Forget sugary buttery shortbread in tartan tins. These orange choc chip shortbread cookies (Full of Plants) are much tastier, healthier and kinder (they’re vegan!)
Read up on food safety for people & pets (many foods including citrus fruits are unsafe around animal friends). Just bin citrus rind as (along with rhubarb and allium scraps), acids could harm compost creatures.
Oranges only came to England during the 17th century, and only eaten by people who had access to orangeries (big greenhouses). Before that, Queen Eleanor (from Spain) would order oranges to dock at Portsmouth in 1289, as she was homesick for the fruits.
Most oranges come from southern Europe (Pesticide Action Network say oranges (along with grapes) are usually covered in a cocktail of pesticides before arriving on supermarket shelves. So try to choose organic if you can.
Along with standard oranges, you can buy darker richer Spanish blood oranges, and there are also mandarins, clementines and easy-to-peel Japanese satsumas. You can sub blood oranges for recipes, but they will be a different taste and colour.
The recipe is by a very talented young French chef, and use only a few ingredients (all Flora vegan butters have no palm oil).
Sweetened with coconut sugar, these cookies use a two whole oranges, and are delicious with a cup of tea or coffee. You can find vegan chocolate chips in most stores. If not, just finely chop up a choccy bar.
You can just a tea towel to cover the dough (rather than plastic wrap). Just dust with a little flour if the dough is wet, to prevent it sticking.
After baking, leave the cookies to firm up as they cool. They are also nice with a banana mylkshake.
