Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Name: Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 36 min
Total time: 1 h 26 min
Yield: 36 cookies
Ingredients: 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate; 1½ cups unsalted butter; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3½ cups all-purpose flour; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; sea salt flakes

User Reviews

4.8

75 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
36 mins
Additional Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 26 mins
Servings
36 cookies
Calories
163 kcal
Course
Baked Goods
Cuisine
American

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Iris Warren

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These Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies blend rich, softened unsalted butter with sugar and vanilla, combined with flour and salt to form a tender dough studded with small semi-sweet chocolate pieces. Chilled and rolled out, the dough creates crisp-edged, buttery cookies with scattered chocolate morsels and optional sea salt flakes on top.

Description

This recipe for Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies starts by chopping good-quality semi-sweet chocolate into small pieces to distribute throughout the dough without causing issues when cutting. Creamed butter and sugar form a smooth, slightly fluffy base, enhanced by vanilla extract. Flour and salt are gently incorporated, then chocolate pieces are folded in to add bursts of sweetness.

The dough is divided and chilled to allow easier rolling and cutting into shapes. Baking produces cookies with a delicate crumb and a buttery, rich flavor, punctuated by melted chocolate bits and optionally topped with flaky sea salt for contrast. The texture is crisp on the edges with a soft center.

Leftover cookies freeze well and can be eaten directly from the freezer, maintaining their texture and flavor over time.

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Ingredients

Servings

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate good-quality baking bar
1½ cups unsalted butter softened to room temperature (not overly soft or melty
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
3½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt Morton brand
sea salt flakes optional, to sprinkle on top, Maldon brand

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Instructions

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Chop chocolate bar into small pieces. Aim for the biggest pieces to be no larger than ¼" in size. If they are too big, they cause problems with getting clean cuts with the cookie cutters. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add sugar and beat until smooth and a bit fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add vanilla and beat until just incorporated. Add flour and salt and beat until just incorporated. Gently fold in the chopped chocolate.
Divide dough in half and then flatten each half slightly into a disk shape. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and set them (separately, not resting on top of each other) in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. If your butter was on the warmer/softer side, you may need to refrigerate a few minutes longer.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough disks to a ¼″ thickness. Cut dough into desired shapes using lightly floured cookie cutters. The heart cutter I use is about 3½" wide by 3" tall. Place cut dough shapes on prepared baking sheet, 1" to 2" apart. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes if desired.
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until just browned and firmed up. Note that if you use a cookie cutter that is smaller or larger than I use, or if your dough is rolled thicker or thinner, you will need to adjust baking time accordingly. Remove pan from oven and let cookies rest on pan for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with second dough disk. Just be sure to keep your dough chilled until you are ready to roll and cut. If the dough gets too warm, it will spread when baked. Dough can be re-rolled after the first cuts. If dough gets too warm, chill it again in the refrigerator.
*If your cookies are spreading a bit, the butter was probably a little too warm. Then I recommend placing pans of cut dough in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes prior to baking. Or a hack that I've used to tighten up the shape while the cookies are still warm after coming out of the oven, is to use a thin metal spatula to gently nudge in the perimeters where needed.

Notes

These cookies freeze very well and can be enjoyed straight from the freezer without losing texture.
Chopping the chocolate into small pieces ensures clean cookie cuts and even chocolate distribution.

Nutrition Information

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Serving 1 Calories 163kcal (8%) Carbohydrates 14g (5%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 12g (18%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g (24%) Cholesterol 28mg (9%) Sodium 38mg (2%) Sugar 8g (16%)