Chocolate & Orange Shortbread is a zesty wee twist on a Scottish classic. It’s crisp, buttery, and full of dark chocolate chunks for a truly indulgent treat.
What’s this? A new recipe?! It has certainly been a while but what better way to get back into the swing of things than a Dark Chocolate and Orange Shortbread biscuit.
Granny’s Shortbread is already a favourite recipe here on Baking with Granny but these Chocolate Orange Shortbread biscuits are a twist on the original that gives our most popular biscuit a whole new lease of life. And if like me, you’ve been stuck in a bit of baking rut of late, this is the perfect recipe to get you back in the kitchen.
Like any good shortbread cookie, this recipe is super simple but yields irresistible results. As we know, chocolate and orange go great together and the addition of some luxurious dark chocolate goes perfectly with the orange in these buttery little biscuits. Truly scrumptious!
How do you make Chocolate & Orange Shortbread biscuits?
To make Chocolate and Orange Shortbread cookies, you simply cream butter and sugar together, before adding some orange zest & extract, and plenty dark chocolate chips. then mix in flour to form a dough. Roll it out, cut into rounds, and bake until golden, before finishing with a sprinkling of sugar on top.
Can you freeze Chocolate & Orange Shortbread?
For the best results, I recommend freezing your Chocolate & Orange Shortbread at the dough stage, before shaping or baking the biscuits.
Simply wrap the prepared dough in cling film and pop it in the freezer. Defrost when ready to use, then roll, cut and bake the dough as normal.
Ingredients:
Caster Sugar
Sugar is an essential part of any shortbread recipe and this one is no exception. Caster sugar is preferable as it is a bit finer than a granulated sugar, so it mixes beautifully into your dough. It is also perfect for a final dusting on top of your shortbread to finish.
Butter (or Margarine…)
If we’re talking traditional, butter is where it is at when it comes to shortbread. That is a fact and that you won’t hear me dispute it.
However, butter can be expensive; people don’t always want to consume dairy; sometimes you just don’t have any to hand… In those cases, margarine is a perfectly good substitute. In fact, if you look at the ingredients for most shop-bought shortbread, unless it states it is an “all-butter” shortbread, the chances are it will be made with a margarine too; this is what makes it so affordable.
If you do opt for margarine, just be sure to use a block margarine, as opposed to the spreadable kind – the latter will make your shortbread dough too soft and cause it spread whilst baking.
Plain Flour
No raising agents are required in this recipe for Chocolate and Orange Shortbread, so plain flour is perfect.
Corn Flour
As well as plain flour, we also add a little corn flour. This gives your shortbread a bit of a “snap” to it.
Orange Zest and Extract
A double whammy of zesty orange flavour! You could just use one or the other but I like to include both for the very best flavour.
Dark Chocolate Chips
Or chunks, or simply chop up some dark chocolate. I recommend dark chocolate as I find it compliments the orange flavours best, but if you find it too bitter, or just prefer milk chocolate, you can easy swap it out.
Top Tips for Perfect Shortbread:
• Don’t Overwork the Dough: Handle the dough gently and avoid kneading it too much. This keeps the shortbread tender and crumbly.
• Making Ahead: Want to make your Chocolate Orange Shortbread biscuits ahead of time? Prep the dough, wrap it in cling film, and pop it in the fridge. Then, when you’re ready to bake, simply roll the dough, cut your biscuits, and bake. You’ll have fresh biscuits in no time at all!
• Customise to Your Taste: Make these shortbread cookies your own. Prefer milk chocolate? No problem. Why not try adding some Terry’s Chocolate Orange for even more chocolatey-orange goodness?
• Chill Before Baking (if required): If your dough feels a bit soft after rolling and cutting, pop the tray in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to help the biscuits hold their shape in the oven.
Chocolate Orange Shortbread
INGREDIENTS
- 75g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 150g Block Margarine or Butter at room temperature
- 200g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
- 25g Corn Flour (Corn Starch)
- Zest of 1 Orange
- 1 tsp Orange Extract
- 100g Dark Chocolate Chips
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your oven to 180°c (160°c for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 3, or 350°F) and grease a couple of baking sheets with a little butter.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter/margarine and caster sugar until it becomes light and fluffy. Add the orange zest, orange extract & chocolate chips and mix until combined.
- Sift in the flour and cornflour and mix to form a stiff dough, using your hands if necessary. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and gently knead until smooth.
- Roll your dough to around 1cm thick and cut unto your desired shapes. Transfer each shortbread to your pre-greased baking sheets and prick the tops with a fork.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes until the edges of the shortbread are golden.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle a little sugar over each shortbread. Leave to cool on tray for around 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
- For full explanations on each ingredient and possible substitutions, see the Ingredients section above.
- For more tips for the perfect Chocolate & Orange Shortbread biscuits, see Granny's Top Tips above.
- Chocolate & Orange Shortbread cookies are best enjoyed the day they are baked, but the can be stored in an airtight container for a few days. The texture may change over the course of a few days - this is normal for shortbread biscuits.
- For tips on how to make your Chocolate & Orange Shortbread vegan or free-from, see the Free-from & Vegan box below.
Free-from & Vegan
Egg-free: There is no egg in this Chocolate and Orange Shortbread recipe.
Dairy-free: To make this a dairy-free Chocolate and Orange Shortbread recipe, simply use a dairy-free margarine and a dairy-free dark chocolate.
Vegan: To make this a vegan Chocolate and Orange Shortbread recipe, simply use a dairy-free/vegan margarine and a dairy-free/vegan dark chocolate.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
Originally published in April 2019. Updated in March 2025.
Thank you to Naomi Seiler for creating the updated photos.
11 responses
Made these this evening and they are so delicious! So easy to make and quick. Looking forward to trying some more of your recipes :-)
Cokse
We made short bread from your recipe this evening. Your recipe was easy to follow and the biscuits taste delicious! Thank you.
I spent a fortune on Amazon for chocolate and orange shortbread biscuits, I then discovered your recipe and once baked I compared the two, the online bought biscuits were no comparison to your delicious recipe, and as we speak my wife is making some more…
It tastes so good! And easy to bake. My eight year old wants to give you a thousand star review!
Hi Amy I have a question. Granny’s shortbread is the only one I make now and everyone loves it. Do you think this would work with lemon instead of orange and then half dipped in white chocolate? Would any other changes be needed. Thanks.
So, I have made these as written and, as expected, they are so good. I also did the lemin and white chocolate version also delicious. I make a variety of your shortbread as Christmas gifts and everyone loves them Thank you for the great recipes, Amy.
These are truly delicious. Another great recipe from @bakingwithgranny! Easy recipe to follow.
First time making these shortbread biscuits have to say they’re delicious
Any recommendations on how long they keep for please, and could they be frozen
Thanks Cynthia
Corn flour in Canada is yellow, like corn. Corn starch is white. Is there a difference ?
Thank you.
Hi Ina,
Corn Flour is what we call Corn Starch here in the UK. It’ll be corn starch you’ll want to use.