Orange Shortbread Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies by Rebecca Wilhelm with Roses & Whiskers
Yields: 24 clam shell cookies
These adorable orange shortbread cookies are inspired by Disney's "The Little Mermaid" and Sprinkle Pop's "Mermaid Princess" sprinkle mix. The cookies are dipped in dark chocolate, sprinkled with sea salt and sandwiched like clam shells, which would fit right in under the sea!
This recipe is fairly straightforward. Honestly, the hardest part is waiting for the dough to chill! Shortbread cookies are notorious for spreading, but with a little bit of patience that can easily be prevented. Chill the dough in the refrigerator overnight (or for at least 8 hours) before rolling and cutting out the shapes. Then chill the entire pan of cutouts in the freezer or refrigerator before baking.
(Most of my baking sheets don’t fit in the freezer, but if yours do, definitely go that route. It’s faster and the frozen cutouts hold their shape the best.)
I also prevent spreading by using a combination of butter and butter-flavored Crisco. You can substitute the Crisco for butter, but the cookies may spread more.
Roll half of the dough to no more than 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface, leaving the rest in the refrigerator. Cut out the shapes (this is the cookie cutter that I used) and transfer them to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat using a lightly floured spatula. Work quickly. The dough becomes more difficult to handle as it warms up. Re-roll the scraps and the remaining dough. Don't put more than 12 cookies on a pan.
Don’t preheat the oven until the cookie cutouts have been in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the refrigerator for an hour. Then bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned and the cookies are set (slightly soft, but no longer wet and doughy).
Melt the chocolate wafers according to the instructions on the bag once the cookies are cool. I recommend melting the wafers in a tall, thin glass container.
Dip the end of each cookie in the chocolate and set on a sheet of wax paper to harden. Dip a few at a time, and then sprinkle with sea salt before the chocolate sets. Use as much or as little sea salt as you want
Make the frosting while the chocolate sets. The orange in the frosting is a subtle flavor, but it works when paired with the orange of the shortbread. However, you can substitute the orange juice for orange extract, either partially or completely, to achieve a stronger citrus flavor. Consider doing that if you’re heavy-handed with the sea salt.
Pipe a rosette onto the back of a cookie, add sprinkles and then top with a second cookie to form a clam shell. Hold the clam shell sandwich sideways to add more sprinkles.
Store in an airtight container and enjoy. Happy baking
Ingredients:
Orange Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:
Directions:
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