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    Home » Desserts

    Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies

    Published: Jan 4, 2020 · Modified: Nov 28, 2021 by Nora Rey · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    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.

    Shortbread chocolate chunk shortbread cookies on a parchment paper lined-baking sheet.
    Jump to:
    • Why you’ll love this recipe
    • What you’ll need
    • Ingredient notes and substitutions
    • How to make this recipe
    • Frequently asked questions and tips
    • The key takeaway
    • Watch how I make it here
    • More dessert recipes you may like
    • 📖 Recipe

    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

    Ingredients include all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, semisweet chocolate, salted butter, turbinado sugar, vanilla extract, egg, and flay salt.

    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.

    1. Cutting butter into cubes using a knife on a cutting board. 2. Chopped 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.

    3. Adding vanilla extract to the butter and sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. 4. Creaming butter and sugar in the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. 5. Scraping the sides down of the bowl with the creamed butter and sugar.

    (6)With the mixer on low, add the flour slowly. (7)Then add the chocolate chunks right after. Mix until just combined.

    6. Added flour to the cream butter and sugar in the stand mixer bowl. 7. Added chocolate chunks to the flour mixture in the stand mixer bowl.

    (8)Transfer the dough onto a clean work surface. (9)Divide it in half.

    8. Transferred the dough to the parchment paper-lined cutting board with a spatula. 9. Divided the dough in half using a knife on the parchment paper-lined cutting board.

    (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.

    10. Wrapping half of the dough with plastic wrap while the other half of the dough is on the parchment paper. 11. Rolling the plastic-wrapped dough on the parchment paper-lined cutting board.

    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.

    12. Beating the egg using a whisk in a bowl on the cutting board. 13. 
Brushing the outside of the log with egg wash. 14. Rolling the log-shaped dough in turbinado sugar.

    (15)Using a sharp knife, carefully slice into ½-inch thick rounds. If they break apart, just press them back together.

    15. Slicing the log-shaped dough with a knife and a sliced log of dough coated with turbinado sugar.

    (16)Arrange the cookies on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

    16. Unbaked shortbread cookie rounds arranged on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

    (17) Sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown.

    17. Unbaked shortbread chocolate chunk shortbread cookie with flaky salt on top.

    Let the cookies cool on the tray for a few minutes.

    Baked shortbread chocolate chunk shortbread cookie with flaky salt on top.

    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

    Can I freeze them?

    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.

    Why did the cookies come out flat and thin?

    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

    More dessert recipes you may like

    • Turon with Langka (Banana Spring Rolls)
    • Cathedral Window Gelatin
    • Cheesecake Brownies from Brownie Mix
    • Brookie Bars from Brownie Mix
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    Did you make this recipe? I would love to know! Your feedback helps me make better recipes.  Please rate, review, or comment below. Questions about this recipe are welcome, too!

    Let's connect on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter, and Youtube. Be sure to tag me when you try any of my recipes @recipesbynora!

    📖 Recipe

    Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies on a baking sheet

    Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies

    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.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 14 minutes
    Chill: 2 hours
    Total Time: 2 hours 29 minutes
    Servings: 24 cookies
    Calories: 201kcal
    Author: Nora Rey
    Cost: $4-$6

    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.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 201kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 2gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 177mgPotassium: 22mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 275IUCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg
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