I used to work in a bakery.
Actually, I worked in two, simultaneously: one franchise and one local. Working at the local bakery was awful (you can read all about it here, if you like). I would only do it again, if: 1) I owned the bakery, or 2) see #1.
It wasn’t all for naught. I really learned a lot (forgive my faux rhyming skills).
Just a few lessons I learned while working at the franchise bakery
1) First impressions are a real thing. Don’t be that person who didn’t immediately wash her dishes the first time around. The stigma will stick and spread like wildfire. Further attempts to be a fastidious dishwasher will be unanimously ignored.
2) Always wear the long oven mitts. Burning you forearm on a super hot baking sheet may be a rite of passage, but that shit hurts…and bulbous scar tissue is about as sexy as an adult wearing a onesie.
3) Quality is key. I don’t care if your business is “circling the drain”, baking with imitation vanilla is not only gross, it’s deceitful. Plus, if you do, you will lose the respect of your employees which is just almost as important as the quality of your product.
Perhaps, my experience would’ve been pleasant if baking orange chocolate chip shortbread were part of my duties. This shortbread is simple, but heightened by the addition of orange zest.
To obtain the most flavor from the orange zest you must grind it with the sugar, until it’s moist and fragrant. The result is a light, crispy cookie with a smooth, citrus finish. It pairs nicely with your afternoon tea or have it alone, as a bedtime snack.
And if you break one or two, don’t worry about it. I promise they’ll still be just as good.
Recipe for Orange Chocolate Chip Shortbread
Recipe for Orange Chocolate Shortbread slightly adapted from Shop Girl which she adapted from Ina Garten.
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- zest of 2 large oranges, ~5 tsp
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup semi sweet mini chocolate chips
- Combine flour and salt in small bowl.
- Gather orange zest and set aside.
- Place sugar in mixer bowl. Add zest.
- Use back of spoon to mash zest and sugar together.
- Continue to mash until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
- Add butter and vanilla. Mix on low for 1 minute.
- Add the flour with salt and mix until just combined.
- Fold in mini chocolate chips.
- Form dough into a flat disc and chill for 30 minutes.
- preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Roll dough into until ½ inch thick.
- Use 2 inch cutter to make cookies.
- Put cookies on a sheet pan and chill for another 10 minutes in the freezer(this reduces spreading while baking).
- Bake for 25-28 minutes or until bottom of cookies are golden brown.
- Cool completely and serve.
these shortbreads look seriously good.. love chocolate and orange together – its the best flavour combination. i am so craving one of these right now!
Thanks, Thalia! I like shortbread but never had it with orange and chocolate. I’m feelin’ it. I had to fight Dave for the very last one. Thanks for stopping by.
Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this website. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s hard to get that perfect balance between usability and visual appeal. I must say you have done a great job with this. In addition, the blog loads super quick for me on Firefox. Excellent Blog!
John! I’m really glad you’re enjoying the site. Dave, our resident web designer/photographer extraordinaire is completely responsible. It’s proof that you don’t have to pay someone to create your site. Thanks for visiting.
hi,
These look fab, I’m going to make them for Halloween with my special cookie cutter, one question, how much in ozs or grams is a stick of butter. Emailing from Scotland!
Thanks,
Julie
Julie! You’re emailing form Scotland? That’s so freaking cool! One stick of butter weighs 4 ounces or 113g. Good luck with your cookies and thanks for stopping by.
Hi Mondo – what is a cup in English terms…? Thanks!
Hey there, Joanna! I use 125 grams for 1 cup of flour and 200 grams for 1 cup of sugar. 1 gram = 0.035274 ounces. Good luck!
Amazing, I am making them today for my family in England! Thanks for sharing the recipe all the way over here, happy Christmas.
Joanna! How did they turn out? Did you and your family stuff your faces with delicious shortbread? I hope your answers are “well” and “yes”, respectively. Happy New Year!
I made these last week. They were lovely. I’m not usually a flavoured shortbread fan because I think butter is the star, but these were nice. Thank you for the recipe.
I did whip the shortbread before adding the chocolate chips. Just a texture preference of mine. And I know, make the recipe as is without any changes first. *coff*
They would be perfect in a little tin for a hostess gift.
Hey Nicol! I’m glad the shortbread came out exactly as you like them. That’s the most important thing, yes? They would make a perfect little hostess gift, though. Thanks for the idea. Happy baking!
Mondo! just found your recipe on pinterest. planning on making them for valentines day to give away. look delish. can’t wait! thanks for sharing 🙂
Debbie! that’s so cool! after you make it, let me know how it goes. Happy Baking!
will do Mondo! 🙂
probably a dumb question but how do you get zest?
Hey Margarita! Not a dumb question at all. I wash the orange, dry it and take a microplane/zester and scrape it across the skin of the orange. Make sure to get just the orange part of the skin and not the pith(white part) underneath. The zester I use is similar to this one. <a href="http://Microplane 40020 Classic Zester/Grater
“>this one
I love everything about this recipe, including the adorable shape of the cookies! Where did you get the heart-shaped cookie cutters? Thanks!
Shortbread is my favorite! These look SO good!
Made this as printed with the exception of the shape. Mine were round, not hearts. Not enough salt, so rather bland. Put more salt in 2nd half & it was a bit better. At 350° edges started browning before centers set up so lowered temp to 325°. Probably just my oven. Used salted butter for next batch, much better flavor. Chocolate more pronounced.
Going to try this substituting almond extract for vanilla & chopped dried cranberries for chocolate chips. Will continue to use salted butter to suite our taste. Thanks
Hi
Do you have the measurements for the above in grams?
Just made these. They turned out delicious!
My daughter has requested these cookies for her birthday. I’ve made shortbread before and they are one of her favorite type of cookie. I now live across the country from her. How well do these cookies ship?
What is the weight of a stick of butter please?
How many tablespoons are you calling 1 & 1/2 sticks of butter? I used 12 tablespoons (6 ounces) and the dough was so crumbly it couldn’t be pressed into a disk, had to add another 1/2 stick of butter to get it to come together… are you sure that’s the correct butter measurement?
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