When COVID-19 first hit, I went into baking overdrive. I made Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Easy Sour Cream Lemon Cake, and many, many loaves of sourdough bread. Summertime came, which curbed my baking urges, but Keith still talked about the sweet treats that I made (especially Alison Roman's Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies).
When the weather got cold again, baking began calling. I used this opportunity to make Keith's favorite cookie, and he begged me to share it on the blog. I have followed Alison Roman for a long time, and I am a huge fan of her New York Times recipes. These cookies are a stroke of genius. They combine classic, buttery shortbread with salted, dark chocolate chunks for a cookie that is simply unlike any other. I think Keith likes them for their crispy (not chewy) texture and that unforgettable buttery finish.
It would be almost impossible to come up with something so perfect on our own, so we are sharing Alison’s recipe to spread the word. This has definitely become the chocolate chip cookie of choice at our house.
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Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: baked goods
- Method: n/a
- Cuisine: n/a
Description
Combining the crispy, buttery texture of a classic shortbread with chunks of dark chocolate & sea salt, these cookies our latest obsession.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp salted butter (2 ¼ sticks) at room temperature, cut into ½" pieces
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups AP flour
- 6 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 large egg, beaten
- demerara sugar (for rolling, we substituted regular granulated sugar in a pinch).
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper
- Using a hand mixer, beat the butter, both sugars and vanilla until it's super light and fluffy (6 to 8 min).
- Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and, with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, followed by the chocolate chunks. Mix just to blend.
- If necessary, knead the dough with your hands to make sure the flour is totally incorporated. At this point, the dough should be smooth and feel like Play-Doh with no pockets of flour.
- Divide the dough in half on a large piece of plastic wrap.
- Fold the plastic over so that it covers the dough to protect your hands from getting sticky.
- Using you hands, form the dough into long shapes, rolling on the counter to help smooth it out. Keep the dough compact. Each half should form a 6" log, 2 to 2 ¼" in diameter.
- Chill the dough until totally firm (about 2 hours or overnight).
- Heat oven to 350°.
- Brush the outside of the logs with the beaten egg. Roll them in demerera sugar (or regular granulated sugar) for crisp edges.
- Using a serrated knife, carefully slice each log into ½" rounds (if you hit a chocolate chunk, slowly saw back and fourth through the chocolate). If the cookies break apart, just press them back together.
- Place cookies on prepared baking sheets about 1" apart. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Let cool slightly before eating.
Notes
- cookie dough can be made ahead and stored, tightly wrapped in plastic, up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or 1 month in the freezer.
- cookies can be backed and stored in plastic wrap or an airtight container for 5 days.
Keywords: cookie, shortbread, salted, chocolate, chip, chunk, butter, dessert
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