Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread Bars

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on Last updated

1 Comments

5 from 1 vote
16 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
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Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread Bars are wonderfully buttery and slightly crunchy with orange marmalade filling and dark chocolate topping.

This is the perfect unique Bar Recipe with a combination of sweet, citrusy, and bitter flavors. Simple Buttery Shortbread works as the base for the more intense flavors of dark chocolate and orange for a wonderfully balanced treat.

Sliced and stacked Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread Bars

DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGE SHORTBREAD BARS

Shortbread cookies are an easy and traditional treat to serve especially around the holiday baking season. This recipe adds more complex and delicious flavors to the simple treat with its buttery chocolate and orange combination! The sweet shortbread and easy marmalade filling topped with dark chocolate chunks make this recipe completely unique and absolutely irresistible. 

If you’re looking for an easy dessert to wow your guests this holiday season, then you don’t need to look any further. The simple dough and filling are ready for the oven in just a few minutes. Similarly, the chocolate topping can be made in the microwave in just a few seconds. When it all comes together these Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread Bars are delicious, beautiful, and sure to be a crowd favorite!

Collage of assembly steps for Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread Bars

For more ways to add some extra goodness to a simple shortbread recipe try out our Cranberry Chip Shortbread Cookies, Candied Shortbread Cookies, and Whipped Shortbread Cookies. They are all easy, delicious twists on the classic cookie. It’s a great way to enjoy a familiar treat while making it a little more special. 

MORE AMAZING BAR RECIPES

TIPS FOR MAKING DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGE SHORTBREAD BARS

  • Prep time: To start the recipe, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8×10 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. 
  • Cookie dough: To make the shortbread dough, add softened butter and granulated sugar to your stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Then turn the speed to medium for 2-3 minutes until the butter mixture is airy and light. Add in the egg yolks and vanilla extract, and continue mixing the dough until creamy. Then sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until the dough forms into a mixture, but don’t over-mix. 
  • Assemble: Press half of the shortbread dough into the base of your prepared pan. Spread marmalade over the shortbread, then add the remaining shortbread mixture on top with the dark chocolate chips, and press down gently.  
  • Baking time: Pop the bars in the oven for 35-40 minutes until they’re a beautiful golden brown.
  • Serve: Take them from the oven and let them cool completely so the chocolate is set before you slice them with a sharp knife, and serve. 

Baked Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread Bars in baking pan

VARIATIONS ON DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGE SHORTBREAD BARS

  • Chocolate chunks: You can try different kinds of chocolate pieces in the shortbread bars. Try using milk chocolate, or semi-sweet chocolate instead of dark. You could also try a combination of dark and white chocolate. 
  • Chocolate cookie: For some extra chocolate flavor, you can make a double chocolate recipe with chocolate shortbread and chocolate topping. Just add cocoa powder to the regular shortbread dough. Reduce the amount of flour to 1 ½ cup, and add ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder to the mixture. 
  • Salted caramel chocolate bars: If you love dark chocolate and salted caramel, replace the marmalade filling with Caramel Sauce. Then sprinkle crunchy sea salt over the top of the chocolate. 
  • Vegan bars: To make this recipe vegan, you’ll need to use replacements for the butter, egg yolk, and chocolate. You can find vegan butter and vegan chocolate chips at the grocery store. To replace the egg yolks try using flax eggs or chia eggs. 

Sliced Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread Bars on parchment

MORE ORANGE FLAVORED DESSERTS

HOW TO STORE DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGE SHORTBREAD BARS

  • Serve: After giving the Shortbread Bars time to cool, you can slice them into squares and serve. They’ll stay good at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week. If the area you’re storing them in is humid, put a paper towel down in the base of the container to absorb extra moisture. 
  • Store: You could also seal the bars, and keep them in the fridge for up to 1 month. 
  • Freeze: To freeze them, put the bars in a Ziploc bag or another airtight container with the layers separated by parchment paper so that they don’t freeze together. They’ll stay good for 3 months. 

Sliced Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread Bars on parchment

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Dinner, then Dessert

Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread Bars

Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread Bars are wonderfully buttery and slightly crunchy with orange marmalade filling and dark chocolate topping.
Yield 16 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Sliced and stacked Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread Bars
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups orange marmalade
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8x8 baking dish with baking spray.
  • To your stand mixer add the butter and sugar and cream on medium speed until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add in egg yolks and vanilla extract until creamy.
  • Add flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
  • Spread about half the mixture into the baking dish and press gently.
  • Spread orange marmalade over the mixture.
  • Sprinkle the remaining shortbread mixture over the orange marmalade and top with dark chocolate chunks.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes or until very lightly browned.
  • Cool completely before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 404IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg

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Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread Bars collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Love your recipes! The storing advice and variations are very helpful. Does this fit into a 10×10 or 10×12 pan?

    Reply