Tangerine Shortbread

Classic shortbread gets a sunny citrus makeover with tangerine juice and freshly grated peel stirred right into the dough.

The result? Crisp, sandy-textured wedges that shatter when you bite into them, releasing a wave of buttery richness followed by a bright tangerine finish.

With just five pantry-friendly ingredients and no fancy equipment, this is the kind of recipe you can whip up on a lazy afternoon and have 32 cookies ready before dinner.

Press the dough into round cake pans, score into wedges, and bake until the edges turn light golden brown.

Variations

• Orange or Meyer lemon. Swap the tangerine for any citrus you have on hand. Meyer lemon peel makes a gorgeous, fragrant version.
• Chocolate dip. After cooling, dunk one end of each wedge in melted dark chocolate and let it set on parchment.
• Lavender tangerine. Add a teaspoon of dried culinary lavender to the dough for a floral, tea-time twist.

Kitchen Tips

• Superfine sugar matters. It dissolves faster into the butter, giving you that signature sandy, melt-away shortbread texture. Pulse regular sugar in a food processor if you don’t have it.
• Don’t overmix the flour. Stir just until combined. Overworking shortbread dough makes it tough instead of tender.
• Score before baking. Those fork prick lines aren’t just decorative. They let you snap clean wedges after baking without crumbling.