Orange Chocolate Swirl Shortbread

Directions

1. Lightly grease a nine-inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray and/or line it with a parchment paper sling.
2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor, rub or pulse the sugar and orange zest together until the sugar is a pale orange colour. Add in the flour and salt and mix or blitz to combine.
3. Cut the butter into pats and add to the flour mixture. Cut the butter in until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and it holds together in a ball when squeezed in your hand.
   
4. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Cover and transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes or up to one day.
   
5. Heat your oven to 350°F. Bake the pan of shortbread for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and poke eight rows of holes into the dough using the tines of a fork. Score through the dough between each row using a bench scraper or knife. Cut the rows horizontally in half or thirds to have 16 to 24 bars.
   
6. Return to the oven for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Set aside to cool completely.
   
7. Remove the shortbread from the pan, carefully break the bars along the scored lines, and set it on a rack-lined baking sheet. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water, then use a spoon to splatter and drizzle the chocolate over the bars. Scatter with turbinado sugar, and allow the chocolate to cool and set before serving or transferring to a container to store at room temperature for up to three weeks or in the freezer for three months. Enjoy! 
   

TIP: Using granulated sugar gives the cookies a nice, slightly crisp edge. Use powdered sugar (by weight) for a very tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookie.