Chocolate cardamom orange shortbread
Add orange, cardamom and chocolate to a basic shortbread recipe – a great Christmas gift idea from Great British Bake Off winner Candice.
Ingredients
- 10 cardamom pods
- 50g/1¾oz golden caster sugar
- 35g/1oz soft light brown sugar
- 2 oranges, zest only
- 170g/6oz unsalted butter, softened
- 245g/9oz plain flour
- pinch of salt
- 50g/1¾oz toasted flaked almonds, finely chopped
- 200g/7oz dark chocolate (preferably orange and almond flavoured) finely chopped
- icing sugar, to sprinkle
Method
Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and grind in a pestle and mortar. Put in a bowl with the sugars and orange zest. Mash them together using the back of a spoon so the oils get into the sugar and you can smell the orange and cardamom.
Add the softened butter and mix until combined. Add the flour and salt then mix with your hands until only just combined (do not over-work the dough). Divide into two pieces.
Add the half the almonds and 50g/1¾oz of the chocolate to one piece of dough. Mix it in with your hands.
Flatten both pieces of dough, wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for 20–30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
On a lightly floured surface roll out both pieces of dough to 1.25cm/½in thick. Cut out biscuits using star, heart-shaped or other Christmas cutters.
Transfer the biscuits to a lined baking tray, leaving a little space between them, and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden-brown. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Sprinkle the chocolate and almond shortbread with icing sugar.
Gently melt the remaining chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
Dip the corners or sides of the plain orange shortbread into the chocolate then sprinkle with the remaining toasted almonds. Lay on a silicone sheet or baking paper to set. Store them in a glass jar or wrap in clear plastic and make them into gifts.