Chocolate Shortbread Cookies are chocolaty, buttery and are perfect for rolling out and cutting into shapes. A simple, six ingredient, cookie that quickly disappears!
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These might be fighting words, but I will take a shortbread cookie over a sugar cookie any day.
Chocolate dipped shortbread cookies or dark chocolate stars are two classic examples of shortbread, but these rich, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate shortbread cookies are vying for my favorite cookie pick.
With only six ingredients, they are super simple to make and they roll out beautifully. They hold their shape when you bake them and are a dream to work with.
I left this batch plain but you can also dip them in more chocolate – white, dark, or milk – and top them with sprinkles.
When I originally posted these in 2012, we decorated them with canned frosting.
Any option will work, but I promise they’re delicious as is.
INGREDIENTS
BUTTER – You’ll need two sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature.
POWDERED SUGAR – Also sometimes called confectioners’ sugar.
VANILLA EXTRACT – With only a few ingredients, you need high quality ingredients. Try to use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation. You can buy it in bulk at Sam’s or Costco or even make your own in the instant pot.
COCOA POWDER – I use Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder which is a blend of natural and dutched cocoas.
FLOUR – All purpose white flour is what I use. I haven’t tested others.
SALT – Kosher salt for balance.
TOOLS FROM AMAZON TO HELP YOU
- Mixing Bowls – I like these with the grippy bottoms.
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer – I have used both for these cookies and do prefer using the stand mixer for these, but either will work just fine.
- Rolling Pin – For rolling out the dough.
- Baking Sheet – I prefer lipped baking sheets so nothing slides off. From experience.
- Cookie Cutters – I used holiday shapes.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD
STEP ONE: Cream the butter with your mixer until smooth. Add in the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add in the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Slowly add in the cocoa powder, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the salt.
STEP TWO: Slowly add in the flour, making sure to mix until fully incorporated, but not to overmix.
STEP THREE: Divide the dough in half and place half onto a board (or your counter) lined with parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to evenly roll to 1/4 inch thick. Set aside. Repeat the steps with the other half of the dough.
STEP FOUR: Place both slabs of dough, still sandwiched inside the parchment paper, on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least an hour.
STEP FIVE: After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. Either cut out the dough into rectangles or use cookie cutters to make shapes. Place them evenly spaced apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
STEP SIX: Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from oven and let set before removing from pan. If decorating, let them cool completely.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SHORTBREAD COOKIE AND A SUGAR COOKIE?
Though similar, the main difference in these two cookies is the ingredients. Shortbread cookies do not have eggs – sugar cookies typically do. Shortbread cookies generally have more butter, making them tender and crumbly, while a sugar cookie is sweeter and sometimes chewy.
CAN I FREEZE THEM?
Shortbread cookies can be frozen as dough or after they’ve been baked.
CAN I PREP THEM AHEAD OF TIME?
The prepared dough can stay covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or wrap in plastic and kept in freezer for one month.
HOW MANY COOKIES DOES THIS MAKE?
How many cookies this recipe makes will depend on the size and shapes you choose to make them. Mine (doing the gingerbread men and snowmen) made 30 cookies.
NEED MORE CHRISTMAS COOKIES? TRY THESE:
Molasses Cookies
Ginger Snaps
30+ Classic Christmas Cookies
Sugar Cookie Bars
Reindeer Cookies
Italian Sugar Cookies
Millionaire Shortbread Bars
Click here to view my entire collection of cookies.
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Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ lb unsalted butter at room temp (2 sticks)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup Hershy’s Special Dark cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups all purpose white flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt scant
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, cream the softened butter with the paddle attachment until smooth.
- Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla and mix.
- Slowly add in the cocoa. Mix and scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed.
- Add salt and mix.
- Slowly add the flour and mix until incorporated. Take care to not over mix.
- Put half of the dough on a piece of parchment paper. Lay another piece of parchment on top. Use a rolling pin to flatten evenly to 1/4 inch thick.
- Repeat these same steps with the other half of the dough using two new sheets of parchment paper.
- Place both slabs of rolled out dough, still inside of the parchment paper, on a baking sheet and pop in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your cookie sheets with silicone mats.
- Cut the cookies with whatever cookie cutters you like & place evenly spaced apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 min, rotating pans halfway through. Let sit on baking sheets 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Let cool completely before decorating.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Originally published December 31, 2012
These cookies look delicious. I love the recipe. I have a link party called Wednesdays Adorned From Above Blog Hop and would love to have you share this and any other posts with everyone. It runs from Wednesday through midnight Sunday. Here is the link to the party.
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/01/week-in-review-and-wednesdays-adorned.html
Debi @ Adorned From Above
I made these cookies today but they came out a bit too crumbly for me. I prefer a more sturdy cookie that doesn’t crumble in my hand while eating. Will probably try adding a little bit more flour next time.
Well, shortbread is crumbly, but mine never crumble in my hand.