Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread
Try this Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (255 grams) salted butter (see cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (55 grams) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups (281 grams) all-purpose flour
- 6 ounces (175 grams) semi- or bittersweet dark chocolate chopped (but not too fine, you want chunks, not thin shards of chocolate)
- 1 large egg (50 grams) beaten
- demerara sugar for rolling
- flaky sea salt such as jacobsen, for sprinkling
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (170g)
- Sodium 0 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Line a rimmed baking sheet (two, if you’ve got ’em) with parchment paper.
- Using an electric mixer and a medium bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, both sugars, and vanilla on medium-high till it’s super light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and, with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, followed by the chocolate chunks, and beat just to blend.
- 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 (just like you’re playing with clay), 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.
- You can also do this using parchment paper, if you prefer, but I find using plastic wrap easier when it comes to shaping the log.
- Each half should form two logs 2 to 2¼ inches in diameter.
- Chill until totally firm, about 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Brush the outside of the logs with the beaten egg and roll them in the Demerara sugar (this is for those really delicious crispy edges).
- Slice each log into ½-inch-thick rounds.
- Place them on the prepared baking sheet(s) about 1 inch apart (they won’t spread much), and sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Let cool slightly before eating them all.
Sable rounds emerge from the oven boasting sandy interiors, brittle edges, and pools of dark chocolate bound by coarse grains of salt. Achieving this crumbly architecture demands deliberate aeration of the fat and sugars. Beating salted butter with granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed for three to five minutes incorporates necessary air cells. Skipping this aeration step results in dense, heavy discs.
A stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment handles this creaming phase efficiently, but a handheld electric mixer works well when paired with a wide bowl. Forming the dough into logs requires shaping wrapped portions to two to two-and-one-quarter inches in diameter. Plastic wrap prevents the high-fat mixture from sticking to hands during molding. Parchment paper serves as an effective substitute if plastic wrap is unavailable.
Chilling the shaped logs for two hours solidifies the butterfat. Cold dough prevents excessive spreading inside a 350°F oven. Brushing the exterior with beaten egg and coating the logs in Demerara sugar creates a distinct crunchy perimeter. Slicing the chilled cylinders into half-inch rounds precedes a baking window of twelve to fifteen minutes. Pull the sheets when the outer edges show faint golden coloration.
