Orange Shortbread Cookies
December 16, 2020
Every year we spend time delicately planning, putting together, baking, and finally, gifting, homemade cookie boxes. It wasn’t always this way. This was an ambitious task to take up nearly 10 years ago. With only half the resources and a quarter of the financial stability we have now, it really required some gumption to execute this mission with grace. I was young when our cofounder and my older sister, Jen, stirred up enough courage to start baking for family and friends as Christmas came around. Although I may not have been very helpful in the kitchen when I was younger, I have always excitedly watched the process unfold. From carefully picking what recipes were good enough to make it in, to grocery shopping, and finally hunting down the perfect vessel in which they’d ship - it’s always been a magical process.
After years of learning, condensing, streamlining & changing the process, I will let you in on a secret. None of it has to be difficult. When we started baking for people during the holidays, we would make a large set of recipes, with elaborate wrapping, and even more complex processes behind it. Now, to eliminate any additional stress, we make one cookie. Never overdone, and always delicious. The best and simplest cookie we can recommend is our Orange Shortbread Cookie. I cannot overstate how delicious this recipe is. Our Orange Shortbread Cookies could never bore family and friends with its foolproof formula.
These cookies are the perfect confection for any holiday gathering or gift basket. With their subtly sweet and buttery flavor - they are a total crowd pleaser. We have always adored plain shortbread, but there is something so special about the touch of a wintery citrus. Adding the zest of an orange sets these over the top. Not only does it add more festive Christmas flavor, it amplifies the overall impact of this cookie. For our recipe, we scored the dough and baked it in a ceramic pie pan to attain a lovely scalloped edge. And just before placing it in the oven, we sprinkle our dough to create a lovely sparkling effect. But if you are looking to decorate, this same recipe can be made with a cookie cutter into all wintery shapes. Even add a drizzle of dark chocolate for a sophisticated touch.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups flour
1 large orange, zested
Sparkling sugar sprinkles (optional)
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
Directions
1. Place softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Whip butter on medium high speed until light and fluffy around 3-5 minutes. With the mixer off, add the powdered sugar and whip on medium high until the mixture is very light and fluffy around 2-3 more minutes. Add the zest and mix until combined. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
2. Press dough into a buttered 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Place on the refrigerator and cool for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
4. When 20 minutes are up, remove the shortbread from the refrigerator and use a knife to cut into 8 wedges. Then use a skewer to dock the shortbread ever 1/4 inch. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
5. Bake the shortbread until lightly golden brown and set about 1 hour. Begin checking your shortbread at 40 minutes for doneness. Allow the shortbread to cool fully in the pan. Slice and serve.
