Chocolate Covered Shortbread Cookies

There are many shortbread cookie variations out there, but these chocolate covered shortbread cookies are the best! Switch up the toppings to keep things fun and interesting

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I can’t believe it’s less than 10 days until Christmas!! Eeek! It is sneaking up on me SO fast. I think I’ve got most of my present shopping done, except for the random things like stocking stuffers that I still need to pick up. Oh, and gifts for the teachers. Oh, and…. (you get the picture). The list never ends!

Not only is my wallet heating up, but so is my kitchen! I’ve been baking up a storm, including a couple of batches of these chocolate covered shortbread cookies. They’re fantastic! The reason I like these cookies so much is that the toppings on top of the chocolate is totally customizable, and a super fun way for the kiddos to help decorate. No messing around with icing bottles! 

These shortbread have that classic buttery flavor we all love and they definitely melt in your mouth. A holiday must!

What are chocolate covered shortbread cookies made of?

There are a few variations of shortbread out there, but one thing they all have in common is the butter! A fair bit of butter makes shortbread cookies what they are. Super buttery! My recipe also includes powdered sugar right in the cookie dough, along with granulated sugar. Powdered sugar keeps these cookies soft and tender for longer. 

Other than butter and sugar, shortbread cookies typically include flour, salt and vanilla extract. I love the subtle flavor that a touch of almond extract adds to the cookies, so I use 1/4 tsp of it in the whole recipe.

Do you have to chill shortbread cookie dough?

I did try my first batch without chilling, but the cookies spread out too much and became a bit too brown. The next time, I chilled the dough for an hour, and the cookies were perfect. If you’re chilling the dough longer than 1 hour, when you’re ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before attempting to roll it out.

If the dough gets too soft while rolling, cutting and baking, pop it back into the fridge for 15-20 minutes to harden up the butter again! If you work quickly, you won’t have to bother with this.

I like to roll my dough out between 2 sheets of parchment paper. It works like a charm!

Bake the cookies for about 9-10 minutes, and allow them to cool before dipping them in chocolate and decorating.

How do you dip a cookie in chocolate?

I used chopped semi-sweet chocolate and melted it in the microwave until smooth and runny, stirring every 30 seconds. Alternatively, you could use a double boiler system to melt your chocolate.

Use a fairly small bowl, so that the chocolate will pool at the bottom and make it easier to dip your cookie. I usually use a small spoon to spread the chocolate evenly over the part of the cookie I want covered. 

Once you dip the cookie, lay it on a parchment-lined baking sheet and then add whatever toppings you want. Think outside the box! Pomegranate, sprinkles, crushed candy cane! If you’re making these for something other than Christmas, you could use dried roses or something else pretty!

Since it’s full-on Christmas, I kept things festive!

Can you freeze chocolate covered shortbread cookies?

Absolutlely! Just be sure that the chocolate is completely hardened and cooled before stacking the cookies into a freezer-safe container. They will keep for up to 2 months! Before serving, just thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours. They’re even good frozen 😉

These cookies were so fun to make. My kiddos loved using the festive cookie cutters with the dough, and sprinkling the decorations over the chocolate. These are the Christmas cookie cutters we used!

This shortbread recipe is super versatile, so you can make them for Valentine’s or any other special occasion. It doesn’t have to be Christmas!

It’s cookie season!! Here’s a few of my other favorites cookies:

• chocolate chip snowball cookies
• raspberry filled sugar cookies
• Christmas cookie pops
• coconut caramel bars

Chocolate Covered Shortbread Cookies

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5 from 11 reviews

• Author: Katherine | Love In My Oven
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 30 cookies 1x

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Description

There are many shortbread cookie variations out there, but these chocolate covered shortbread cookies are the best! Switch up the toppings to keep things fun and interesting.

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Ingredients

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• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp pure almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 oz chopped semi-sweet chocolate
• sprinkles, crushed candy cane, other decorations, etc for topping

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Instructions

1. Prepare the cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with both the sugars for 2 full minutes on medium-high, until smooth and creamy. Add the extracts and beat again for another 10-15 seconds. Whisk together the flour with the salt in a large bowl, then slowly add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, mixing on low continuously until the dough comes together. Continue mixing on slow until everything is soft and combined. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days.*
2. Bake the cookies. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove half of the dough from the mixing bowl and form a disc with your hands. Place it between two sheets of parchment paper, or on top of a well-floured surface. Roll the dough out to a 1/4″ thickness. Use cookie cutters in different shapes to cut out the dough and remove it gently to the lined sheets, keeping the cookies about 1″ apart. Repeat with leftover dough**. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, or until just barely browned on the outsides. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to completely cool.
3. Dip the cookies in chocolate. Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high in 30 second increments, stirring in between until the chocolate is smooth and runny. Grabbing one cookie at a time, dunk it into the chocolate, and use a butter knife or the back of a small spoon to smooth the chocolate over the end of the cookie and scrape off the excess. Place the dipped cookie onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, and immediately decorate with sprinkles, crushed candy cane, etc. Repeat with remaining cookies. Allow the chocolate to completely harden before storing or stacking.

Cookies (once hardened and cooled) can be stacked and stored in an airtight container and kept at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Notes

*If chilling the dough for longer than 1 hour, when you’re ready to bake the cookies, allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before attempting to roll it.

**If the cookie dough is getting too soft and sticky while you’re rolling it out, pop it into the fridge for 15-20 minutes to let it harden up again before continuing.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: cookies
• Method: bake

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