Chocolate dipped shortbread cookies are simple, yet delicious. A perfect, sweet holiday treat!
Christmas Cookies – Love ’em or hate ’em? Or, have a love-hate relationship with them? At my last job, the entire month of December was “Cookie Month.” Everyone would sign up for one day of the month and bring in a batch of cookies on that day. Needless to say, if you don’t have willpower, it’s easy to consume way too much sugar. I have zero, zilch, nada, NO willpower when it comes to sweets. Or wine, steak, Thai food, binge watching Real Housewives…
So yeah – I have a love hate relationship with Christmas cookies. You may have noticed that I don’t do a lot of baking here on the blog. The main reason being my lack of willpower the fact that it’s just Rick and I at the house, and there’s no way we’re going to eat an entire batch of cookies. Christmas is my perfect occasion for baking because I can make cookies, we can eat a couple, and then I can bring them to work – Because Christmas is all about sharing in the weight gain, right?
For me, the simpler the better when it comes to cookies. I could actually just eat these shortbread cookies plain, without the chocolate. But how pretty do they look with that glistening chocolate touch? I realized after the fact, that these cookies would be even prettier for the holidays if you crush up some candy canes, and sprinkle that into the warm chocolate before it sets… Afterthoughts.
It’s always nice to support local businesses during the holiday season. We’re lucky enough to have Bob’s Red Mill right here in the Portland area, and I love their products – Dried beans, baking mixes, and granola. I used their Organic Unbleached All Purpose White Flour in this recipe. Milled from hard red wheat, and without additives, it’s a high protein flower that always produces a wonderful texture in my baked goods.
The key here is to be sure to chill the dough before rolling it out. But, you only want to let it chill for about 30 minutes. Otherwise, it’s going to be difficult to roll it out. If you’re like me, and you forget about it in the fridge, just be sure to let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes, so that the dough becomes a bit more pliable. However, you do want the dough to still be chilled when it goes into the oven. This is what gives the cookies their airy, crispy texture.
And here’s where the chocolate comes in… You don’t need a fancy double boiler for this. Just your microwave and a couple minutes. Be sure to use a good-quality chocolate and chop it really fine. Then, we’ll heat about half of it in the microwave, in 30 second intervals, until it’s fully melted. After that, the rest of the chocolate is added and stir, stir, stir. The more you stir, the glossier the chocolate will become. And – Glossy cookies. That’s what we’re aiming for, right? Pretty cookies are always the best cookies.
Full Recipe
Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached All Purpose White Flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 7 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate (finely chopped)
- Crushed candy canes (if desired, for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- With an electric mixer, mix together butter and sugar and vanilla, until just combined. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until the dough forms together.
- Dump the mixture onto a floured surface and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough 1/2” thick and cut with a cookie cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Let cool.
- Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Microwave 3 ounces of the chopped chocolate for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat in additional 30 second intervals until the chocolate is melted completely. Add the remaining chocolate and stir, without heating further, until smooth.
- Dip ½ of each cookie into the chocolate mixture, then place on lined baking sheet to allow the chocolate to set.
- If desired, sprinkle crushed candy canes onto the melted chocolate before it sets.
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