Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread

Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread are a chocolate lover’s delight. Chocolatey with orange flavour, these cookies are ideal for Christmas. Gift them, serve them or enjoy them with your family. Not too sweet, hubby loved these dark chocolate orange shortbread. Make sure you use good quality unsweetened cocoa powder.

The festive spirit

Everywhere around the world holiday mood begins with Christmas and ends with New Year celebrations. Parties, holidays, fireworks, decorations, special food, presents… the list is endless. I have experienced Christmas festivities in England. What I remember the most are precious moments with family. Though it did not snow during that time, the scene of dark nights with bright blue lights sparkling from every home was so beautiful.

Fond Christmas Memories

My baby cousins  had invited us to their home for Christmas Breakfast.My aunt in Kenya was worried what her young daughters would serve us as both are not into cooking. The breakfast turned out to be a wonderful festive experience for me. The table was sprinkled with Christmas confetti, Christmas Crackers were laid out. Mini Mince Pies, Cookies, Panettone were the stars, accompanied by a few Indian snacks. It was the first time I had tasted the famous British Mince Pies – the sweet ones. The day didn’t end there. My cousins came back to my dad’s home with us. It was pure nostalgia time for us.  And the best part of Christmas day was making a jigsaw puzzle with the family as we use to when we all lived in Nairobi.

Christmas In Bangalore

During my first Christmas in India, I was baffled at the decorations in the shops and malls. Years  back no one really noticed when Christmas came and went in India. Now its totally different. I love the huge classic really tall decorated Christmas tree at the Leela Kempinski, Bangalore. Haven’t seen a better decorated tree. Also they have a beautiful gingerbread house created every year which you can actually walk into. In addition, special memories of my daughter bringing home a lovely chocolate cake with Christmas decorations for my hubby’s birthday. Yes its on 25th December. We usually have my daughter’s friends over for dinner.

Christmas In Mombasa

Christmas in Mombasa is different. Sunshine, beach, cocktails, it is a tropical Christmas. The whole town is bustling with more people. Fancy dinners and deals, beaches are full of people and yes decorations at the hotels, shops and the mall. What amuses me most is the mechanical Father Christmas that Nakumatt places at its entrance. Every time someone passes it begins to do a jiggle and sings we wish you a merry christmas!

Christmas In Dubai

Christmas in Dubai  was a unique memory for us. Hubby and I experienced a proper Christmas party with my daughter in law and her family. Christmas stockings, Christmas cakes, cookies, chocolates, turkey, pasta for the vegetarians, champagne, starters, limoncello, oranges, whiskey and the hightlight — presents. Dubai in no way lacked the festival look with decorations, Christmas trees and gingerbread houses.

Cookies And Christmas

Where ever I am, I make sure I bake enough cookies to celebrate Christmas. Most of them are given away as gifts to friends and family. I’m not into icing cookies but do try and make them a bit festive by adding sprinkles, nuts, dried fruits, chocolate chips, etc

This time, I decided to try out a recipe I came across on White Lights On Wednesday. I don’t regret at all baking these cookies. They are so easy to make and superbly delicious. What really caught my attention about this shortbread recipe was the use of unsweetened cocoa and orange. I love the combination.

Some More Christmas Cookie Ideas

Clementine Cookies

Clementine Cookies are made from the basic sugar cookie dough. These quick and easy cookies are delicately flavoured with fresh clementine juice and zest.

Check out this recipe

ITALIAN SESAME SEED COOKIES/ BISCOTTI REGINA

Italian Sesame Seed Cookies/ Biscotti Regina, a classic Italian treat, so crunchy and lemony. These authentic Italian cookies are so easy to make.

 

Check out this recipe

GINGERBREAD CRINKLE COOKIES

Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies, warm with spices, soft and slighty chewy, a must have during Christmas or the Holiday Season.

Check out this recipe

WHEAT ORANGE AND OAT COOKIES

Wheat Orange Oat Cookies, so delcious, crunchy and easy to bake. Full of oats and coconut, these cookies are perfect for the festive season.

Check out this recipe

CORNFLAKES COOKIES

Dunk Cornflakes Cookies in milk, tea or coffee and enjoy them as a snack or make them as edible gift for loved ones.

Check out this recipe

KARACHI BISCUITS

Karachi Biscuits are soft and melt in the mouth kind of cookies. Easy to make, they are studded with tutti frutti and flavoured with cardamom and rose essence.

Check out this recipe

Ingredients Required For Dark Chocolate Orange

DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGE SHORTBREAD

mayurisjikoni

Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread are a chocolate lover's delight. Chocolatey with orange flavour, these cookies are ideal for Christmas. Gift them, serve them or enjoy them with your family.

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings 32 cookies

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups plain flour all purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
• ½ cup sugar + 2tbsp
• 200 g soft butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp orange zest
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
• For decoration:
• sugar granules or sprinkles or chopped nuts

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Grease baking trays lightly with some butter.
• Mix sugar and orange zest together. Rub the zest into the sugar to release the essential oils.
• Sieve flour cocoa and salt together.
• Cream butter and sugar together till its creamy and fluffy.
• Add vanilla extract and orange juice.
• Mix well.
• Add the flour mixture and form a dough.
• Roll the dough to about a ¼" thickness using a cling film or parchment paper.
• Put the rolled dough in the fridge for 30 mins to chill.
• Cut the cookies into any shape you desire.
• Place the cookies on the prepared tray.
• Sprinkle with sugar, sprinkles or nuts.
• Bake for 12 -15 minutes or until edges become crisp.
• Remove the cookies from the oven. Allow them to rest on the sheet for 3-5 minutes.
• Remove the cookies from the sheet and  let them cool on a wire rack.
• Store in an airtight container.

Notes

If the dough gets too hard add 1-2 tbsp of milk or orange juice.
Can drizzle the cookies with white glace icing or melted white chocolate.
Make the dough ahead and leave it wrapped in a cling film in the fridge till you are ready to bake the cookies.

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