Cookies & biscuits · Original home recipe
Orange Shortbread Fingers Recipe
Orange zest brightens a simple butter shortbread. Pressing the dough into one square pan avoids rolling and rerolling, and cutting it while warm gives tidy fingers.
An independent Baking Show Guide recipe for home baking.
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Orange Shortbread Fingers
Bake it at home
Orange Shortbread Fingers
- Prep
- 15 min
- Bake
- 35 min–40 min
- Total
- 2 hrs–2 hrs 5 min
- Makes
- 16 fingers
Total time includes resting 20 min, cooling 50 min. Bake times and oven settings are estimates; follow the doneness cues in the method.
Ingredients
- 140 g unsalted butter, soft but not melted
- 70 g caster sugar, plus 10 g for finishing
- 4 g finely grated orange zest (from about 1 large orange; orange flesh not needed)
- 210 g plain/all-purpose flour
- 1 g fine salt (about 1/6 teaspoon)
Equipment
Pan: 20 x 20 cm metal square pan
- 20 cm square baking pan
- Fine grater
- Digital kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl
- Cooling rack
Method
Line the square pan with parchment, leaving handles on two sides. Beat the butter, 70 g sugar and zest briefly until smooth, rather than very fluffy.
Stir in the flour and salt. Squeeze a little mixture together: it should hold its shape. Press the dough into the pan in an even layer, using the back of a spoon to smooth the corners.
Mark 16 fingers lightly with a knife and prick the surface all over with a fork. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 160°C conventional or 140°C fan.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the surface looks dry and the outer edges are pale gold. The centre will still feel delicate but should not look wet or greasy.
Sprinkle with the extra 10 g sugar. Wait 10 minutes, then cut through the marked lines while the shortbread is warm, keeping it in the pan. Cool for another 40 minutes before lifting out and separating the fingers.
Recipe notes
An independent home recipe by Baking Show Guide. It is not an official show or contestant recipe.
- Grate only the coloured skin of the orange; the white layer underneath can taste bitter.
- Do not lift the whole slab while hot: it is fragile until the butter cools.
- Pan: 20 x 20 cm metal square pan
Storage: Keep completely cooled fingers airtight in a cool room for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Allergens: Wheat (gluten), Milk. Check ingredient labels for your needs.
