Orange Whipped Shortbread Cookies

There is no question that shortbread cookies are a classic but have you tried Orange Whipped Shortbread Cookies ? These cookies are to die for! A thick, super soft shortbread cookie infused with real orange will make your holiday cookie selection so special.

How are whipped shortbread cookies different than regular shortbread cookies?

Answer is pretty simple- they are whipped. They both include the same ingredients, it’s just that whipped shortbread cookies are well- whipped, creating more air inside of the cookies. Making them puffier and much softer than a classic shortbread cookies.

What makes these cookies so special?

Not only are these whipped shortbread cookies, but they are are Orange Whipped Shortbread Cookies. They have fresh orange zest and juice of a fresh orange giving them a great twist to the already flavorful and buttery, melt in your mouth cookie.

How to make Orange Whipped Shortbread Cookies

1. Sift together your dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, and pinch of salt)
2. Whip together butter and sifted powdered sugar for at least 5-7 minutes then add vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice
3. Add dry ingredients to your whipped butter and sugar
4. Form into balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper
5. Lightly press down top of cookies with a fork to leave an indentation
6. Bake for about 15 minutes

Tips for making these Orange Whipped Shortbread Cookies perfect:

• Use real, full fat butter butter- these Orange Whipped Shortbread Cookies are supposed to be a buttery kind of cookies. Full fat butter will give them all of their flavor and makes them super soft and melt in your mouth.
• Use softened butter at room temperature- Melted butter will cause the Orange Whipped Shortbread Cookies spread out where as right out of the refrigerator butter will make it very difficult to cream together, leaving lumps of butter in your dough.
• Sift the dry ingredients – the dough of these cookies should very light, fluffy, and delicate . For the best results, sift together all of the dry ingredients, including the powdered sugar, so that you avoid unevenly mixed dough.
• Don’t substitute the cornstarch- cornstarch is necessary for this type of cookie because it gives these Orange Whipped Shortbread cookies their very delicate and extra soft texture.
• After adding the dry ingredients, don’t overwork the dough- mix just enough so that all the ingredients are evenly combined. Overly worked dough will get rid of the air inside of the butter that you worked so hard for.

How long should these cookies bake for?

Most soft baked cookies bake anywhere from 7-11 minutes at a higher temperature than these Orange Whipped Shortbread Cookies. Since the dough for these cookies is very delicate , they are baked at a lower temperature for a longer time. It is recommended to bake these at 300°F for about 15-17 minutes. Bake them until the center of the cookies is set but before they turn light brown . If your cookies begin to turn brown, they should be taken out of the oven.

Storing and Freezing instructions.

Once the cookies are completely cooled, store cookies in an air tight container. These cookies can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

To freeze the cookies – make sure that the cookies have cooled completely. Place the cookies in a freezer bag or a tight lid container. These orange whipped shortbread cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw your cookies, place cookies in the refrigerator overnight or leave at room temperature.

These cookies are so soft that they will still be edible right out the the freezer. Although they will not be as soft as they would be thawed, you will be able to bite into them. I mean- it will be really hard to wait if you ask me!

Ingredients:

This recipe makes about 18 cookies.

• 1 stick of butter (113g)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (35g)
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour (115g)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch (30g)
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tbs fresh orange juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together all purpose flour, cornstarch, and pinch of salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Then, slowly add in powdered sugar until the mixture is very smooth and fluffy, about 6-7 minutes.
4. Add vanilla, orange zest, and freshly squeezed range juice to the creamed butter and sugar.
5. With mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix just until the ingredients are evenly combined.
6. Roll the dough into balls, about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookies, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about 1 1/2-2 inches in between each cookie.
7. Using a fork, lightly press the top of the dough balls, just enough to leave an indentation. The cookies should be thick and not flattened out.
8. Bake cookies for about 15-17 minutes or until the top of he cookies are set.
9. Remove from oven and let the cookies sit in baking sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool completely.