Melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate-Dipped Orange Shortbread Cookies served with tea will instantly transport you to England and make you feel like royalty.
Is there a word that describes being homesick for a place you’ve visited? I haven’t found a single word that captures it, but that’s exactly how I feel about Ireland. I lived there for four months while attending the University of Limerick, and those months left a lasting impression.
I mention Ireland often because studying abroad shaped a big part of my life. While there, weekend trips to nearby England, Scotland, and Wales were easy and affordable. Those visits made me appreciate two things I associate with Great Britain: driving on the left and a deep cultural love of tea.
Before that time abroad I wasn’t much of a tea drinker, but I brought home a box of Earl Grey and the habit stuck. Years later, tea remains my relaxed, comforting ritual—an afternoon pick-me-up, a wind-down after a long day, or an excuse to chat with a friend. And tea begs for a proper biscuit—what Americans call a cookie—so I created these Chocolate-Dipped Orange Shortbread Cookies.
Shortbread is a classic British biscuit: tender, buttery, and wonderfully simple. For flavor, I drew inspiration from one of my favorite treats—Jaffa Cakes—little sponge cakes topped with chocolate and orange jelly that I can’t easily find in the U.S. To capture a similar chocolate-and-orange combination, I added orange zest and a touch of orange extract to shortbread dough and dipped the corners of the baked squares in semisweet chocolate.
Though these are not the same as Jaffa Cakes, they deliver that bright citrus note balanced by rich chocolate and the melt-in-your-mouth texture of shortbread.
One practical tip: use a narrow, deep container to melt and dip the chocolate so you can fully cover the corners without using too much chocolate. I used a narrow coffee mug and melted only two ounces of chocolate. If your container is wider you may need up to four ounces so the chocolate is deep enough for dipping.
Making these cookies brings back those university days and the easy routine of tea and biscuits. If I can’t be in Britain, at least I can recreate the feeling here with a warm pot of tea and a tray of shortbread.
Chocolate-Dipped Orange Shortbread Cookies
16 squares
Melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate-Dipped Orange Shortbread Cookies served with tea will instantly transport you to England and make you feel like royalty.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2–4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, orange zest, and orange extract until creamy and smooth, about 2–3 minutes.
- Gradually beat in the flour until just combined.
- Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. If desired, decorate the top with fork marks. Bake 30–35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool 15 minutes, then cut into squares using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Cool completely.
- In a heatproof bowl, melt 2 ounces of the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave or over simmering water. Pour into a narrow, deep cup if possible. Dip each corner of the shortbread into the chocolate and set on parchment until the chocolate hardens. If needed, melt the remaining chocolate. Store cookies in an airtight container once chocolate is set.
Notes
It’s best to cut the shortbread while still warm for neat edges. The width of the dipping container determines how much chocolate you need—using a narrow cup requires less chocolate.
More Tea Time Cookie Recipes
Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Bites
Coconut Cookie Bars
Spiced Hazelnut Linzer Cookies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Soft Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Red Velvet Sugar Cookies