Citrus and chocolate are such a delicious combination that I decided to make these chocolate orange shortbread cookies for citrus season. Chopped chocolate is combined with an orange shortbread dough and then rolled in demerara sugar for a crunchy edge. They're buttery and chocolatey with a burst of delicious orange flavor. They're easy to make and perfect for when you want something a little sweet.
The base recipe for this cookie is my Classic Shortbread Cookie, but the inspiration for this cookie was my holiday cookie box that I make every year for family and friends. If you love orange shortbread cookies try my cranberry orange shortbread cookie and if you like chocolate shortbread try my chocolate hazelnut shortbread cookie.
Why Orange and Chocolate Taste So Good Together
I came up with the idea for this recipe based on a picture I saw online. I love testing new recipes and since chocolate and orange taste good together I decided to test it in a shortbread cookie.
The slight bitterness of the dark chocolate pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the orange zest. Plus as I did my research I learned that both orange and chocolate have a compound called limonene which makes them a natural pairing. Isn't that interesting?
An added bonus? Chocolate and orange make a great pairing for the holidays so this would make a great cookie for your Christmas cookie box.
Chocolate Orange Cookie Ingredients
Here's what you'll need for this recipe:
- Unsalted Butter. Butter adds flavor and produces a nice tender cookie. You can use salted butter, but don't add the additional salt that the recipe calls for. It's also important to use a good quality butter, such as Tillamook butter.
- Granulated Sugar. Granulated sugar produces nice crisp edges and helps with the light browning on the bottom edge of the cookie. I prefer the texture of shortbread cookies made with granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar.
- Orange Zest. The orange zest is a major flavor component. Use fresh oranges and zest the orange directly into the sugar to get the most flavor out of the orange. The skin of the orange should be slightly shiny to get the most flavor. If the skin is dry do not use it. There won't be much flavor in the zest.
- Egg White. The egg white is used to help the demerara sugar adhere to the to the cookie dough.
The great thing about this shortbread cookie recipe is that it is based on a 3-2-1 ratio, which makes it easy to remember. It's 3 parts flour, 2 parts butter, and 1 part sugar. See the recipe card for the exact ingredient amounts.
How to Make Chocolate Orange Shortbread Cookies
Start by chopping the chocolate really fine. The pieces should be 1/8-1/4-inch in size. The small size of he chocolate chunks will make it easier to slice the cookie.
Place the granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and zest the orange directly onto the sugar until it looks like you have about 2 teaspoons. You may need two oranges depending on their size.
Rub the orange zest into the sugar with your fingers. This step further releases the citrus oils into the sugar and will help create a really fragrant orange cookie.
Add all the butter and with the paddle attachment mix on medium speed until the batter is creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the flour and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture starts to come together and forms large clumps. Add the chopped chocolate and mix on low speed until the chocolate is distributed throughout the dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and lightly knead the dough until it comes together. Divide the dough into two equal portions and roll them into 1-1/2 inch logs that are about 7-inches long each.
Wrap each one in wax paper that is at least 6-inches long than the log. Roll the dough log back and forth a few times to even it out and make it rough.
Chill the cookie dough logs for at least one (1) hour.
How to Prep and Bake the Cookies
Place one(1) egg white in a small bowl. Place 1/2 cup of demerara sugar on a rectangular piece of parchment paper and spread it across the length of the parchment paper
Remove one cookie dough log from the refrigerator and let it sit a room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
Place the cookie dough on top of the sugar. Brush the top of the log with the egg white and rotate it so the sugar adheres to the cookie dough. Continue to brush the dough with egg white and roll it in the sugar until the entire length of the log is covered.
Check for empty spots and sprinkle sugar onto the blank spots. When the dough is completely covered slice the dough into 1/2-inch rounds. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet 1-1/2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies for 16-18 minutes. The cookies are done when the bottoms turn slightly brown, so check the bottom of one of the cookies after 16 minutes.
Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then move them to a cooling rack.
Pro Tips for Making These Cookies
- Use oranges that look fresh for the orange zest. Do not use oranges that look dry or shriveled, you will not be able to get much zest or orange oil.
- Use a scale to weigh your flour. Too much flour will produce a dry crumbly dough that will be hard to shape into a log. Too little flour will produce a cookie dough that is soft and won't hold its shape when baked.
- Use room-temperature unsalted butter so that it easily mixes with the other ingredients
- Since butter is the prominent flavor use good quality butter. I recommend Tillamook or Kerrygold butter.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the cookie dough. Do not use a serrated knife.
- When baking multiple batches, don't place unbaked cookies on a warm baking sheet.
Shortbread Cookie Variations
The combination of citrus and chocolate is really delicious. Here are a couple of variations:
- Grapefruit zest and dark chocolate
- Lemon and white chocolate
- Orange zest, cinnamon, and milk chocolate
These cookies are amazing. If you haven't tried the combination of orange and chocolate before you'll love it in this cookie. If you make these cookies please leave a comment and rating to let me know what you think.
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Orange Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (114 grams) granulated sugar
- 8 ounces (227 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoons orange zest requires 1 large orange
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 ounces (340 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon for dusting the work surface
- 4 ounces (113 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
- 1 large (30 grams) egg white
- 3/4 cup demerara sugar
Instructions
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces, about 1/8-1/4 inch in size. The small size is required so that you can more easily slice the cookie dough. When you have chopped the chocolate, sift the chocolate with a medium-coarse strainer to remove the tiny pieces. You should be left with small chunks and about 3-1/2 ounces of chocolate.
- The finer pieces are sifted out, because if they are added to the cookie dough, they will turn the dough dark.
- Place the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Zest the orange on top of the sugar until you have about 2 teaspoons. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. Add the kosher salt and the butter. With the paddle attachment beat the sugar, salt and butter on medium speed until it is well combined and looks creamy, 2 minutes.
- Add the flour and mix on medium-low speed just until the dough starts to come together and forms large clumps. Add the chopped chocolate and mix on low until the chocolate is dispersed throughout the dough. The dough will still be large clumps.
- Turn out the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Gently gather the dough together into a disk by gently pressing the dough together and shaping it into a round disk. The dough should weigh about 940 grams. Once you have a round disk shape, use a knife or a bench knife to cut directly in half and set aside.
- Clean your work surface with a bench scraper. Shape each dough half into a 7-inch long, 1-1/2 diameter log, by forming it into a short cylinder and then rolling it back and form with open hands. Move your hands from the center to the outside edges and back again to maintain even thickness.
- Wrap the parchment paper around your dough log, lengthwise. Then twist each end of the paper into pigtails in opposite directions (one towards you and one away from you) to form a locking mechanism. With each twist, the dough will compress and becomes smoothed out (think of it like a sausage in a casing). Roll from the center outward until you feel that you have a smooth, cylindrical log.
- Chill the dough for at least 1 hours and up to 2 days.
Baking the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325F degrees. Remove one of the logs of cookie dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup of demerara sugar on a piece of parchment paper at least 10-inches long. Brush the dough with egg white and then roll it in the sugar on the parchment paper. You may need to sprinkle the sugar directly onto the log or press some of the sugar into spots to get it to stick to the dough
- Slice the log with a sharp knife into 1/2-inch rounds and place them on a cookie sheet about 2-inches apart. Bake the cookies for about 15-17 minutes. The bottom of the cookie will be light golden brown. If the cookies are brown on top reduce the baking time by 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes then use a spatula to move them to a cooling rack.
- Repeat these steps with the second log, adding more sugar to the parchment paper if required.
Storage
- Store the cookies in airtight container for up to 2 weeks. The cookies taste even better on the second day.
Freezing Unbaked Cookies
- Once your cookie dough logs are securely wrapped in wax paper, you can freeze them to bake later. First, chill them in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour so the log is firm. Place the wrapped logs in a large freezer bag or airtight container. This freezer bag will help prevent freezer burn and keep your dough fresh. Make sure to squeeze out as much air as possible from the freezer bag before sealing it tightly. Lay the bag flat in the freezer. This will help the logs maintain their shape and prevent them from getting squished by other items in your freezer.
- Shortbread cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready to bake, take a log out of the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight until it's firm but pliable enough to slice. Slice and bake according to the recipe instructions. Add a minute or two to the baking time to account for the dough being chilled.
Stephanie says
These are great! Not too many orange-chocolate cookies out there and I was having that kind of flavor craving. I'm definitely making these again. I had gotten distracted and didn't read about the parchment paper roll/twist technique, so I used plastic wrap 🤦♀️ next time I'll use the parchment. They only took 10-12 minutes in my parents brand new oven. Thank you for sharing.
Stacey says
So how many cookies does this make? 30?
Stephanie says
I can't remember... Maybe each roll was 10 inches long? So 30-35…maybe 40?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Stacey
If you slice the cookies 1/2-inch thick, this recipe makes 30 cookies.
Stacey says
I made 4 batches and it came up to ~150 cookies. I put the zest in with the sugar overnight and these were fantastic! will def be making them again next year. Thank you!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Stacey
Wow! That's a lot of cookies. I'm so glad that you enjoyed them enough to add them to your annual baking plans. I'll have to try the overnight sugar trick. That's a good idea.
Rose Montali says
I made the dough for the chocolate chunk shortbread. It was difficult to form into a log. After refrigerating overnight- when I unwrapped parchment paper, it completely crumbled. Never in the 30+ years I have been baking, have I encountered this problem! I do not know how to remedy the recipe but after reading other comments- it looks like quite a few people had the same issues.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Rose
I don't know what went wrong for you when you made the cookie and I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. This recipe is my base recipe for multiple cookies, so I know it is a recipe that works either for cutout cookies or for slice and bakes cookies. It could be that you used too much flour when you made the recipe. And I don't know what other comments you're referring to, but you're the only reader to make this comment.
Kathy Young says
All: Sometimes the moisture or dryness of the flour will cause the
cookies to be dryer.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Kathy
Thank you for this comment. You're right, flour is hydroscopic, which is why it's important to keep it in an airtight container. In winter, on cold days I sometimes have to add a little bit more water to my pie dough. In humid climates flour can absorb moisture.
Monica says
Can I use chocolate couverture?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Monica
Yes, you can use chocolate couverture for these cookies.
Vici says
I want the orange flavor to stand out - wondering if it's pretty strong already or if there is a way to add more orange zest/flavor that works best with this recipe?
Thank you!
Stacey says
The longer you leave the zest in the sugar the stronger the orange flavor will be. So i like to leave it for a day or two beforehand.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Stacey
That is a good point about letting the sugar sit with the orange zest for a stronger flavor. Thanks for adding that.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Vici
Fresh orange zest is pretty strong because of the amount of oils in the skin. I think the 2 teaspoons of zest adds a lot of orange flavor, especially when the oranges are fresh and the skin has a shine to it. But it does come down to a matter of personal taste. Feel free to experiment and add another teaspoon of zest and see if you like it. Please let me know how it goes.
Marina says
Cheryl, great recipe!
I added dried cherries, chocolate chunks, chopped pistachios, and vanilla.
Incredibly delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Marina
I like all those flavors. Thank you for trying my recipe and sharing your flavor combinations. I love it.
Kim says
Hi Cheryl! Someone brought these to a cookie exchange this Christmas and they were by far my favorite. I've thought about them ever since! For some reason we forgot to exchange recipes. I googled the ingredients and your recipe came up--it looks exactly the same, so I'm going to make yours. I just had a question. I bought a bottle of orange extract for one recipe this holiday season that I need to use up. Do you think I could use a tsp of that in place of the orange zest? I have a cookie recipe that uses lemon extract and it's delicious. (Normally I'd never use something artificial when it calls for actual fruit, but that extract was $6.)
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Kim
Thank you for the compliment on these cookies. I'm so glad you enjoyed them. For your question about using orange extract, I will say you can try it. Since extract is much more concentrated than orange zest, I recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon. With the extract you won't have those tiny zest flecks throughout the cookie and and you could end up with an artificial taste in the cookie. If you do use it, I would love to know how they turn out and what brand of orange extract you used.