Thursday, January 22, 2015

chocolate shortbread cookies



I love sweets . . . and I bake, a lot.
And although I love sweets, it's the not-so-sweet treats that I love the most.



 


Scones, DARK chocolate (72%+) anything, shortbread, and simple sugar cookies make up a few of my TOP 5 favorite sweet treat.

So when I came across this recipe for chocolate shortbread in FOOD & WINE magazine a few years ago, I had to give it try.




And I'm so glad that I did because the recipe yields an amazing CHOCOLATE shortbread cookie. It's been my 'go to' recipe since discovering it.

They're rich with chocolate (scent & taste) . . . and have a SLIGHTLY tender - yet firm - buttery, shortbread texture.




I found this festive shredded paper and darling ARROW stamped linen bags at our local craft store, and thought that they would make the sweetest packaging for petite chocolate shortbread hearts.





They're also quite yummy on top of RASPBERRY SORBET . . . .





 . . . . and even crazy delicous made into chocolate & strawberry ice cream sandwiches! 


 


As with any shortbread recipe, HIGH QUALITY ingredients are a must.

So splurge a little on buying GOOD butter and even better cocoa powder. These ingredients make up the FLAVORS in the shortbread, so you want GOOD-tasting ingredients.

Happy baking, friends!
 



chocolate shortbread
.     .     .     .     .      .
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
3/4 teaspoon salt
.     .     .     .     .      .


Preparation
In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter until creamy.

Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla, then beat in the cocoa on low speed. Beat in the flour and salt; the dough will be soft.

Divide the dough in half and place each half between 2 large sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick and transfer to 2 baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, at least 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Working with one piece of dough at a time, remove the top sheet of parchment and invert the dough onto a lightly floured work surface; remove the second sheet of parchment. Using a floured cookie cutter, stamp out cookies as close together as possible.

Transfer the cookies to parchment paper–lined baking sheets and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until firm.

Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then, using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely. Reroll the scraps, and stamp out more cookies, chilling the scraps between batches.







LET'S STAY in touch!







36 comments:

  1. They look delicious, and you're going to make some friends smile with a gift like that! Very pretty, too.
    judypimperl.blogspot.com

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  2. Love your little bundles tied up...they are so cute. The cookies look delicious.

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  3. Mm. I was just thinking I needed a new cookie recipe. These look amazing on top of that Raspberry Sorbet!

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  4. Perhaps you can tell me...I've often wondered...why some recipes call for unsalted butter and then put the salt right back in? Can one use salted butter and just leave the salt out? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Teddee! Thanks for coming by!
      To answer your question . . . The salt content of regular butter varies by manufacturer, so using unsalted butter is a means of controlling how much salt is in baked goods. The rule of thumb is that, if you're going to substitute salted butter for unsalted butter, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon per 1/2 cup of butter. I hope that helps.
      Have a great weekend,
      Suzanne

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  5. Those mini ice cream sandwiches look delicious! Those cookies are super cute and perfect for Valentine's Day. :)

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  6. Oh, goodness! I must try these!!

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  7. Super cute ideas! Thank you for sharing!
    Hope you have a wonderful week!
    Hugs and love from Portugal,
    Ana Love Craft
    www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

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  8. I have never made chocolate shortbread ! Pinned to make soon :-)

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  9. I love shortbread and have had it with chocolate chips in, but never actually chocolate shortbread. Looks amazing. You are killing me with those ice cream shortbread sandwiches...lol. How can I resist now!!

    Thanks for sharing at Marvelous Monday on Smart Party Planning.

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    Replies
    1. Our readers loved this too, and it will be featured at next week\'s party :-)

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  10. These look wonderful. Pinning to try this weekend!

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  11. These look delicious and I love the arrow bags! Thanks for sharing the recipe at Marvelous Monday on Smart Party Planning.

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  12. Pinning!! I love the idea of not-so-sweet treats! Yummmmmm!

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  13. I am with you....love the not so sweet cookies like shortbread and biscotti....that you can dip into coffee! These look wonderful! pinned

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  14. super cute ideas!!!!!!! hugs, angie from germany

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  15. Oh my, I love shortbread and these are so perfect for Valentines! I love the linen arrow bags too! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  16. Thank you for sharing at the Show Me Saturdays link up party, your project was featured! Hope to see you this week:) #showmesaturdays

    ~Be Sweet
    Christina at
    SWEET HAUTE

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  17. I love shortbread & chocolate so this is a match made in heaven.

    Your pics are stunning!

    Thanks so much for sharing this, Suzanne! Pinning!

    ~Heather @ My Overflowing Cup

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  18. These are just the sweetest cookies!!

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