Coffee and chocolate – one of my favorite combos! This shortbread gets tastier with age, and makes an unexpected addition to a holiday cookie box.
This is a great do-ahead cookie dough to make, since it’s rolled out inside of a Ziplock bag. When ready to bake, cut the plastic bag away, and cut the dough with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water, stir and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar for 3 minutes until smooth. Add in the vanilla, salt and espresso, turn mixer down to low and add the flour until incorporated into the butter/sugar. Do not over mix. Fold in the mini chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough into a 1 gallon Ziplock bag. Place on a flat surface, with the bag open, and roll the dough turning the bag occasionally, and pull the plastic away from the dough to avoid creases. When the dough is an even thickness, seal the bag and refrigerate the dough for 2 hours. I froze mine, and I thought it made it easier to cut and transfer to the baking sheets.
- Preheat oven to 325º, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place bag on a cutting board, cut it open, and discard the bag. With a sharp knife (I used a pizza cutter) cut the dough into 1 1/2″ squares. Transfer squares to the baking sheets 1″ apart, and prick each cookie with a fork, pushing the tines through to the baking sheet.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. The cookies will be pale in color, cool on a wire rack.
(Recipe from Smitten Kitchen.)
