Cookie season is officially here!! My insta feed is flooding with cookies of all kinds! Well, this is one season that I love to celebrate ;) I mean the magical combination of butter and sugar is something I can’t ever say no to.
Let me tell you something… if you’re planning to bake only one cookie, for whatever reason, this Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies is the one you should go for. After all, this was dubbed “THE COOKIE” by the internet and this cookie recipe broke the internet a year ago!
Well, as usual, am late for the party, but I’m here! Honestly, I regret not making this earlier. I mean what’s not to love about this fabulous cookie… there is butter, that too salted and lots of it, there is sugar (brown and white) and there is chocolate, not chocolate chips. The texture and flavor of this cookie is something that you should experience at least once.
I hope I’ve done a great job of convincing you about baking these darlings at the earliest.
Now, I’m not good at rolling and slicing and all these things when it comes to baking. I’m more of a free-hand person ;) So, my cookies don’t have that perfect round shape, but no complaints whatsoever, the taste and texture were too good that I didn’t even care about anything else.
So, I’ve shared with you the best recipe to kickstart your Christmas baking, now go ahead and come out smelling all buttery and sugary ;)
Please do read the “notes” section before proceeding with the recipe!
Here is the recipe…
Recipe from here and you can see the video recipe here
Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 255 gms Salted Butter, cold (room temperature if you're using a handheld mixer), cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/4 cup Light brown sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups Plain flour (maida)
- 170 gms semi-sweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped (not too fine; you want chunks, not little shards)
- 1 large egg (beaten)
- Demerara sugar, for rolling
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, beat the butter, both sugars and vanilla on medium-high till it’s super light and fluffy (3 to 5 minutes for a stand mixer; 6 to 8 for a hand mixer).
- Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and, with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour. Mix well.
- Add the chocolate chunks, and mix just to blend. If necessary, knead the dough with your hands to make sure the flour is totally incorporated. At this point, the dough should be smooth and feel like Play-Doh with no pockets of flour.
- Divide the dough in half, placing each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic over so that it covers the dough to protect your hands from getting all sticky. Using your hands, form the dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help you smooth it out, but don’t worry about getting it totally perfect. (Don't be afraid to make them compact. Shortbread is supposed to be dense. That's part of why it's so good.) You can also do this using parchment paper, if you prefer, but plastic wrap is easier when it comes to shaping the log. Each half should form a 6-inch log, 2 to 2¼ inches in diameter. Chill until totally firm, about 2 hours.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the outside of the logs with the beaten egg and roll them in the demerara sugar (this is for those really delicious, crisp edges).
- Using a serrated knife, carefully slice each log into ½-inch-thick rounds (if you hit a chocolate chunk, slowly saw back and forth through the chocolate). If the cookies break or fall apart, just press them back together — the dough is very forgiving. Place them on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart (they won’t spread much). Sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.
