So I came across something I have never seen before (what a surprise), Diced Orange Peel. They were not dried. They were moist, and in the same type of containers, you get the holiday red and green cherries to put on cookies. You know they call them holiday fruit. But orange peel? It was too good to pass up. I love trying new things, and to me, these were new. Apparently, I have been living under a rock. So when I Googled diced orange peel, they are everywhere.
I choose the semi-sweet mini chocolate morsels because I wanted the chocolate pieces about the same size as the orange peel. Plus, when you have a cookie log and slicing the dough, the bigger chips seem to break apart more and leave big holes in the dough.
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Ingredients
- Butter unsalted
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Orange juice
- Orange zest
- All-purpose flour
- Ground cinnamon
- Baking powder
- Kosher Salt
- Mini chocolate chips
- Chopped walnuts
- Diced orange peel
Making Shortbread Cookies
These are an easy cookie to make just mix, roll, chill, and bake. You have options on just one big roll or you can make two rolls. So, as always, I start with the prep work.
Prepping
The first thing I do is zest and juice my orange. The zester is from Amazon and a newer model version than the one I have. Mine is about 7 years old. The juicer I picked up at the local grocery store for a few dollars. When zesting only zest over the same spot 2 times at the most, if you see white you are zesting too hard.
Next, I weigh or you can measure the flour into a bowl. Now, add to the same bowl the cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. I run a whisk through to blend. In another bowl, I weigh or you can measure the powder sugar.
Everything is ready to start the cookies.
Mixing the Cookie Dough
In a mixing bowl, I cube the butter. I do this so I can tell how soft the butter is. You want the knife to go through the butter easily, but you don't want it so soft the cubes do not look square.
Increase the mixer speed to a medium setting and mix for a minute or two. If the butter does not look creamy, it was a little too cold to start with. Just mix for another minute.
Next, add the powered sugar. Start on a low setting until the sugar has been incorporated, then increase the mixer speed to a medium setting. Mix for 3 minutes. It will be a lighter color than when it was just the creamed butter.
Time to add the flavor. Add the vanilla extract, orange juice, and the orange zest. It only takes a minute to blend these into the butter-sugar mixture.
Scrape down the sides and turn the mixer to a slow speed. Add the flour mixture about a third at a time. Try not to mix for too long. You can always use a spatula to finish if need be.
Scrape down the sides and add the chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, and the orange peel. Mix for a minute or less.
Roll Wrap and Chill Shortbread
On my pastry mat, I only add a little flour. This is just to help the dough from sticking and make it easier to roll.
If you are going to make one roll that is fatter and a little longer, you could do a 14 inch long roll and ½-inch slices to get 28 cookies.
I prefer smaller cookies so I did 2 rolls about 11 to 12 inches. I sliced my logs for the cookies at ¾ of an inch and got 31 cookies. So the choice is yours.
I wrapped my logs in plastic wrap by putting the edge of the wrap along the long edge of the roll and roll the log onto the plastic wrap. Then just roll the wrap around the log and fold the ends under the log.
I purchased a baguette pan that is wonderful for keeping my cookie logs round and not flat on one side. Chill for at least an hour, but I have left them in the fridge overnight when I got busy.
Slice and Bake Shortbread
Time to slice. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.
To make my life easier, I take a tape measure and score my log every ¾ of an inch. It helps me to keep my cookies about the same thickness so it is an even bake.
I got 16 cookies from one roll and 15 off the second. One roll fits perfectly onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan.
Bake for 11-13 minutes. I leave the cookies on the pan for a minute after taking the pan out of the oven before moving them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before you handle them. I find shortbread cookies can be crumbly if handled when they are still warm.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
Well, what you want to look for is a nut that works well with both chocolate and orange. Almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans are choices that go well with both flavors.
I use plain old food container that you get in the grocery store with the red lids. They are airtight when needed and work great for storing cookies. I keep them at room temperature for a week.
Short answer is yes! Slicing logs when the cookie dough is soft will not work out well. They tend to smush when slicing if the log is not firm and cold. You also want the butter to firm up and meld with the sugar and flour.
I have taken the center cardboard roll inside a paper towel roll and split it in half length wise. This gives me two 12-inch halves. One for each roll. This is an old picture since I now use a baguette pan. It is sturdier than the cardboard, but this will do in a pinch. 
Other Cookies with Orange
Recipe
Chocolate with Walnuts and Orange Peel Shortbread Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- ⅔ cup (80 g) Powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
- 2 tespoon (2 tespoon) Orange juice fresh
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Orange zest
- 2 cups (250 g) All-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- ½ cup (90 g) Mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup (58.5 g) Chopped walnuts
- ½ cup (48 g) Diced orange peel
Instructions
- Zest orange into a bowl. In another bowl, juice the orange. Weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon and whisk to blend. In another bowl, weigh or measure the powdered sugar.
- In a mixer bowl cube the butter, beat the butter on medium speed until it is creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn your mixer down to a low setting and add the powdered sugar. Once incorporated, turn the speed back to medium and mix for about 3 minutes. I like to scrape down the side and blend for about 10 more seconds.
- Add the vanilla extract, orange juice, orange zest, and mix through the cookie dough. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture about a third at a time until incorporated. I turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and across the bottom, then blending for another few seconds. Turn the mixer off, add the mini chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, and orange peel, mixing it for about 10 to 20 seconds.
- Lightly flour a pastry mat and move the cookie dough onto the mat. You have a choice of rolling one large roll (about 14 inches long) or divide the cookie dough in half and make 2 smaller rolls (about 11-12 inches long each). After rolling the cookie dough wrap with plastic wrap. To keep my rolls round, I use a baguette pan. Chill for an hour or even overnight if you get busy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line 2 cookie pans with parchment paper. Take a cookie log out of the refrigerator and unwrap. Placing the log onto a cutting board, I take a measuring tape and score my log. If it is one log, I score every ½ inch. If it is 2 logs, score every ¾ of an inch. Then slice and add to a prepared pan. If doing 2 logs, one log per cookie sheet pan. If there is 1 log, split the log between the 2 pans. Baked for 11-13 minutes. You want the cookies to be a little golden around the bottom edges. Leave them on the cookie pan for 1 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before storing them.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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