Dessert • Sweet
Natalie’s Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Senior Consultant, Enterprise Content Management
These cookies have been a staple for me since I started baking my own Christmas cookies. I personally don’t like really sweet treats and so these are something I enjoy with a cup of coffee or little glass of port. Toppings change from year to year, but the basic recipe always stays the same.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon of cornstarch
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder – use good quality for best results
- Decorations: whole nuts, candied fruit, large-flake sea salt
Instructions
Step 1
Using a mixer, blend butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in a bowl until smooth and fluffy.
Step 2
Sift the flour, cornstarch and cocoa into the butter and sugar mixture and mix until it forms a soft dough.
Step 3
Using floured hands, roll the dough into 2 logs about ¾-inch in diameter, wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Step 5
Cut chilled dough into ½-inch slices and place each cookie on a cookie sheet. Top with desired decorations.
Step 6
Bake 20 minutes, leave to cool on the cookie sheet and then move to a cooling rack.
Photos from Natalie
