Orange Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Ok, so first off, apologies for not having posted a new blog in a about a week. Work has been hectic. I applied for a new position, only to have my visa for the UK approved a few days after. Then I had an interview for that role on Friday, which went AMAZING until I brought up the fact that I was going to be leaving work. It was as I had shot Bambi’s mother in front of their faces. But in the end, I would rather not get the job because of my personal circumstances rather than not being able to do the job offered. Also, I may be a bit tipsy, its my flatmate’s birthday party tonight.

 

I’m dressed as Rod Stewart, about to be Lionel Riche, and then ending the night as George Michael before we head to town.

 

Anyway, the fact I know that I have freshly baked cookies waiting for me in the morning just makes my heart flutter. I mean, who needs a partner when you have freshly baked cookies that you can devour before you “accidently don’t share them”.

 

These cookies are the best the next day, hungover, or to take to work to share with co-workers as I did last weekend. I had to test bake a couple of recipes for the base cookies before settling on one that I thought fit the bill, but the ganache filling was 100 percent perfect straight off, something I cant say happens often.

 

• Servings: 30-ish
• Time: 1
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Ingredients

Shortbread

150g Butter, room temperature

150g Castor Sugar

280g Flour, All Purpose

½ tsp Vanilla Essence

½ tsp Salt

 

Ganache

175g Dark Chocolate

60ml Cream

½ Tbsp Butter, room temperature

1/8 tsp Salt

5g Brandy

5g Vanilla Essence

Rind of two Oranges

15g Orange Juice, freshly squeezed

Peel of two oranges

Directions

Shortbread

 

1. Preheat oven to 160ºC
2. Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy
3. Sift dry ingredients together and add.
4. Bring mix together until just combined. Do not over mix.
5. Scale off into 20g pieces
6. Roll into balls and place on greased cookie sheet
7. Using your thumb, or the back of a wooden spoon, push an indent into the cookie
8. Place in preheated oven for 10 minutes
9. Remove from oven. At this point, the center will have risen a little, use the back of a wooden spoon to push the center back down, re-forming the indent. Make sure not to push too clos to the edge of the cookie, or you will crack the outer edge
10. Place back in oven and back for a further 8 minutes. Remove and place on a cooling rack to cool completely

 

Ganache

1. Whilst cookies are baking, prepare ganahce filling
2. In a bowl, place measure of chocolate
3. In a pot, combine cream and the rind of two oranges. Heat until hot to the touch.
4. Remove orange rind from cream
5. Add hot cream to chocolate
6. Whisk together until combined
7. Add Brandy, salt, vanilla and orange juice to chocolate mixture
8. Once cooled, spoon or pipe chocolate mixture into cookies
9. Let cookies sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours to allow ganache to set.