Chocolate Orange Shortbread Cookies

You all know how much fun I have recreating from my leftovers. I got yet another chance to play with my food yet again too. When I made my chocolate orange cake Chocolate Orange Cake I had a lot of frosting left over. Well, I didn’t want to make another cake, so what could I do with the frosting? I made cookies. Cookies are always my favorite dessert anyway, so what better way to use up some of chocolate orange frosting, right?! 🙂

Shortbread cookies originated in Scotland around the 12th century, and were popular with Mary, Queen of Scots, during the 16th century. Mary Queen of Scots’ cravings for shortbread skyrocketed it to fame. She asked private chefs to create ‘petticoat shortbread’ shapes based on the petticoats she wore during the 16th century. And thanks to her, this shape remains a big favorite now. During her reign (1542 – 1567), a bite was reserved only for the elite. As shortbread was made with butter, sugar and flour, it would be both expensive and difficult to get hold of the ingredients, and so it became synonymous with wealth, luxury and celebrations. It was munched on by nobles and royals, and saved for special occasions like weddings, Christmas and New Year for the less rich. It was often made for weddings, showing off that the happy couple could afford to serve guests such a rare treat. Today, shortbread reigns supreme in Scotland and is affordable for all. So as you can see, these popular cookies have been around for a very long time. They are still a favorite all over the world today too, although today, there are many more varieties.

The story of shortbread begins with the medieval “biscuit bread”. Any leftover dough from bread making was dried out in a low oven until it hardened into a type of rusk: the word “biscuit” means “twice cooked”. Gradually the yeast in the bread was replaced by butter, and biscuit bread developed into shortbread. The name “shortbread” comes from the use of butter, which gives the cookies, or biscuits as they are called in the UK, their buttery taste and crumbly, soft to the bite texture. The name of shortbread cookies comes from the old meaning of the world “short”, which reflects the crumbliness of the dough and the name ‘shortbread’ stuck. That firm to the bite feel with a crumbly texture is the source of your shortbread addiction. Butter, and especially high quality butter, gives the dough its crumbly feel.

Are shortbreads a cookies, a biscuit or bread? This was a serious question to the British government, especially when it came to taxing these delicious treats. In the 1980’s, the Scottish Association of Master Bakers Scottish fought hard to fight off the European Union who wanted to classify shortbread a ‘common biscuit’ in order to charge the higher biscuit tax imposed by the government. Today, many consider it a ‘biscuit’, but the ‘shortbread’ name stays thanks to their perseverance.

Chocolate Orange Shortbread Cookies

The key to good shortbread cookies is to NOT overwork the dough. Mix it just until it starts to come together, then dump it onto a lightly floured surface until you have a smooth dough. The less you work the dough, the more crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth your shortbread cookies will be. You also want to make sure the butter to flour ratio is in correct proportion. If one of them is off, the dough will not have the desired soft and crumbly texture or rich, buttery taste.

12 TBSP or 1 1/2 sticks softened butter

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp orange extract

2 cups + 2 TBSP flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP orange zest

2 TBSP orange juice or orange balsamic vinegar

Combine all the dry ingredients together and mix well.

Mix the butter and sugar together until creamy, then add the egg, orange juice or orange vinegar and the extracts and mix together again. I did not have orange juice, so I added the orange vinegar instead. It worked just fine.

Add 1/2 the flour and mix in, then add the rest of the flour and mix just until everything is combined. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and work it with your hands until the dough forms.

Shape the dough into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before baking.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350* F or 180*C. Then slice the dough into pieces about 1/4″ thick and place on a non-greased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges start to lightly brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on the pan, then move them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before dipping them in the frosting.

For my frosting, I used some of my leftover chocolate orange frosting and added a little heavy whipping cream to make it more like a ganache, then heated it all together on the stove for about 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.

I dipped half of the cookie into the chocolate mixture and lightly sprinkled some orange zest on the chocolate portions.

When the cookies are all topped, place the tray into fridge to set for at least about 30 minutes or so before enjoying, and enjoy you will too.

These cookies are definitely addicting. I bet you can’t stop at just one. But go ahead. I dare you. 🙂

And believe it or not, I still have quite a bit of my chocolate orange frosting left. So, don;t be too ssurprised when you see yet another chocolate orange com

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.