Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies
Updated Feb. 18, 2025
- Total Time
- 45 minutes, plus chilling
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup plus 2 tablespoons/255 grams total salted butter (2¼ sticks), cold (room temperature if you're using a handheld mixer), cut into ½-inch pieces (see note)
- ½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
- ¼cup/55 grams light brown sugar
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2½cups/325 grams all-purpose flour (see Tip)
- 6ounces/170 grams semi-sweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped (not too fine; you want chunks, not little shards)
- 1large egg, beaten
- Demerara sugar, for rolling
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
198 calories; 12 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 94 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, beat the butter, both sugars and vanilla on medium-high till it’s super light and fluffy (3 to 5 minutes for a stand mixer; 6 to 8 for a hand mixer). 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 mix just to blend. If necessary, knead the dough with your hands to make sure the flour is totally incorporated. At this point, the dough should be smooth and feel like Play-Doh with no pockets of flour.
- Step 2
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, 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. (Don't be afraid to make them compact. Shortbread is supposed to be dense. That's part of why it's so good.) You can also do this using parchment paper, if you prefer, but plastic wrap is easier when it comes to shaping the log. Each half should form a 6-inch log, 2 to 2¼ inches in diameter. Chill until totally firm, about 2 hours.
- Step 3
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the outside of the logs with the beaten egg and roll them in the demerara sugar (this is for those really delicious, crisp edges).
- Step 4
Using a serrated knife, carefully slice each log into ½-inch-thick rounds (if you hit a chocolate chunk, slowly saw back and forth through the chocolate). If the cookies break or fall apart, just press them back together — the dough is very forgiving. Place them on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart (they won’t spread much). Sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.
- The cookie dough can be made ahead and stored, tightly wrapped in plastic, up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or 1 month in the freezer. Cookies can be baked and stored in plastic wrap or an airtight container for 5 days.
- If you have Alison's book, you might notice a ¼ cup discrepancy in the volume measurement of flour. That's because NYT Cooking uses a different standard metric cup measurement. Alison uses 145 grams; we use 128 grams.
Private Notes
Comments
"If you have Alison's book, you might notice a 1/4 cup discrepancy in the volume measurement of flour. That's because NYT Cooking uses a different standard metric cup measurement." What does this even mean?
Well. I didn’t want to do all that. So: Preheated oven. 1) Made recipe as written w weighed ingred. Stirred in the chocolate. 2) Prepared an 8” cake pan w butter, parchment paper on bottom, buttered the paper & slightly floured it. 3) Spread unchilled dough in prepared pan, then sprinkled w flakey salt and turbinado sugar. 4) Baked 15-20 min; removed from oven when very lightly browned. 5) Cooled in pan 15 min, turned out onto plate. Cooled another 5-10 min, cut into wedges. Mmmmmm!
Was using a handheld mixture and just couldn’t get the dough to come together at all. Adding chicken probably would have improved the situation.
I’ve struggled a bit with these, but I don’t think it’s the recipe’s fault. The first batch held together super well but they tasted quite bitter and sour. I used 6oz of Guittard bittersweet chocolate. I think that’s the culprit. I also didn’t pack the light brown sugar—maybe another culprit. In the second batch, I subbed out the chocolate chunks for cocoa powder and added walnuts. This batch tastes great! I also just brushed the second batch with water before rolling in sugar (I ran out of eggs) and that didn’t seem to mess up anything.
Made as written, measuring by weight; very easy to put together. Used 70% Guittard bittersweet baking bars which tasted great. Used dark sugar from Barbados (similar to Demerara) for rolling. Easy to cut just a few cookies at a time off from roll to avoid having too many cookies on hand at once ;) Easy enough to coat individual cookie edges in egg and sugar before cooking when cut from roll. At 350 F in my oven, four cookies on the pan needed ~14 minutes of bake time to get barely browned edges.
Great recipe , easy also. Skipped the egg and sugar as just wanted a regular chocolate chip cookie but extra kick from the salt. I used this Swedish butter/margarine thing we have called Bregott mellan. This is always spreadable so just used straight out of the fridge. Found rolling the dough kind of hard but managed. They’re in the oven and taking longer than expected. Im using the metric recipe conversion so not sure if it’s something with that but I have it on 175 fan and they’ve been in for what feels like ages but could also be my evening restlessness kicking in as meds wear off