These easy orange shortbread biscuits are bursting with citrus flavour and have a delicious melt-in-your-mouth texture. They’re perfect for edible Christmas gifting or simply satisfying your sweet tooth.
I’m so excited to share my orange shortbread recipe with you today! It’s perfect for enjoying at this time of year and it's SUPER easy to make! You only need 5 ingredients and it's ready to eat from scratch in just 1 hour- ideal for a last-minute party dessert or bake sale treat.
If you’re new to baking, don't worry! This post will guide you through every step of the process, including detailed ingredient notes, step-by-step photos, and my top tips. For all of my seasoned bakers or those who just want the bullet-pointed recipe, feel free to scroll straight to the recipe card at the end of this post. Happy baking!
Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need for orange shortbread:
- Butter: Margarine won’t give you that classic shortbread flavour or texture, so make sure to use real butter. To make it easier to mix in with the sugar, soften it before you start baking by leaving it out at room temperature for an hour or so.
- Sugar: I like to use caster sugar in most of my bakes because gives the perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture. However, granulated white sugar will do the job if that's all you have.
- Vanilla extract: For extra flavour. If you'd like a stronger orange flavour, you can swap this out for orange extract, although I personally prefer the vanilla and orange combo.
- Orange zest: The zest of 1 large orange is just the right amount to add a strong citrus flavour to the shortbread. For extra sweetness, you could also add a tablespoon or two of candied mixed peel if you like.
- Plain flour: Stick with plain (all-purpose) flour for a crunchy, crumbly result. Self-raising flour can cause a cakey texture which is not what we're going for here!
- Salt: A small pinch of salt enhances the overall flavour, balancing out the sweetness and making the orange flavour pop! You can skip this if you're using salted butter.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl: A large one to make the shortbread dough.
- Utensils: A teaspoon for measuring the vanilla extract and a wooden spoon for mixing.
- Grater: To get the zest from your orange.
- Rolling pin: You'll need to roll out the shortbread dough to cut out your shapes.
- Cookie cutter: I used a 3-inch fluted round cutter for some of the dough then a 1.5-inch Christmas tree cutter for the rest. Feel free to use any shape of cutter that you like!
- Baking tray: One that's large enough to fit about 12-15 biscuits. You can also bake them in small batches so don't worry if you only have a small tray.
How to Make Orange Shortbread Biscuits
Step 1: In a large bowl, mix together 200g of softened butter and 100g of caster sugar until smooth and fluffy. Then stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and the zest of one large orange.
Step 2: Add 280g of plain flour and a small pinch of salt to the butter mixture. Stir until it starts to come together then use your hands to press it into a ball of dough. The dough should be firm and sturdy.
Step 3: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about ¼-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out your shapes, rerolling leftover scraps of dough until it's all used up. With a 3-inch cutter, you will get around 12-15 biscuits and obviously, if you use a smaller cutter, you'll end up with more.
Step 4: Transfer your shortbread biscuits onto a lined baking tray. Pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes, which will help them to hold their shape while baking.
Step 5: While the shortbread is chilling, preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (or 160°C/325°F for fan and convection ovens).
Step 6: Bake your orange shortbread until firm around the edges. 3-inch biscuits will need around 18-20 minutes and smaller cookies will be done in roughly 12-15 minutes. Shortbread shouldn't be golden brown on top but it will be lightly golden on the underside when ready. They might feel soft at first but don’t worry; they’ll firm up as they cool.
Step 7: While the shortbread is still warm, sprinkle some extra caster sugar on top. Let them cool completely on the tray then enjoy!
Top Tips
- Use real butter (not margarine) and plain flour for the best flavour and texture.
- Don't skip the chilling! This will prevent the shortbread biscuits from melting into one another in the oven.
- For a stronger orange flavour, you can swap the vanilla extract for orange extract and even add some candied orange peel in there.
- If you prefer iced shortbread, you can make a simple glaze by mixing 90g of icing sugar (¾ cup) with 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed orange juice or water.
FAQ
They'll stay crunchy for at least 1 week if you keep them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Yes! You can freeze the shortbread for up to 3 months, either in an airtight container or in a freezer bag. When you're ready to eat them, let them sit out at room temperature for an hour or two until fully defrosted. Do not refreeze.
Shortbread is supposed to be quite crumbly but if it's so crumbly that it's falling apart, you may have added too much flour or not enough butter. For best results, use a food scale to measure your ingredients.
Using juice in your shortbread won’t provide the same flavour punch as zest. If you prefer to skip the zest, I'd recommend using orange extract instead of vanilla.
Yes, all you need to do is switch out the butter for a dairy-free version. A block 'butter' will work better than a spread.
More Christmas cookies
- Cranberry shortbread
- German Lebkuchen
- M&M Christmas cookie bars
- Ginger and cinnamon cookies
- Gingerbread caramel cookies
I hope you enjoy making and eating these orange shortbread biscuits! If you give this recipe a try, make sure to leave a comment below to let me know how they turn out. Enjoy!
BEST Orange Shortbread Biscuits
Ingredients
- 200 g Butter, softened (1+¾ sticks)
- 100 g Caster sugar (½ cup)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 Large orange
- 280 g Plain flour (2 cups + 2 tablespoons)
- Pinch Salt
Instructions
- Line a large tray with baking paper.
- Mix the butter and sugar together until smooth. Then stir in the vanilla extract and orange zest.
- Add the flour and salt and mix well until it starts to stick together. Then use your hands to press everything together into a ball of dough.
- Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface until it's around ¼-inch thick. Cut out your biscuits, re-rolling scrap pieces together until all of the dough is used up.
- Place the biscuit onto your lined tray then pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will help them to hold their shape in the oven.
- Preheat your oven to 180℃/350℉ (160℃/320℉ for fan and convection ovens).
- Bake your biscuits until they're firm around the edges. 3-inch cookies will need 18-20 minutes and smaller ones will need roughly 12-15 minutes. (see note 1)
- Sprinkle some extra sugar on top of the biscuits while they're still warm. Let them cool on the tray then enjoy!
Notes
- The top should be pale and firm around the edges and slightly soft in the centre, and the bottoms should be light golden brown. They'll firm up more as they cool down so try to avoid overbaking.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
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