These little cookies are so simple to put together! If you're putting together a cookie box to send out this holiday season, these spiced orange shortbread cookies will definitely hold up.

These spiced orange shortbread cookies get their zing from orange zest and are spiced with nutmeg, cloves, ginger and cinnamon. I then drizzled them with white chocolate and more orange zest, but I bet they would taste amazing with dark chocolate drizzled on top or maybe dipped!
And because they're so tiny and light, you can eat a ton and feel totally cool about it. The dough also freezes really well, so I keep portioned dough in the freezer in case I feel the urge to have some cookies!
Ingredients for Spiced Orange Shortbread
- Butter unsalted butter is what gives these cookies that moist and buttery base
- Orange the zest of an orange is added to the cookie dough to give us this Christmassy feel
- Spices cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg are used, giving a nice and warm flavour to the cookies
- White chocolate I love pairing white chocolate with orange, but you could try milk or dark chocolate too
How to make spiced orange shortbread
Combine all the ingredients except the egg and flour in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to get a smooth dough. You then add the egg, combine, and then add the flour. Beat everything together until you get a stiff dough. At this point you could either wrap it up and keep in the fridge for a week, or use it immediately.
Roll out the dough on a floured work surface until it is ¼ inch thick. Stamp out using your cookie cutters, I used this tiny star cookie cutter. This dough does spread out a bit, so don't choose anything too intricate!
Bake until the shortbread cookies are a golden colour and not too brown. Let them cool completely before drizzling them with white chocolate and more orange zest.
Other Recipes To Try:
- Chocolate Lebkuchen
- Slice & Bake Christmas Cookies
- Hot Chocolate Thumbprints
- Eggnog Macarons
- Peppermint Bark Cookies
Recipe
Spiced Orange Shortbread
Ingredients
- 299 grams flour
- 113 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
- 99 grams coconut oil, room temperature
- 198 grams granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon orange zest + more for decorating
- 30 grams white chocolate, melted
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, salt, baking soda, spices and orange zest for 5 minutes, until the batter is light.
- Add in the egg and beat until smooth, and then add flour. Mix on low until a stiff dough forms.
- On a floured surface, knead the dough to form a ball.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Roll out your dough until it is ¼ inch thick and use a cookie cutter to stamp out your cookies. Arrange them on the baking trays at least 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are a light golden colour. Let them cool completely before drizzling with white chocolate and more orange zest.
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