Chocolate Shortbreads
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
17 mins
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Fridge time:
1 hr 10 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 37 mins
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Servings
20 cookies
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Calories
134 kcal
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Course
Dessert
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Cuisine
International
Chocolate Shortbreads
Description
This recipe uses room-temperature butter beaten with icing sugar until fluffy, then incorporates cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla for chocolate flavor. Flour is added carefully to avoid dryness, producing a soft dough that requires chilling to firm it up for handling and shaping. Rolling out between parchment sheets helps achieve an even thickness.
Chilling the dough first, and re-chilling cut cookies before baking, preserves the sharpness of cookie edges and prevents spreading. Visual and tactile cues such as a matte surface and firm edges indicate doneness, since chocolate dough lacks the browning cues of lighter doughs. Slight underbaking avoids dry cookies, as residual heat finishes cooking off the heat.
Using kitchen scales for measurement adds accuracy, and fresh grating of cocoa contributes quality flavor. Rolling guides can help achieve uniform thickness. The technique balances tenderness with shape retention for classic shortbread texture in a chocolate variant.
Ingredients
- 230 grams butter or salted butter, but omit the extra salt in the recipe, unsalted
- 110 grams icing sugar otherwise known as powdered sugar
- 30 grams cocoa powder use a good quality
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 220 grams all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Add the softened butter and icing sugar to a large mixing bowl.
- Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add in the cocoa powder, salt and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat until everything is thoroughly combined and you have a smooth, creamy mixture.
- Add all of the all-purpose flour to the bowl. Slowly beat just until you cannot see any more specks of flour. We recommend starting with the electric mixer and finishing by hand, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Tip the cookie dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap.
- Shape it into a flat disk and wrap in the plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, or in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Once the dough is cold and firmed up, unwrap it and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Cover it with another piece of parchment paper.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a thickness of 6mm/1/4".
- Cut out your desired shapes from the dough using a cookie cutter. Re-roll any leftover pieces of dough. If the dough has gone soft, return it to the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Line two baking trays with parchment paper and transfer the cut out cookies onto the trays, leaving enough space between them for expansion.
- Place the baking trays in the fridge to firm up the cookies.
- Preheat the oven to 170C/338F/gas mark 3.
- Once preheated, bake the cookies on the middle shelf of the oven for 15-17 minutes. Since the cookies are dark, you won't have visual cues like with light cookies. Look for a dull surface and dry edges to know they are done.
- Leave the cookies on the trays for 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- If you wish, sprinkle them with granulated sugar as soon as they come out of the oven. Gently press down to make the sugar stick.
Notes
- Weigh ingredients with a digital scale for consistent results.
- Avoid overmixing the dough to prevent toughness; stop once ingredients are combined.
- Chill dough for at least 1 hour before rolling to firm it for easier handling.
- If dough softens during cutting, return scraps to the fridge before shaping again.
- Roll dough between parchment paper sheets to control thickness and ease transfer.
- After shaping, re-chill cut cookies before baking to help maintain cookie shape and edge detail.
- Wait to preheat the oven until cookies are chilled to prevent spreading.
- Look for a dull, matte surface and firm edges as doneness cues since chocolate dough lacks browning.
- Pull cookies slightly underbaked to avoid dryness, as residual heat completes cooking.
- Consider kitchen tools like rolling pin guides for even rolling thickness.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 20cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 134 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 134kcal | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 17g | 6% |
| Protein | 4g | 8% |
| Fat | 6g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Sodium | 62mg | 3% |
| Potassium | 99mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Calcium | 9mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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