CHOCOLATE DIPPED ORANGE SHORTBREAD COOKIES!
Did you ever have one of those chocolate oranges that you could bust apart on the counter and enjoy a slice at a time? These cookies will take you back in time with a little twist of citrus and dipped in a delicious chocolate!
Ingredients:
WET:
¾ pound butter (3 sticks), room temperature (I always use salted butter)
1 C of granulated sugar
1 t pure vanilla extract
*2 t orange/flavored extract
DRY:
3 ½ C All-Purpose flour
¼- ½ t salt (can adjust depending on un/salted butter)
Granulated/*Turbinado sugar for sprinkling.
*DIP:
6-8 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (6 is almost not enough, but 8 is a little too much, BUT enough to lick the spoon; not that I’ve EVER done that ;)).
Other Stuff you’ll need:
Stand/Hand mixer for creaming butter
Plastic wrap
Parchment paper (I Did several tests, for my oven, parchment did WAY better than a silpat)
Rolling pin with measuring markers of some sort
Cookie Cutter (I use square or heart shapes most)
Wire wracks for cooling
Double boiler/pot of boiling water and bowl to melt chocolate.
*indicates optional ingredient
Instructions:
In a medium size bowl, mix together DRY ingredients and set aside.
Place room temperature butter in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Break it apart just until it starts to coat the bowl. Add all of the Sugar and cream together. Scrape the sides of the bowl a couple of times to ensure all of the sugar and butter mix together. Add in extracts and beat in until combined. Scrape bowl at least one more time. . .
Dump in the Dry ingredients into the bowl and slowly combine. Once your mixer starts to “grunt” and the dough begins to gather on the paddle, you’re ready to turn out onto a floured surface and bring it together. Bring your dough into a disk/rectangle shape and cover with plastic wrap to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. It can stay up to 2 days. . . Longer and it could dry out.
Preheat your oven to 350degF.
Lightly flour your work surface; take the chilled dough and cut in half. Cover one half of the dough with the plastic wrap, and with a rolling pin, gently start to roll out the other half to about ¼ inch thickness. The dough will have cracks, it’s okay. . . (at least I think it’s okay LOL).
With a cookie cutter (I like something that has an even edge like a square or a heart; points tend to cook much quicker. . .), cut out your shapes and place them on the parchment paper lined pans. If you have too much flour on the bottom from your work surface, go ahead and dust that off. Sprinkle the shapes with some Turbinado or Granulated sugar and bake for 18-20 minutes; the thicker the cookie the longer the bake time. Mine end up about 3/8 inch thickness; so if yours are ¼ inch thickness, you will need to bake a little longer (22-24 minutes). The thinner the cookie the larger the yield too! Repeat with the other half of the dough. Pull the cookies out and cool on the pan for about 3 minutes and then remove to cool completely on a wire wrack.
NOW, you’re cookies are done and delicious, BUT this step will add a little surprise for your consumers and it’s not that hard! Put your parchment paper from baking on a flat surface. Melt your chocolate in a double boiler; melt until smooth and then dip one corner of each cookie into the chocolate; place on the parchment paper and let the chocolate solidify for about 5 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to a week (they won’t last that long, TRUST!)
Et voilá!! You have delicious chocolate dipped shortbread cookies!