Orange Shortbread Biscuits

A traditional Scottish biscuit made with just butter, flour and sugar. These biscuits are soft, crumbly and delicious. They melt in your mouth like cotton candy, and its'The' biscuit to serve at a high tea. These buttery beauties are orange-flavoured and coated with dark chocolate. The orange adds hints of tartness and freshness to these biscuits, and dark chocolate adds elegance to these lovely treats. These biscuits take you home with every bite!

Serves: 10

Ingredients

1 ½ cup Flour

200g unsalted Butter

½ cup Granulated sugar

4 tbsp Orange pulp

2 tsp Vanilla extract

3 tsp Orange zest

½ cup Dark chocolate

Method

Step 1- Dough

Preheat the oven to 160℃ and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Add softened butter and sugar to a mixing bowl. With a hand beater on medium-low cream, the butter and sugar together till fluffy and pale in colour.

Step 2

Then add vanilla extract and blend till smooth. Sift in the flour and, using a rubber spatula, fold in until the dough holds its shape and is crumbly. Add orange pulp and fold it in the dough till just combined.

Step 3

Shape the dough into a square 4x4 inches wide and 1 inch thick on a cling wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. Once it turns solid, unwrap the dough and cut it into 2-inch wide and 4-inch long bars.

Step 4

Place the bars on the baking sheet 1 inch apart and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or till the edges turn slightly brown, then take the biscuits out of the oven. Let them rest on the tray for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let them come to room temperature.

Step 5- Chocolate

Place a saucepan filled with water on high heat. Once the water starts boiling, turn the heat to a low. Add chocolate to a heatproof bowl and place on the saucepan. Make sure the water isn’t touching the bowl. Gently occasionally stir till the chocolate melts and take off the heat.

Step 6- Assembly

Dip the biscuits in chocolate and place them on a parchment baking tray. Then drizzle some orange zest on the chocolate-covered biscuits and put them in the refrigerator till the chocolate hardens and serves.

Tips

1. Make sure your butter is at room temperature.

2. When creaming the butter and sugar, check periodically to avoid overbeating.

3. You can use a wooden spoon instead of a rubber spatula.

4. Make sure to chill the dough before baking the biscuits. The butter must be solid; otherwise, the biscuits will melt together.

5. You can melt the chocolate in the microwave as well.

6. Make sure to rest the biscuits after baking, as they’ll be soft and break easily.