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ByRosemary
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This easy, buttery, melt in your mouth Shortbread Recipe is the perfect no spread cookie dough for making a chocolate chunk slice and bake cookie or a tasty thumbprint cookie.
After 5 days of endless rain, I woke up today to see the sun shining and I thought perfect, I will make these Shortbread Cookies I have been dying to make and more importantly photograph.
Needless to say halfway through the day it became once again overcast and yes rainy! Will it ever end? But as luck would have it I still had time to make these Slice and Bake Chocolate Chunk and Thumbprint Shortbread Cookies. They are the perfectmelt in your mouth Shortbread. And adding some chocolate chunks doesn’t hurt either!
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – softened be sure to use a good quality butter
- Sugar – powdered sugar or brown sugar (depending on the recipe)
- Cornstarch – this helps make a tender cookie and helps keep the cookies from spreading
- Salt – add flavor
- Flour – all purpose flour
How to Make Shortbread
Beat the butter and vanilla until creamy. Sift together the flour, powdered sugar and cornstarch.
Add the flour mixture a little at a time to the creamed butter, stirring with a wooden spoon. Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and knead until the dough cracks.
Cut the dough in half, in one half add the chocolate chunks, and form into a log.
Slice the dough and place on the prepared baking sheet. Chill for while the oven is pre-heating. In the remaining half take pieces of the dough and roll into 13 balls.
Be sure you don’t let them brown they should be a very light golden colour when done. Let cool on cookie sheets, then move to a wire rack.
Different Fillings for Thumbprint Cookies
I like to fill my cookies with everything that my family enjoys. My youngest daughter loves skor bars so I fill a few with skor bits when the cookies are still warm.
I love mint chocolate so I do a few with a mint chocolate piece. You could also fill with your favourite jam, chocolate chips, Nutella, caramel, pastry cream, frosting, you name it and it just might work.
More Delicious Shortbread Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
- Easy Chocolate Chip Whipped Shortbread
- Coconut Jam Squares
How To Keep Cookies From Spreading
To keep the cookies from spreading it is best to beat the butter and sugar just until combined and not creamed (of course this also depends on the type of cookie), for some cookies including some icing sugar and or cornstarch in the mixture also keeps the cookies from spreading.
And probably most important of all, is to use a higher protein flour with at least 11% protein count. And don’t forget to chill the dough for at least 1 hour and again the cut out cookies before baking while the oven is pre-heating. Using most of these will help produce the perfect Christmas Cookies.
Can This Shortbread Recipe Be Made With A Stand Mixer?
If you can’t or don’t want to knead the dough by hand, then yes a stand up mixer using the paddle attachment will work just fine.
I would only knead up to a point, when the dough just starts to come together (or even better, very coarse crumb mixture) and then knead the dough by hand. Completely kneading by machine can make the dough tough and dry.
How To Store Shortbread Cookies
The baked cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. I store mine in the fridge because I like cold cookies. They will last up to 10 days by storing them in the fridge.
How To Freeze Shortbread Cookies
Tofreezethe shortbread cookies, place parchment paper in between the layers of the completely cooled cookies this prevents them from sticking together when they are in the containers for freezing, or you can also place the baked cooled cookies on a cookie sheet and freeze them, then move the frozen cookies to either airtight bags or containers. Baked Shortbread Cookies will last up to 6 months in the freezer.
To thaw the cookies be sure to remove the frozen cookies from the bags or containers (this way no condensation will form) and let them thaw at room temperature. In our house no one waits for them to thaw!
Whenever you plan on starting your baking I hope you include this Two Way Shortbread Cookie Dough. Enjoy!
Shortbread Cookies One Dough Two Ways
Rosemary Molloy
This easy buttery melt in your mouth Shortbread Recipe is the perfect no spread cookie dough for making a chocolate chunk slice and bake cookie or a tasty thumbprint cookie.
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Chilling Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Course Christmas Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 28 cookies
Calories 114 kcal
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (softened / I use salted)
- ½-1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup powdered / icing sugar
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2-3 tablespoons chocolate chunks
Instructions
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, powdered sugar and cornstarch.
In a large bowl beat butter and vanilla until creamed (about 2 minutes). Gradually add the flour mixture, working the mixture together with a wooden spoon as you add. When the dough is almost together, move to a lightly floured flat surface and gently knead until dough cracks.
Pre-heat oven to 325F (160C).
Cut the dough in half and in one part gently knead in 2-3 tablespoon of chocolate chunks, roll the dough in a log shape and cut ¼ inch slices. Place the slices on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and chill for 15 minutes. Then bake for approximately 15 minutes.
The remaining half the dough divide into 13 small balls, place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and with your thumb or the bottom (round end) of a ½ teaspoon make indentations in the balls. Chill for 15 minutes, then bake for approximately 12 minutes.
Do not let cookies brown, they remain quite pale. Fill thumbprint cookies when still warm if you want to slightly melt the chocolate. Add the jam when the cookies are cool. Drizzle cooled cookies with melted chocolate if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
The baked cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. I store mine in the fridge because I like cold cookies. They will last up to 10 days by storing them in the fridge.
Tofreezethe shortbread cookies, place parchment paper in between the layers of the completely cooled cookies this prevents them from sticking together when they are in the containers for freezing, or you can also place the baked cooled cookies on a cookie sheet and freeze them, then move the frozen cookies to either airtight bags or containers. Baked Shortbread Cookies will last up to 6 months in the freezer.
To thaw the cookies be sure to remove the frozen cookies from the bags or containers (this way no condensation will form) and let them thaw at room temperature. In our house no one waits for them to thaw!
Nutrition
Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 17mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.5mg
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