour and blend until a soft dough forms. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the cranberries, orange zest and orange juice.
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3
Line 2 large baking pans with parchment paper. Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. They'll look pretty small, but they'll spread out into nice size cookies so resist the temptation to make them huge. Believe me, I felt it too. Place dough onto the parchment paper lined trays, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Then use a small glass dipped in sugar (to prevent sticking) to press the balls into 1/4 inch thick rounds.
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4
Place pans in the freezer for 30 minutes. Do not skip this step. I tried and I ended up with a solid sheet of shortbreads. Not exactly what I was going for.
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5
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300 F. After 30 minutes, remove pans from freezer. Place them in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges are very light brown and centers are barely set. They can go from done to burnt quickly so keep an eye on them.
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6
When done remove pans from the oven. Allow cookies to cool on the pans. While the cookies are cooling, melt chocolate in a microwave safe container (stirring after every 30 seconds) or in the top of a double boiler. Set up a nice dipping station with the bowl of melted chocolate, the bowl of chopped pistachios, and a big sheet of wax paper beside them.
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7
Once cookies are cooled, dip them in the chocolate (just cover them halfway), using a spoon to scrape off any extra chocolate. Sprinkle the chocolate end with pistachios then lay the cookies on the wax paper to dry.
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8
Once dry, store in an airtight container, separated by sheets of wax paper. They should last for a few days. They might last longer, but we couldn't keep them around to see!
