Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Sarah from Room for Tuesday and Chloe of Boxwood Avenue are hosting another Blog Hop Cookie Swap! The participants are linked at the end of the post, and everybody is sharing a different cookie recipe today. This is always fun because yes, great recipes, but also we get to see some lovely kitchens put to work.

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The first cookies we baked in our fancy pants new oven were the Coffee Walnut Cookies I shared in last year’s Cookie Swap. They were done in teeny batches of six because our previous oven was from 1918 and, shall we say limiting? We have since been able to move on to baking sheets that are of a normal size, hooray! (The fact that they’re pretty gold is a bonus.)

This chocolate shortbread recipe is from an out of print cookbook, Nigella Christmas, but it can also be found online. I have tried the review-recommended additional flour and found it too dry, so I’d stick with what’s below.

CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1-1/4 cups butter, softened
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder

Pre-heat your oven to 325° and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together, set aside. Cream the butter and powdered sugar together. Add the cocoa powder, mix, then incorporate the flour mixture.

The dough will be crumbly, yet will stick together when rolled into a ball. Flatten your little cookie dough balls slightly and arrange on the baking sheet, bake for 10 minutes. (Though my oven is quick, so these may take more like 12-15 minutes.) When the cookies come out, let them cool on a wire rack before adding the topping.

TOPPING
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• sprinkles

Start the chocolate sauce topping as your cookies go in the oven. Heat water and vanilla in a small saucepan, then whisk in cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Once you have a nice smooth consistency, remove from heat and let cool until your cookies are ready. It will thicken as it cools, so be sure to give it a stir every so often while you’re waiting.

Drizzle the cookies with your chocolate sauce, then top with sprinkles, powdered sugar, or both. I topped mine all three ways so you could see how they look and decide what you want for yourself. I do like the crunch and look of jumbo nonpareils/sugar pearls/whatever you want to call them, but use whatever you like.

The chocolate drizzle will set up a bit as it cools. Do feel free to eat them while still warm (I encourage you to!), but definitely wait to put them away or they’ll stick to everything.

Ready for more recipes? There are 15 in this year’s cookie swap to try!

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•  Salty & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies • Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies • Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
• Classic Butter Sugar Cookies • Rum Balls • Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread
• Peppermint Crispies • Holiday Vanilla Almond Bark • Dark Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies
• Caramel Drizzled Chocolate Peanut Clusters • Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Honey Cinnamon Filling • Lace Cookies
• Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies •  Coconut Crispy Cookies • Tiger Butter Bark