CHOCOLATE CHIP SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Posted in Cookies by

It’s hard to make a case for one more chocolate chip cookie recipe, but this one is worth talking about…   What makes this recipe special is its shortbread nature. No eggs in the dough. As Sue described in her original post, shortbread cookies were probably the first versions “invented” by bakers. Think flour, butter and sugar. Beautify it with your favorite additions. And that’s pretty much it. The texture is completely different from a regular cookie. I think I slightly over-baked this batch, as the edges turned just a tad too dark compared to hers.  It did not compromise the deliciousness of the final product, though.  Trust me.

Shortbread Cookies1

MILK CHOCOLATE CHIP SHORTBREAD COOKIES
(from The View from Great Island)

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350F.

Cream the butter and the sugar together. Beat in the vanilla extract.
Add the flour, a little at a time, until the dough comes together. Fold in the chips just before it all comes into one mass. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and bring it all together with your hands. Form it into a plump disk and then roll it out, flouring your rolling-pin as necessary, to about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick.

Cut cookies with a 3″ cookie cutter, pressing down firmly to cut through the chocolate chips. Reform the dough as needed to use it all up. Arrange the cookies on a cookie sheet and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the whole tray for at least an hour.

Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes. You want them to be every so slightly golden just around the edges, and be slightly firm to the touch.  Let them cool for a few minutes on the tray and then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

cutting1

Such a nice dough to work with!  It rolls smoothly, each cookie hiding the perfect amount of chocolate chip goodness… I rolled mine straight on the countertop, nice and easy.compositeThese cookies don’t spread much, so cut them in the size you’d like to enjoy them.  You might be surprised to see milk chocolate instead of dark, but I think the extra sweetness is perfect in the shortbread environment. Of course, you can use this basic recipe to make many variations.  Think white chocolate and dried cranberries, toffee bits and dark chocolate would be awesome too.  Not to mention macadamia nuts, a little lemon zest…  Ok, I’ll stop here, but you don’t have to, put your imagination to work…

I’d never had a shortbread cookie before. With the first bite, I asked myself “do I like it?”… one more bite….  “Hummmmm, I think I do like it!“…..  After two cookies disappeared in lightning speed, I realized they won me over, big time! If you’ve only had “regular” cookies until now, open your baking horizons with a batch of these.

Sue, as usual it took me quite a while to blog on this recipe… I checked my files and noticed I baked these cookies back in January, can you believe it?  But better late than never to say thank you for the inspiration!

😉

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16 thoughts on “CHOCOLATE CHIP SHORTBREAD COOKIES”

  2. I love shortbread though I haven’t baked a batch in ages. Or chocolate chip cookies for that matter. Your/Sue’s combination of the best in the two is a great idea.

    I’m just not much of a cookie person. Most of the sugar cookies I made for Easter went to hungry high school students. 🙂

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  5. You know I still feel that way about shortbread cookies. At first bite, I’m unsure, but then they seem to disappear quickly after that. You know I would likely leave the chocolate chips out, but the kids would definitely prefer this version. I like that you can cut them how you like too. That would give the kids a chance to make fun shapes. 🙂

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  7. Thanks so much for the vote of confidence Sally! I truly love shortbread cookies, but they do take a little getting used to after eating regular cookies all our lives. Yours look so buttery and delicious, I may have to go make a batch myself!

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  8. These are so perfect, I figured you rolled the dough and sliced them – but I should have known better. Yours would always be perfect and delicious! 🙂

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  9. Hi Sally,
    A bit behind on reading my email and just saw this chocolate chip shortbread. Now I have the cukinary dilemma of making these or that Siracha bread (perhaps with chunks of cheddar included). Sweet or savory…oh such tough choices!

    I went on a search to compare this recipe with other shortbreads. In the past I have seen recipes that include a tiny amount of rice flour or cornstarch to prevent crumbling perhaps. And usually there is a pinch of salt.

    How was the texture? Where these like traditional shortbread with the added decadence of chocolate?

    In my wanderings online I ran across this article on many ways to make holiday shortbread:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/05/shortbread-recipes-holiday-baking_n_2220591.html

    Pandora’s shortbread box has been opened!

    Cheers

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