Orange chocolate swirl shortbread

Tender, crumbly and a little bit sweet, these orange shortbreads with a chocolate swirl are a total dream.

Orange chocolate swirl shortbread. Credit: Mary Makes It Easy / Geoff George

• makes

  16

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• ½ cup (100 g) sugar (see Note)
• 1 orange, zested
• 2½ cups (325 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp (2 g) kosher salt
• 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 50 g finely chopped dark chocolate
• 3 tsp (10 g) turbinado sugar, optional

Cooling and chilling time: 1 hour 15 minutes in total.

Instructions

1. Lightly grease a 23 cm (9 inch) square pan with non-stick cooking spray and/or line with a sling of baking (parchment) paper.
2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor, rub or pulse the sugar and orange zest together until the sugar is a pale orange colour. Add in the flour and salt and mix or blitz to combine.
3. Cut the butter into pats and add to the flour mixture. Cut the butter in until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and it holds together in a ball when squeezed in your hand.
4. Transfer the dough into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Cover and transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
5. Heat oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake the pan of shortbread for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using the tines of a fork, poke 8 rows of holes into the dough. Using a bench scraper or knife, score all the way through the dough between each row. Cut the rows horizontally in half or in thirds so that you have 16 to 24 bars.
6. Return to the oven for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Set aside to cool completely.
7. Remove the shortbread from the pan, carefully break the bars apart along the scored lines, and set on a rack-lined baking sheet. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water then use a spoon to splatter and drizzle the chocolate over the bars. Scatter with turbinado sugar, if using, and allow the chocolate to cool and set before serving or transferring to a container to store at room temperature for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for 3 months.

Note

Using granulated sugar in the dough gives a nice, slightly crisp edge to the shortbread. If desired, use powdered sugar (by weight) for a very tender, melt in your mouth texture.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.