Description
These 30 Minute Chocolate Shortbread biscuits are a decadent treat featuring crumbly, buttery cookie dough enhanced with cocoa powder and optionally dipped in rich dark chocolate. Perfect for dessert or an indulgent snack, these Scottish-inspired cookies offer a delightful combination of tender texture and deep chocolate flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Shortbread
- 200 g unsalted butter, softened
- 110 g powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- 3 g fine salt
- 14 g vanilla extract
- 1 orange, zested (optional)
- 290 g all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 40 g Dutch processed cocoa powder, sifted
Chocolate Coating (optional)
- 300 g dark cooking chocolate
- 20 g vegetable oil
Instructions
- Whip butter and sugar: Add softened butter, powdered sugar, fine salt, vanilla extract, and orange zest (if using) to a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment to cream these ingredients together until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add dry ingredients: Sift cocoa powder and add half along with half the all-purpose flour to the creamed butter mixture. Fold gently with a spatula until a dough forms and no dry ingredients remain visible. Repeat with the remaining cocoa powder and flour. The dough should be soft and smooth; chill for 30 minutes if too soft to handle.
- Prepare baking tin: For a baking dish, spray a 22cm x 31cm (9×13 inch) tin with oil and line with baking paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal.
- Form the biscuits in the dish: Transfer dough into the prepared tin. Press gently and evenly flat with your hands or the bottom of a flat cup to create uniform thickness without compressing too much to avoid dense texture.
- Bake first phase: Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F, fan off) or 130°C (265°F, fan on). Bake the dough for 20 minutes.
- Score and dock biscuits: Remove from oven. While still warm, cut into 8 x 3 bars using a large knife and dock each bar 3 times with a fork.
- Bake second phase: Return tray to oven and bake another 20 minutes or until the shortbread is lightly golden.
- Cool completely: Let the shortbread cool fully in the tin. Once cool, run a knife along the scored cuts to separate the biscuits before serving.
- Alternative cookie shape – rectangle log: Form dough into a roughly rectangular log approximately 20cm long, 6cm high, 3-4cm wide. Wrap lightly in plastic wrap and chill 1-2 hours. Preheat oven as above. Slice into 1cm wide biscuits after allowing to soften 5 minutes post-chilling. Indent holes decoratively with a skewer. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool completely.
- Alternative cookie shape – rolled and cut: Divide dough into two discs, roll between baking papers to 1/2 cm thickness. Chill on baking tray for 1 hour. Cut with desired cookie cutters, place on lined trays spaced 2cm apart. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden. Let cool completely.
- Prepare chocolate coating (optional): Melt dark cooking chocolate with vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl in 30-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between bursts, or gently melt over simmering water ensuring bowl bottom does not touch water. Cool slightly.
- Dip biscuits in chocolate (optional): Dip cooled shortbread pieces partially in melted chocolate, let excess drip off, and place on a tray to set before serving.
Notes
- Softened Butter: Should be firm yet yield gently to pressure. Achieve by leaving butter cubed at room temperature for 1 hour or microwaving in short bursts at 10 seconds until soft but holding shape.
- Dutch processed cocoa powder: Alkali-treated unsweetened cocoa that is darker and richer in flavor for best chocolate taste.
- Cooking chocolate: Specifically formulated for melting and baking, available in baking aisles.
- Storage: Store shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Measurement accuracy: Ingredients are weighed for precision to achieve consistent results; digital kitchen scales recommended.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Scottish
Keywords: Chocolate Shortbread, Scottish Cookies, Chocolate Biscuits, Easy Dessert, Butter Cookies, Cocoa Shortbread, Chocolate Dipped Cookies
