Chocolate Shortbread Cookies don’t last long on a cookie tray. With chocolate stripes and sprinkles, this shortbread is alluring! The ultra chocolaty flavor makes these melt in your mouth cookies an instant favorite.
Why you'll love this recipe
Shortbread flavor has the magical characteristic of improving over time, making it a great shipping cookie. This chocolate shortbread recipe uses powdered sugar for melt-in-your-mouth texture. The rich chocolate flavor comes from both cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
You will want to have plenty of these cookies for all of your holiday snacking and gifting needs! The shortbread stays delicious for up to two weeks, or you can freeze the cookies before baking and bake them as needed.
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, chocolate chips, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light. Add vanilla and mix to combine. Gradually add flour mixture and mix just until all of the flour is incorporated and the dough forms.
- Form the shortbread dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- When ready to bake, roll out dough to ¼”- ½” thickness between two sheets of parchment paper. Slice into shapes or use a cookie cutter.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1” apart and bake at 325 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. (Cookies firm as they cool).
- Dip each cookie half way in one flavor of chocolate, then place in the refrigerator to set for about 5 minutes.
- Dip the coated edge in the second flavor of chocolate and add sprinkles immediately.
Tips
This chocolate shortbread recipe makes a wonderful dough to work with and can be shaped in a variety of ways.
- The easiest way would be to form the dough into a log shape, chill until firm, then slice into ¼”– ½” discs and bake.
- Another way would be to roll out the dough, then after chilling, use a knife to slice into bars, then bake.
- For my Chocolate Shortbread Cookies, I envisioned a scalloped edge, so I rolled out the dough for cutout shortbread cookies and used a cookie cutter. Though I chose the most time intensive method (typical behavior), it was still a quick and easy process.
More shortbread recipes
More shortbread recipesButtery Scottish Shortbread is made from a centuries old recipe for authentic melt in your mouth shortbread bars.
Espresso Chocolate Shortbread is a cookie that coffee lovers will swoon over.
Easter Bunny Shortbread is buttery shortbread in pastel colors with fun Easter bunny cutouts.
If you like Mexican hot chocolate, you will love these Spiced Chocolate Shortbread.
Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies may look plain, but are actually filled with intense vanilla bean flavor!
This Slice and Bake Shortbread uses one dough to make three different flavors of cookies.
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Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorating
- ¾ pound white melting chocolate chocolate discs meant for dipping and coating
- ¾ pound dark melting chocolate chocolate discs meant for dipping and coating
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Cookies
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, chocolate chips, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light. Add vanilla and mix to combine.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients mixture and mix just until all of the flour is incorporated and the dough forms.
- Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- When ready to bake: Preheat oven to 325˚F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Between two sheets of parchment paper, roll out dough to ¼”- ½” thickness. Slice into shapes or use cookie cutters.
- Place on prepared baking sheet about 1” apart and bake for 10-12 minutes. (Cookies firm as they cool).
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Decorating
- Use wax paper to line two cookie sheets or other flat baking pans that will fit into your refrigerator.
- Place one of the melting chocolates in a bowls large enough that the chocolate fills it up to about 1 inch below the rim. Melt the chocolate wafers in the microwave at 50% power for one minute. Stir. If not completely melted, return to the microwave and heat for 15 second intervals, stirring between intervals, until melted.
- Dip the cookies into the chocolate, gently tap the wrist of the hand holding the dipped cookie to allow excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl, then set the dipped cookie onto the prepare cookie sheet. After completing 6 cookies, place the tray into the refrigerator to set for about 5 minutes.
- When all of the cookies have been dipped and set, melt the second flavor of chocolate in a separate bowl.
- Dip the edge of a cookie into the melted chocolate just long enough to coat. Tap off excess and place on lined baking sheet. Add sprinkles immediately, before chocolate can begin to set. After 6 cookies have been dipped and sprinkled, place in the refrigerator again to set the chocolate for 5 minutes.
- Store layers of cookies between wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
First published November 16, 2018. Last updated August 24, 2022 for a better user experience.
Sheri
I usually love your recipes and I also am a fan of Maida Heatter's cookies. I do a LOT of baking!!!! But, this recipe was a bomb for me. I could tell that from the start the dough was too dry. When I went to cut them into shapes after chilling over night, I found a giant crumble. I was so disappointed. It seems that some added moisture was needed.
The Scottish Shortbread on the other hand was AMAZING! And I am about to bake the espresso shortbreads after I type this. I don't usually complain, but, I am wondering if an ingredient is missing?
Wendy Sondov
Sorry to hear that these cookies didn't work out for you, Sheri. Other than an unexplained mismeasurement of the flour, I don't know what could cause these to become too dry. Nothing is missing from the recipe. I checked. If you do a google search for Maida Heatter Chocolate Shortbread, you will find that the recipes are all the same. I'm glad there are other recipes you've enjoyed!
Sheri Frohlich
I really appreciate your response! So, I compared Maida Heatter's recipe...the difference is sifting the flour. Maybe without sifting it was just too much flour. I will say, they taste delicious. They were just not very pretty! LOL! I'm going to try again, sifting the flour this time!
I also made the non pareills, and the peppermint fudge and the espresso chocolate chip cookies much more successfully! But the Scottish Shortbread takes the blue ribbon!
Wendy Sondov
Wow! You've been BUSY! I'm so happy to hear that you've enjoyed so many of the recipes! That Scottish Shortbread is so deceiving. It looks like such a plain, possibly even boring, cookie, but it really is SO delicious. Now back to the measurement of the flour, sifting the flour could help, especially if the problem was too much flour due to the flour compacting in the measuring cup. Even when measured by spooning into the measuring cup and leveling off with a knife, you can get too much. Another safe-gaurd method is weighing the flour used (120 grams or 4.25 ounces/ cup). Good luck as you continue your baking marathon!
Sheri
So... I sifted the flour and the flour before measuring and the dough came out perfectly! You were right! I must have been a little too heavy handed with the flour and so sifting helped me a lot! I just made 2 more batches! Yummy!
I am about to decorate or attempt (not very good at that) the Peanut butter chocolate hannukah candies I've had chilling in freezer!
Thank you! And keep the recipes coming!
I retract my "bomb" review but do suggest sifting before measuring!
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck
What a pretty way to fancy up a shortbread cookie! Thanks for sharing on the Friday Frenzy and congratulations on being featured this week!
Roseann Hampton
These look so festive! They will be one of my features this Saturday at the Snickerdoodle Link Party!
Debra
Not only does this recipe sound delicious but they are so festive and pretty. Thanks for sharing at the Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make Party.
Monroe @ Sew Crafty Crochet
These cookies look lovely and yummy!
The Monday Box
Thank you, Monroe! And thank you for hosting Christmas in July!
BruCrew Life
These cookies look fabulous! The sprinkles make them super festive! 🙂
themondaybox
Thanks, Jocelyn! I love how sprinkles "dress up" cookies......and just about everything else! Different colored sprinkles for every festive occasion. 🙂
Winnie
These are soooooo cute and pretty!!
I'd love to receive these cookies 🙂 Although they'd be dangerous - as I wouldn't be able to stop eating them.
themondaybox
Thanks, Winnie! The chocolate cookie + chocolate chips + double chocolate coating makes these cuties dangerous to any chocolate lover! 🙂 You are so right. I couldn't stop eating them!
Candi Elm
These cookies look so pretty, I love how they look.
themondaybox
Thank you, Candi! They are fun and festive and delicious. 🙂
Ashley
These are such pretty shortbread cookies!! I love the way you dipped them! I've actually never tried making chocolate shortbread at home - I need to get on it! Sounds wonderful!
themondaybox
Thanks, Ashley! This chocolate shortbread is especially good. I tried 4 versions and liked this one best. The confectioners sugar makes the difference. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
milkandbun
Such amazing and festive cookies! Love it! 🙂
themondaybox
Thanks, Mila! I am in love with this chocolate shortbread recipe. The cookies just melt in your mouth!
Bryn
Would these work in a cookie press?
themondaybox
I don't think so, Bryn. I think you need a softer more fluid dough to be able to push it out of the press. Most Spritz cookie recipes seem to include eggs. Plus, the chocolate chips in this recipe would get caught in the holes of the discs. I have a Chocolate Espresso Spritz Cookies recipe that is perfect for a cookie press! Take a look here. Happy baking!