Shortbread-style chocolate chip cookies that are buttery, sweet, and salty with delicious crunchy edges. These are easy, slice-and-bake cookies that you can make ahead and bake in less than 15 minutes.
A recipe adapted from Alison Roman's Dining In cookbook, these internet-famous chocolate chip cookies are the best — tender with the crumbly texture of a classic shortbread cookie and the goodness of a chocolate chip cookie we love plus lots of salt for a beautiful contrast.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Shortbread cookies are one of the easiest to make.
- They're not too sweet with a good amount of salt to balance it out.
- The molasses in the brown sugar gives it a slight chew, like that of a classic chocolate chip cookie.
What you’ll need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate: Using chocolate with a high cocoa percentage (semisweet at around 60% and bittersweet at 70%) balances the dough's sweetness and won't make your cookie cloyingly sweet. I've also chopped them finer, so they get evenly distributed and look more appealing with chocolate specks all over. It also turned out that the logs are easier to slice.
- Salted butter: According to Alison Roman, you may use unsalted butter and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (or about ½ teaspoon fine sea salt) instead and add it to the flour.
- Light brown sugar: You can use dark brown sugar in a pinch — there will be an unnoticeable change in texture, and the color will be slightly darker.
- Turbinado sugar: Also called raw sugar, can be substituted with sanding sugar or demerara sugar.
- Egg: The egg wash enhances the color and acts as a glue to bind the sugar to the dough for crunchy edges. If you need to substitute, you can use milk or oil.
- Flaky salt: Used as a finishing touch for texture and flavor.
How to make this recipe
Prepare the ingredients: Measure all ingredients correctly. Remember to fluff up your flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level with a flat edge. Use a kitchen scale, if you have one. (1)Cut the butter into small pieces and leave them on the counter to soften. (2)With a knife, chop the chocolate into small chunks and shards.
Make the dough: (3)Combine the butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer or a food processor. (4)Cream them together over medium-high speed until light (pale yellow) and fluffy, for about 3 minutes. (5)Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as needed.
(6)With the mixer on low, add the flour slowly. (7)Then add the chocolate chunks right after. Mix until just combined.
(8)Transfer the dough onto a clean work surface. (9)Divide it in half.
(10)Place each piece on a large piece of plastic wrap, fold it over to cover the dough completely, and form into a log shape. (11)Roll it on the counter to smoothen it out. Each log should be about 6 inches with a diameter of 2 inches.
Chill: Refrigerate the dough for about 2 hours, or until firm. You can also freeze for about 30 minutes.
Bake: Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (177° Celsius). Prepare a baking sheet (two, if you're baking both logs at the same) lined with parchment paper. (12)Lightly beat the egg. (13)Brush the outside of the log with the beaten egg. (14)Roll it in turbinado sugar for crunchy edges.
(15)Using a sharp knife, carefully slice into ½-inch thick rounds. If they break apart, just press them back together.
(16)Arrange the cookies on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
(17) Sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown.
Let the cookies cool on the tray for a few minutes.
Store: Keep baked cookies in an airtight container ideally for up to 3 days.
Make-Ahead: The dough can be made ahead and stored, tightly wrapped in plastic, one week in the refrigerator, or up to three months in the freezer.
Frequently asked questions and tips
A slice-and-bake cookie dough, like this recipe, can be frozen in tightly wrapped logs. You will need to thaw in the fridge overnight or out on the counter until they can be sliced. Roll it in sugar right before baking.
Unlike other types of cookies, shortbread holds its shape in the oven and won't spread much. If they've flattened out, chances are, they were not cold enough and firm before baking.
The key takeaway
It's crucial not to overhandle your dough. Stop mixing as soon as the flour and the chocolate chunks are incorporated. Overworking the dough will activate the gluten proteins in the flour and make your shortbread cookies chewy and tough.
Watch how I make it here
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📖 Recipe
Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or hand mixer or food processor
- Baking sheet(s)
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (255 grams or 2¼ sticks) salted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 grams) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour
- 6 ounces (170 grams) semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate chopped into small chunks/shards
- 1 egg
- ½ cup turbinado sugar for rolling
- 1 teaspoon flaky salt for sprinkling
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients:
- Measure all ingredients correctly. Remember to fluff up your flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level with a flat edge. Use a kitchen scale, if you have one.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and leave them on the counter to soften.
- With a knife, chop the chocolate into small chunks and shards.
Make the dough:
- Combine the butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer or a food processor.
- Cream them together over medium-high speed until light (pale yellow) and fluffy, for about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as needed.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour slowly.
- Then add the chocolate chunks right after. Mix until just combined.
- Transfer the dough onto a clean work surface and divide it in half.
- Place each piece on a large piece of plastic wrap, fold the plastic over to cover the dough completely, and form into a log shape.
- Roll it on the counter to smoothen it out. Each log should be about 6 inches with a diameter of 2 inches.
Chill:
- Refrigerate the dough for about 2 hours, or until firm.
- You can also freeze for about 30 minutes.
Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (177° Celsius).
- Prepare a baking sheet (two, if you're baking both logs at the same) lined with parchment paper.
- Lightly beat the egg. Brush the outside of the log with the beaten egg. Roll it in turbinado sugar for crispy edges.
- Using a knife, carefully slice into ½-inch thick rounds. If they break apart, just press them back together.
- Arrange the cookies on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart and sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. Let them cool on the tray for a few minutes.
Store:
- Keep baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze them to extend their shelf life.
Make-Ahead:
- The dough can be made ahead and stored, tightly wrapped in plastic, 1 week in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Thaw in the fridge overnight or out on the counter until they can be sliced.
- Roll it in sugar right before baking.
Video
Notes
- Semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate: Using chocolate with a high cocoa percentage (semisweet at around 60% and bittersweet at 70%) balances the dough's sweetness and won't make your cookie cloyingly sweet. I've also chopped them finer, so they get evenly distributed and look more appealing with chocolate specks all over. It also turned out that the logs are easier to slice.
- Salted butter: According to Alison Roman, you may use unsalted butter and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (or about ½ teaspoon fine sea salt) instead and add it to the flour.
- Light brown sugar: You can use dark brown sugar in a pinch — there will be an unnoticeable change in texture, and the color will be slightly darker.
- Turbinado sugar: Also called raw sugar, can be substituted with sanding sugar or demerara sugar.
- Egg: The egg wash enhances the color and acts as a glue to bind the sugar to the dough for crunchy edges. If you need to substitute, you can use milk or oil.
- Flaky salt: Used as a finishing touch for texture and flavor.
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