These CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES are just the thing for your holiday baking tray!

We feel quite confident that this cookie recipe will become a perennial fave during the holiday season. It has all the hallmarks of a top 10: easy to prepare, super scrumptious and easy on the eyes too. Now, the one thing we’d better get out of the way is when to make them. Because we’re posting these CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES right before the holidays, we’re thinking they’ll be a welcome addition to your holiday cookie trays or packaged up as festive gifts. But wait until you make them and then take the first bite; we’re thinking they’re meant to be enjoyed all throughout the year. 

Before sharing a few tips on making them, here are some suggestions for those of you who love to bake cookies. For our full round-up of holiday baking, click HERE. We have everything from our MOST POPULAR cookie recipes to NO-BAKE options, SUGAR COOKIES, SQUARES and even a few bonus recipes for sweet treats that make wonderful HOLIDAY GIFTS.

Here’s the low-down on making these CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES that we know will soon be high up on everyone’s wish lists:

INGREDIENTS

I expect some of you looked at the above photo and thought, “This can’t be right…” We assure you, it is; this wonderful homemade shortbread cookie recipe is made using only five ingredients. The flour, cornstarch, butter and icing sugar, AKA confectioners’ sugar, are all readily available in your grocery store if you don’t already have them on hand. The TOBLERONE chocolate bar may need a special trip to the store. Let’s talk about that next.

CHOCOLATE

One of the best things about this chocolate cookie recipe is using TOBLERONE CHOCOLATE BARS. If you’ve never tried this brand of chocolate before, here’s your chance. Recognizable by their distinctive triangular yellow boxes, these chocolate bars have been around for well over 100 years. Loved for their milk chocolate blended with bits of white nougat, chopped almonds and honey flavouring, they add a memorable chocolate flavour to these cookies. We suggest chopping them up into tiny morsels before blending them in with the cookie dough. The little flecks of Toblerone will entice you to take a bite, you’ll see.

BUTTER

Yup, I know, that’s a photo of four sticks of butter, AKA two cups or one pound, at room temperature. A rich, buttery flavouring is one of the distinctive features of shortbread cookies. So, why the pic, Nik? It’s a segue into the fact that the recipe calls for salted butter instead of unsalted butter. I know, what a plot twist! This is the first time we’ve used salted butter in a recipe at WATC, so it’s important that we make special mention. 

Using salted butter, especially in a cookie recipe such as this, where icing sugar is added instead of granulated sugar. This balances the sweetness and adds a more complex taste profile. That’s what a friend at the local vintage shop explained. I took her suggestion, and it worked perfectly.

COOKIE DOUGH

The dry ingredients for this cookie recipe represent a classic combination. The unbleached all-purpose flour is standard fare for most baking recipes, but how about the pairing of icing sugar and cornstarch? These two ingredients both contribute to the texture of the finished cookies. You’ll notice the cookies have a soft, tender texture and almost cakey crumb. That’s thanks to the way cornstarch prevents gluten from developing, while the icing sugar prevents the cookies from spreading as they bake. As you proceed, remember to sift or whisk the flour and cornstarch together in a mixing bowl before adding them to the butter and sugar mix.

Let’s hear it for our handy stand mixer. Using a stand mixer to create the cookie dough makes the entire process very easy. We love the way the paddle attachment whips the butter and icing sugar light and fluffy, before the addition of the flour and cornstarch mixture. Let’s say you don’t have a stand mixer. Use an electric hand mixer or make the recipe old-school, stirring everything together vigorously by hand.

Make sure to watch the VIDEO created for this recipe, where I explain how I always add the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer with the machine running first on low speed. Doing so prevents a cloud of powder puffing up out of the bowl as you then increase to medium speed. Please remember to stop the machine to scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula at any time to make sure the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Last step to making the cookie dough is to add the chopped Toblerone chocolate. After spilling the bits into the bowl of the stand mixer, run the machine on a low setting for maybe a minute; it doesn’t take much to distribute the chocolate through the soft and tender dough.

MISSHAPE

Once the dough is assembled, no need to transfer the dough to plastic wrap and then into the fridge. We’re not rolling them up in wax paper, nor will we slice them into uniform sizes. The great news about this easy-to-make cookie recipe is that the unbaked cookies can go to parchment paper-lined cookie sheets or baking trays, misshapen, no need to smooth them out.

We suggest using a tablespoon measure paired with another spoon to drop each “as is” to the baking sheet. We baked off 12 to a tray, remembering they really don’t spread as they bake. The yield on the recipe is 36 cookies. Actually, it’s 35 because I know you’ll be just like me and snag one to try as soon as they’re cool enough to eat.

SALTY-SWEET

Let’s talk about the salty-sweet flavouring of these cookies. I made an executive decision during the testing of this recipe that it was best if the dough was not overly sweet. So, to elevate the flavouring just a pinch, we’re providing two options to increase the sweetness and saltiness of these cookies: sanding sugar and sea salt flakes.

Then, right before sending the cookies to the oven, make a holiday game-day decision. Add a sprinkle of sanding sugar or a pinch of sea salt flakes? Unsure what to do? Add a bit of both. This little enhancement really takes these cookies from simple to amazing.

BAKE

During the testing of this recipe, we were divided on the best bake time, so we’re presenting you with options. If you like soft, tender shortbread cookies with light brown edges, bake the cookies for 16 minutes. If you’d rather enjoy cookies with a firmer texture and darker, almost crunchier edges, bake for 18 minutes. Your kitchen will smell very enticing, regardless. 

P.S.: Don’t forget to immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack after baking. 

ICING SUGAR

Giving these lovely holiday baked goods a dusting of icing sugar is just the festive touch they need, ready to be placed out on your cookie platters or holiday baking trays. We’ve also packaged them up in cellophane bags as gifts – they’re going to be a hit either way. If not serving them straight away, keep them in a cold room or in the refrigerator stored in an airtight container. You can also keep them in the freezer, bringing them to room temperature before serving.

Last thing to mention, if you love this recipe, please send some love our way and subscribe to our monthly newsletter HERE where we share our top recipes and give a sneak peek at upcoming posts. You’ll also receive Gather, our mid-month missive focused on ideas to entertain family and friends.

These CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES sure do guarantee some happy holidays!

More like this

Related by Recipe Type

• Desserts

Related by Ingredient

• Cornstarch
• Icing Sugar
• Salted Butter
• Toblerone Chocolate Bar
• Unbleached Flour

For More Great Ideas Visit:

• YouTube
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Pinterest