A recipe for Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies! Top these light, buttery cookies with either dark chocolate or a bright blood orange glaze for a fun and festive treat.
Happy almost Valentine’s Day! These Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies are a fun and easy way to celebrate with a burst of bright citrus flavor.
Simply bring together the blood orange cookie dough and refrigerate for an hour to set. Roll out into a sheet and cut into desired shapes (I made hearts for the holiday) and bake just until lightly golden around the edges.
The buttery, tender blood orange cookies are delicious on their own, but I like to add a more striking contrast in color once they have cooled by dipping them in either dark chocolate or a blood orange glaze.
Finish with a sprinkling of orange-flavored salt and allow the glaze to set before serving or storing.
A Few Blood Orange Shortbread Cookie Tips
Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.
If the dough is too sticky to handle, add just enough flour for it to become manageable. Be careful not to add too much to keep the texture light.
I mixed a little cornstarch into the flour to help add to the soft and tender texture. If you want to cookies more crumbly, omit and adjust with flour as needed.
The amount of cookies and cooking time for the shortbread depends on the size of the cookie cutters used. I made hearts of various sizes for Valentine’s Day.
If you don’t want to use cookie cutters, you can also roll the dough into a square/rectangle and slice into 1/4 inch (6 millimeter) rounds after it is well-chilled.
If blood oranges are unavailable, substitute with other favorite orange varieties.
For a fun contrast, I dipped some cookies in melted dark chocolate and others in a pink blood orange glaze. Make sure the Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies have completely cooled to room temperature before topping.
I made a quick orange-flavored salt to sprinkle over the tops of the cookies. This is completely optional, but I loved the extra boost of flavor. Rub together roughly equal parts of the orange zest and salt and let sit while you prepare the glaze.
You can also sprinkle some orange zest and flaky salt separately or top the Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies with your favorite sprinkles.
Looking for more blood orange recipes?
Try my:
- Blood Orange Vinaigrette
- This Blood Orange Dark Chocolate Chip Sorbet
- Blood Orange Chardonnay Cupcakes
Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Adapted from Made in Our Kitchen
Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies:
- 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- Zest from 1 blood orange
- 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (35 grams) cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping:
- 1 tablespoon coarse or flaky sea salt
- 1 tablespoon blood orange zest
- 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) blood orange juice
- 5 ounces (142 grams) melted dark chocolate
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Mix into the butter just until combined.
- Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until well chilled and firm, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a sheet 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) thick.
- Cut the dough into shapes using desired cookie cutters. Transfer to prepared baking sheets 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) apart.
- Bake in preheated oven until the bottoms are lightly golden, 12-15 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. If the cooking is uneven, switch and rotate the baking sheets halfway through the time.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
To make the toppings:
- In a small bowl, rub together the sea salt and orange zest. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and blood orange juice until smooth. If too thick, add a little more juice. If too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
- Place the melted dark chocolate in another bowl.
- Once the cookies are room temperature, dip or drizzle the tops with either the melted chocolate or the blood orange glaze. Sprinkle with orange salt and allow to set before serving.
- Once set, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook
Love the salt idea!