Unless it requires a rider to your insurance policy, something you made yourself, I think, usually makes the best Valentine’s Day gift. The day is so full of dull, mass-produced tokens of affection –chocolates, ho-hum red flower arrangements, rushed dinners at crowded restaurants– that any personal touch really stands out.
Recently I posted a great recipe for brownies as a homemade gift idea. If you don’t like brownies, seek professional help. But if you’re looking for something quicker and simpler to make, here’s something for you. This chocolate chip orange shortbread has amazing, sophisticated flavor, but it comes together in just a few stress-free minutes in a food processor –no melting, sifting, folding or rolling. You don’t even have to grease the pan. It’s dead easy and nearly foolproof, and heart-shaped cookie cutter makes it even sweeter.
Recipe
Ingredients
For basic shortbread:
2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 generous teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
For chocolate chip orange shortbread add:
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Dump all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse to combine.
2. Cut the butter into small chunks and lay them on top of the dry mixture. (I cut each stick lengthwise first and then slice across about every inch.) Add the orange extract and pulse until the mixture looks like damp sand and just begins to clump together. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this in a bowl with a pastry blender or a dinner fork.)
3. Empty this mixture into a bowl and set aside. Pour the chocolate chips into the food processor and pulse until they’re broken into irregular pieces. (If you don’t have a food processor, just chop them roughly with a knife.)
4. Add the chocolate pieces to the bowl with the sandy shortbread dough and mix to combine. Press into an 8 or 9-inch square or round ungreased baking pan. Prick the surface with a fork.
5. Bake for 40-50 minutes until golden brown. Cut the shortbread as soon as you remove it from the oven, and then cool before serving.
For other easy and interesting shortbread recipes, like toasted walnut and cumin, rosemary, and lime pepper, see my post here.
