Sweet and salty slice and bake-style chocolate orange shortbread cookies based on Alison Roman’s famous riff on chocolate chip cookies.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
This is a brief summary of the recipe. Jump to the recipe to get the full details.
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
13 minutes
Chilling Time
2 hours
Total Time
2 hours 43 minutes
Servings
24 cookies
Difficulty
Easy—mix, chill, slice, bake.
Calories *
192 kcal per serving
Technique
Cream dough, fold in chocolate and zest, chill logs, slice, bake, and dip in chocolate.
Flavor Profile
Buttery, crisp shortbread with bright orange zest, rich chocolate chunks, and flaky salt.
* Based on nutrition panel
I made these for Christmas. By far, they were the fanciest! […] they kept very well for a week and the orange flavor was more pronounced as they aged. These are a new favorite! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Linda
Table of Contents
Honestly, you don’t need to make any other cookie — these slice and bake chocolate orange shortbread cookies should be your go-to, now and forevermore. Made with salted butter, citrus zest and chunks of semisweet chocolate in a buttery shortbread dough, I dare you — DARE YOU — to eat just one at a time.
You guys, I know I say this a lot, but when it comes to these cookies? I think we can just stop here. I’ve reached full cookie potential with these BBs.
Because when you combine the flavors of sea salt, chocolate, orange and a buttery shortbread cookie, it’s the closest thing to dessert perfection, in my book. And we have one person to thank for it all.
Tips for the Best Shortbread Cookies
Shortbread can sometimes be a finicky dough to work with, since it’s lacking in eggs for added binding. Nevertheless, it becomes less tricky with practice, and with these tips you’ll be on your way to cookie bliss in no time:
1. Be sure to incorporate the ingredients completely. Scrape the sides of the bowl after adding in each ingredient so everything gets mixed together evenly.
2. Don’t skimp on chilling the dough! Two hours minimum is absolutely necessary for these cookies to bake right.
3. Make sure to use a very sharp serrated knife to cut the log into slices, and use a gentle sawing motion when you hit a large chunk of chocolate. If the dough crumbles slightly after slicing, just gently press it back together into a round before baking and it should come together in the oven.
How to Make Chocolate Orange Shortbread Cookies
Ever since I heard of these cookies, I knew I had to make them. But here’s the thing — for whatever reason, I was attracted to the idea of adding a citrus flair to the cookies. Maybe it’s because I’ve made chocolate orange mousse before and it’s kind of AMAZING, so I knew it could only be an upgrade here. In any case, I went that route, and I have zero regrets. I also like to think it sets this recipe apart from the legions of others out there.
So here’s the situation: You start with a salted butter-based shortbread dough (yes, please go out and buy salted butter just for this recipe — you won’t be sorry, I promise times infinity). You stir in the chocolate chunks (use a bar of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate here and chop it up into larger, coarse pieces. No thin shards of chocolate or, heaven forbid, chocolate chips allowed). Add in a couple tablespoons of fresh orange zest, roll the dough into logs, let them chill until really set, then slice and bake.
And if that wasn’t enough, let’s go ahead and dip them in chocolate and top them with sea salt and more orange zest, shall we? WE SHALL.
All right, my friends — it’s time for you to make The Cookies, GVD-style. I hope you love them as much as I do (because, like, I really, really do).
The Story Behind ‘The Cookies’
That person is Alison Roman whom, if you have any connection to the food world, you’ve probably heard of before. She’s the star behind the cookbook Dining In, and she’s also the person who invented The Cookies — which is what started me down this tasty road of cookie tinkering until I developed my own riff on her famous treat. And so, here we are.
If you’ve never heard of The Cookies, just Google it and you’ll instantly be bombarded with scroll after scroll of recipes and photos of Roman’s game-changing dessert. It’s her take on the chocolate chip cookie — a classic that she says is “deeply flawed” — with a shortbread base, decadent chocolate chunks and the intriguing use of salted butter (she says it gives the cookie a better depth of flavor, and I have to agree).
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If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day!
Chocolate Orange Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 18 tablespoons salted butter, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons, or 2 ¼ sticks cold salted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided
- Zest of 1 medium orange, about 2 tablespoons
- Flaky sea salt and more orange zest, for topping (optional, but highly recommended)
Instructions
- In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugars and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Scrape down sides of the bowl, then stir in flour on low speed until just combined. Stir in 6 ounces chocolate chunks and 2 tablespoons orange zest until just incorporated.
- Divide dough in half. Place each half on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Fold over plastic wrap to cover dough, then use your hands to roll each piece of dough into a log about 2-2 1/4 inches in diameter. Wrap dough in plastic wrap to cover completely and chill at least 2 hours until firm (can be chilled up to 1 week).
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Uncover one log and, using a sharp serrated knife, gently slice log into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (use a sawing motion to cut through chocolate chunks). Place cut side-up on prepared cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.
- Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until edges of cookies are just beginning to brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with second log of dough.
- Melt remaining 6 ounces semisweet chocolate in microwave or in a double boiler according to package directions. Dip one end of each fully cooled cookie into melted chocolate; let excess chocolate drip off, then place cookie on cooling rack. Sprinkle with more sea salt and orange zest, if desired. Chill dipped cookies in fridge 30 minutes until chocolate is set.
- Store cookies in an airtight container up to 5 days.
Notes
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Technique:
Slice with a gentle sawing motion to preserve those big chocolate shards and keep the logs from crumbling. Variation:
Swap the orange zest for lemon, or roll the logs in coarse sugar before chilling for extra sparkle and crunch.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Mine spread out when cooked like some other people who commented. The batter also turned brown from the chopped chocolate which includes lot of chocolate shavings. I’m curious how people avoid this. They taste nice, but not nearly as attractive as the photos.
Hi Julia! It sounds like a couple of things could have happened. Don’t skimp on chilling the dough! Two hours minimum is absolutely necessary for these cookies to bake right. Use a bar of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate here and chop it up into larger, coarse pieces. No thin shards of chocolate or, heaven forbid, chocolate chips allowed. Gently press your dough together if it’s too soft when you slice, and use a serrated knife (that will help!). Happy baking!
Could I freeze the dough instead of refrigerating to cut the time before baking?
Yes you absolutely can. It might be too difficult to cut when frozen, so try thawing at room temperature or in the refrigerator when ready to bake. A serrate knife might also help.
Followed the recipe exactly and they turned out amazing. The orange flavor really comes through. Delicious!
Oh I am so delighted to hear that! Thank you for coming back to comment and rate!
I made the cookies and they were amazing!
I do have a question though: I learned that the ratio for shortbread is 123 (sugar, butter, flour) in weight. This doesn’t apply to this recipe, does it?
That is a traditional shortbread ratio but there can be variations depending on the desired texture and flavor. Happy baking!
Would these work with chocolate chips? I don’t have any semisweet bars on hand.
Hi Stephanie! You sure can! It’ll be a slightly different distribution, but if they’re the same sweetness as the recipe it’ll taste the same. Happy baking! ~gvd team
This has become the first cookie I make at Christmastime and the one I most look forward to. Love this recipe!
Hi GG! We’re so happy to hear that! Merry Christmas and happy baking! ~gvd team
Okay so I was supposed to bake these to give them out to people for Christmas favors…..but instead, they were SOOOO good that we ate them ALL ourselves! Literally were one of the best cookies I’ve ever had!
Slicing through the dough was quite difficult though, I may chop the chocolate a bit more finer next time because they were pretty big chunks, and the dough fell apart a lot so I had to reshape them. Other than that – my goodness I think this is my new tradition recipe to make each year!
Haha! I feel that on so many levels Tiffany! Thanks for stopping back by to let us know how it went! Great tip about chopping the chocolate! That can definitely happen with refrigerator cookies like these. ~Lindsey
Can these be made using vegan butter?
Hi Sue, I am the new owner, so I have not personally made this recipe yet. Steph has almost 1000 recipes! I am a professional pastry chef, so I do feel comfortable saying that I do believe these will work with vegan butter. You might have some of the spreading problem that others experienced though. Just be aware!
OMG these are SO insanely good! I never thought I was a fan of this flavor combination but I’ve made these twice in the last week and cannot get enough. It’s just enough citrus to give it a great flavor without being overwhelming, and it’s divine with dark chocolate and a touch of sea salt ? thanks for the incredible recipe!
So wonderful to hear, Rebecca! Thank you for stopping back by and taking the time to comment and rate us 5 stars! This recipe has quite a cult following!