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.
Standard measurements on a recipe card leave out the vital chemistry of temperature. Butter must be kept cold enough to maintain structure during slicing, yet pliable enough to cream with sugars until pale and airy. Whipping the butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high for three to five minutes incorporates microscopic air pockets necessary for a tender crumb. Overmixing the all-purpose flour afterward develops unwanted gluten, transforming a sandy shortbread into a tough biscuit. Chopped dark chocolate should remain in chunky shards rather than powdery dust to create distinct pockets of bitterness that balance the rich dairy fat.
Pairing these rich, buttery cookies requires contrasting elements to prevent palate fatigue. Pouring a tart, bright Ethiopian pour-over coffee cuts through the dense fat content of the salted butter. Alternatively, a sharp, aged white cheddar cheese and crisp tart apples create a balanced dessert board. Chilling the shaped dough logs for at least two hours solidifies the fat, ensuring the rounds hold their shape without excessive spreading on the parchment paper at three hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Brushing the exterior with beaten egg and rolling the logs in coarse Demerara sugar builds a crunchy exterior crust, contrasting with the sandy interior. Sprinkling flaky sea salt directly onto the unbaked half-inch rounds highlights the cocoa notes before the edges turn golden brown at the fifteen-minute mark.
