Chocolate Orange Viennese Fingers (Vegan)
Chocolate orange Viennese fingers - these delicious vegan biscuits are rich, delicate, crumbly and melt-in-the-mouth. Piped orange shortbread fingers are dipped in dark chocolate for an indulgent treat that is not too sweet, perfect for afternoon tea.
Servings 28 biscuits
Ingredients
- 200 g (¾ cup + 1Tablespoon) vegan block butter very soft but not melted
- 75 g (¾ cup) icing (powdered) sugar
- finely grated zest of 1-2 oranges
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 g (1 + ⅔ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 45 g (⅓ cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 200 g dark chocolate finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4 and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
- Whisk the vegan butter, icing sugar, orange zest, orange extract and vanilla extract together until smooth.
- Sift in the flour and cornflour and mix until well combined. The dough should be stiff but malleable and pipeable, like a stiff buttercream consistency.
- Fit a piping bag with a large open star nozzle and spoon the dough into the bag. Pipe strips of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, well spaced apart as they will spread in the oven. Place the trays in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Bake the biscuits for 12-15 minutes until pale golden. Leave to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool (the biscuits are very delicate and break easily).
- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in short bursts in the microwave. Transfer it to a narrow but deep container, such as a mug, to make it easier to dip the biscuits.
- Dip either end of each biscuit in the chocolate, allowing any excess to drip back into the mug, then place them on sheets of baking paper until hardened before carefully peeling them off.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- Take the butter out of the fridge at least a couple of hours before baking. It needs to be extremely soft, otherwise your dough will be too stiff to pipe.
- If you are struggling to pipe the dough it usually means that it is too cold, NOT that it needs more liquid. If it is too stiff, pop the bowl in a warm spot for a few minutes, or use the warmth of your hands to warm up the piping bag.