Get ready to discover your new favorite treat: Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies. This recipe combines the rich, buttery flavor of classic shortbread with generous chunks of decadent dark chocolate. It’s an incredibly simple yet elegant cookie that will have everyone asking for the recipe. Perfect for any occasion, these cookies are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
We’re ditching the complicated steps and focusing on the pure, simple joy of baking. With just a few high-quality ingredients, you can create bakery-level cookies right in your own kitchen. Let’s get baking!
Why This is the Only Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Recipe You’ll Need
Forget everything you thought you knew about shortbread. This recipe is designed for success, resulting in perfectly crisp edges, a tender, melt-in-your-mouth center, and a rich chocolatey bite every single time. It’s a slice-and-bake recipe, which means you can prepare the dough ahead of time for fresh cookies whenever the craving strikes.
Incredibly Buttery: We use high-quality butter for a flavor that’s simply unmatched.
Perfect Texture: The cookies are crumbly and tender, never tough or dry.
Loaded with Chocolate: Generous chunks of chocolate ensure a perfect bite every time.
Easy to Make Ahead: The dough log can be stored in the fridge or freezer, making it perfect for holiday baking or unexpected guests.
The Secret to Perfect Shortbread: High-Quality Ingredients
The beauty of a simple recipe like this is that the quality of each ingredient truly shines through. Using the best possible butter, chocolate, and flour will elevate your Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies from good to absolutely unforgettable.
The Butter
Butter is the star of the show in any shortbread recipe. I recommend using a high-quality European-style butter, which has a higher fat content and less water. This results in a richer flavor and a more tender, crumbly texture. Make sure your butter is at room temperature but still cool to the touch for the best results.
The Chocolate
Don’t skimp on the chocolate! For the best flavor, use a high-quality dark chocolate bar (at least 70% cacao) and chop it into generous chunks yourself. The irregular shapes and sizes create pockets of melted chocolate throughout the cookie, which is far superior to standard chocolate chips. Looking for other amazing cookie recipes? Try these Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies.
The Flour
All-purpose flour is all you need for this recipe. Ensure you measure it correctly by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife. Packing the flour can lead to dry, tough cookies.
How to Make Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies (Step-by-Step)
This recipe is straightforward, but following the steps carefully is key to achieving the perfect shortbread texture. The most important part is not to overwork the dough. We want to keep it tender and light.
Perfectly baked with golden edges and a tender center.
Cream the Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt.
Mix the Dough: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture on low speed, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Fold in the Chocolate: Gently fold in the chopped chocolate chunks with a spatula until they are evenly distributed.
Shape the Dough: Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper and form it into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Roll it up tightly in the parchment paper, twisting the ends to secure.
Chill Thoroughly: This is a crucial step! Chill the dough log in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until very firm. This prevents the cookies from spreading too much while baking. For more easy baking ideas, check out our collection of easy baking recipes.
Slice and Bake: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Slice the chilled dough log into 1/2-inch thick rounds and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
Cool Completely: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Pro Tips for Bakery-Quality Cookies
A few simple tricks can take your homemade cookies to the next level. These tips will help you get that perfect shortbread texture every single time.
The secret to perfect cookies is chilling the dough. Slice and bake for fresh cookies anytime!
Don’t Overmix: Overworking the dough develops gluten, which can make your shortbread tough instead of tender. Mix only until the flour is just incorporated.
Chill, Chill, Chill: Chilling the dough is non-negotiable. It solidifies the butter, which helps the cookies hold their shape and prevents them from spreading into thin, greasy crisps.
Use Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar (or confectioners’ sugar) contains cornstarch, which helps create a wonderfully tender and melt-in-your-mouth texture that you can’t get with granulated sugar.
Tap the Pan: For a more uniform cookie with those beautiful crinkles, gently tap the baking sheet on the counter a couple of times halfway through baking. This helps the cookies settle and spread just a little.
Variations and Add-Ins to Try
While these Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies are perfect as they are, you can easily customize them! Feel free to add a teaspoon of espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top before baking for a sweet and salty kick. For a different flavor profile, you might also enjoy these Lemon Sugar Cookies.
Storing Your Shortbread Cookies
Store your cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. The dough log can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, simply thaw in the fridge for a few hours before slicing and baking.
The most common reason for shortbread spreading is that the dough was not chilled enough. Chilling the dough log for at least two hours is essential to solidify the butter, which helps the cookies maintain their shape during baking. Also, ensure your butter isn’t too soft when you start.
You can, but for the best result, we highly recommend using a chopped chocolate bar. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers to help them keep their shape, so they don’t melt into luscious pools like chopped chocolate does. The varied sizes of chopped chocolate also create a better texture.
Tough shortbread is usually caused by overworking the dough. When you mix the flour into the butter, do so on low speed and stop as soon as the flour is incorporated. Overmixing develops gluten, which results in a tougher cookie.
Absolutely! This is one of the best features of a slice-and-bake cookie. The dough log can be wrapped tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months, making it perfect for preparing in advance.
For the richest flavor and most tender texture, use a high-quality, European-style salted butter. These butters have a higher fat content, which makes a noticeable difference in a butter-forward recipe like shortbread.
The Best Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies Recipe
FL Recipes
Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies: The Ultimate Buttery Recipe
Discover the ultimate Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies recipe! This easy, slice-and-bake method yields perfectly buttery, tender cookies loaded with rich chocolate chunks. A foolproof guide to achieving bakery-quality shortbread at home.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and kosher salt.
With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
Using a spatula, gently fold in the chopped dark chocolate chunks until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and form it into a log approximately 2 inches in diameter. Roll the log tightly in the parchment paper and twist the ends to seal. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until very firm.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the chilled dough log and slice it into 1/2-inch thick rounds.
Place the cookie slices on the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn a light golden brown.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
Calories: 155kcalProtein: 2gFat: 9gFiber: 1g
Notes
For an extra touch, sprinkle the tops of the cookies with flaky sea salt before baking. The cookie dough log can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before slicing and baking.
Keyword chocolate chunk shortbread,easy shortbread recipe,slice and bake cookies
We hope you love this recipe for Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies as much as we do! If you make them, we’d love to see. Share a photo of your beautiful creations and tag us on Pinterest. Happy baking!
Nothing beats a classic! Our Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies are buttery, tender, and oh-so-delicious.
Hi, I’m Emily Carter, and welcome to FL Recipes! I share simple, healthy recipes that make cooking easy, fun, and delicious for everyone. more about me »
