Dark Chocolate Shortbread Recipes

DARK CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Blend butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl with a fork until combined well. Sift flour and cocoa into butter mixture and blend with fork just until mixture forms a soft dough.
• Divide dough in half and pat out with floured fingertips into 2 (6- to 6 1/2-inch) rounds on an ungreased large baking sheet. Chill dough, uncovered, until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F while dough chills.
• Prick dough all over with fork and bake shortbreads in middle of oven until centers are dry to the touch and edges are slightly darker, about 15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes, then cut each shortbread into 8 wedges with a large heavy knife. Transfer to rack to cool.

DARK CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Blend butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl with a fork until well combined.
• Sift flour and cocoa into butter mixture and blend with fork just until mixture forms a soft dough.
• Divide dough in half and pat out with floured fingertips into 2 rounds (approximately 6 inch) on an ungreased large baking sheet.
• Chill dough, uncovered until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees farenheit while dough chills.
• Prick dough all over with fork and bake shortbreads in middle of oven until centers are dry to the touch and edges are slightly darker, about 15 minutes.
• Cool on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes, then cut each shortbread into 8 wedges with a large heavy knife.
• Transfer to rack to cool.
• **Shortbread keeps in an airtight container at room temp for 1 week when layered between sheets of waxed paper.

DARK- AND WHITE-CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD HEARTS

Steps:

• Dark-chocolate shortbread: In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Beat butter on medium speed until creamy; add confectioners' sugar and beat until combined, then beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat just until combined. Wrap dough in plastic, flatten to a 1-inch-thick disk, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• White-chocolate shortbread: In a bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Beat butter with white chocolate on medium speed until creamy; add confectioners' sugar and beat until combined, then beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat just until combined. Wrap dough in plastic, flatten to a 1-inch-thick disk, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• Remove both disks from refrigerator; let stand 10 minutes. Roll out dark-chocolate dough 1/8 inch thick between two pieces of floured parchment. Stamp out heart shapes with largest cookie cutter; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather dough scraps, reroll, and stamp out more heart shapes with largest cutter. Freeze cutouts until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with white-chocolate dough.
• Stamp out smaller hearts from larger ones, starting with second-largest cutter and working down to smallest cutter; transfer cutouts to parchment-lined sheets. Freeze cutouts until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Starting with smallest cutouts and working up to largest, fit together dark- and white-chocolate cutouts like puzzle pieces. (It's okay if dough cracks or breaks in places; simply press back together as necessary.) Arrange completed hearts 1 inch apart on fresh parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze again until firm. Working in two batches, bake cookies, rotating sheets and rack positions halfway through, until dry and firm, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

ORANGE SHORTBREAD WITH SPICY DARK CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Place first six ingredients in a food processor; process until dough comes together. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 350°. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. diamond-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Refrigerate 15 minutes. , Bake 9-11 minutes or until until edges are light brown. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., In a small bowl, mix chocolate and cayenne until smooth. Drizzle over cookies; refrigerate until set. Freeze option: Freeze undecorated cookies in freezer containers. To use, thaw in covered containers and decorate as desired.

CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. With an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add flour, sugar, and cocoa; mix just until combined. (Chill dough in the refrigerator 10 minutes if it is too soft to handle.)
• Pat dough into an 8-inch round cake pan; press edges down with the tines of a floured fork. Bake until firm, 30 minutes. Immediately score into eight wedges; cool completely. Turn out of pan; break wedges apart. Decorate with icing.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Combine butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla bean halves in a bowl. Beat on low speed until smooth. Gradually mix in sifted flour until incorporated and dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Do not overmix. Press dough evenly into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pale golden, about 18 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 to 12 minutes.
• While shortbread is cooling, preparing chocolate ganaches. Combine dark chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons cream in a small saucepan over low heat; cook and stir until melted and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat with white chocolate chips and remaining cream in a second saucepan. Be careful that the chocolate does not scorch.
• Drizzle both ganaches liberally over the shortbread using 2 spoons. Allow chocolate to cool and set, about 10 minutes. Cut shortbread into squares.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Mix the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon. Stir in the flour and cocoa, followed by the chocolate chips - you'll probably need to mix it together with your hands at this stage. Halve the dough and roll each piece into a log about 5cm thick. Wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hr or for several days. Can be frozen for up to 1 month.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Slice logs into 1cm-thick rounds, transfer to a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 10-12 mins. Cool on the tray.

DARK CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Sift together the dry ingredients (except the sugar) -- flour through espresso powder -- in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar, three to four tablespoons at a time beating well. Stir in dry ingredients by hand and beat just until blended.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide dough into three equal balls. Take the first ball, place it between two sheets of plastic wrap, and pat or roll out into a 5 1/2 inch disk. Place on the far side of your baking sheet. Lightly score the disk and mark out 8 triangular wedges.
• Repeat the patting, rolling and scoring for the other two disks, placing one on the other side of the first baking sheet and the third disk on the second baking sheet.
• Bake rounds for 23 minutes or until shortbread feels firm to the touch. Remove from the oven.
• Gently score each round again with a sharp knife following the lines you make on the dough. Slide parchment from baking sheets onto wire racks. Let shortbread cool completely on parchment. Cut shortbread into wedges along scored lines.
• Melt unsweetened chocolate baking bars separately in small bowls according to package directions. You can do this in a microwave or on the stove using a double boiler. Partially dip wide end of each shortbread wedge in unsweetened chocolate. Place on a wax paper-lined jelly-roll pan, and freeze briefly to set chocolate. (Alternately, if your house is cool you can let it set on it's own.)
• Melt the white chocolate. Then partially dip other half of wide end of each wedge in white chocolate. Alternately, you can place in a plastic bag and stripe the cookies. Freeze briefly to set white chocolate or allow to air dry.