Chocolate Dipped Churro Shortbread Cookies ~ this easy cinnamon cookie recipe has all the flavors of classic churros, including the decadent chocolate dip! Make it a part of your holiday cookie assortment this year.
These easy to make cinnamon shortbread cookies are dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with sparkly raw sugar.
I love the combination of the crisp, crumbly cookie, crunchy sugar, and creamy smooth chocolate! If you love a chocolate dipped churro, these cookies are for you.
One of my most memorable food experiences is the first time I had a warm, freshy baked churro with a dark chocolate dipping sauce. Pure bliss! I channeled the delicious flavor of fresh, cinnamon-laced churros into these easy, crisp shortbread cookies. They are the perfect thing to wake up a tired holiday cookie assortment this year.
What is a churro?
Churros are a Spanish/Mexican deep fried dough treat, much like a light doughnut or fritter, shaped in a tube form. They’re often coated in cinnamon sugar while still warm, and served with a hot chocolate dipping sauce. To die for!
The dough for these cookies is a very simple shortbread dough, with 2 full teaspoons of ground cinnamon. I find the cinnamon flavor is definitely pronounced, but not overpowering, and really contributes to the “churro”-y feeling. You could reduce the cinnamon to 1 or 1 and 1/2 tsp if you’d like, though.
The sparkly sugary coating comes in the form of turbinado sugar, which I love for its flavor and texture. If you don’t have any, you can also use any kind of raw, larger-crystal sugar, or even regular sugar in a pinch.
What is turbinado sugar
Turbinado sugar is a type of raw brown sugar, is a minimally processed sugar. It has a coarse grain, a pale golden color, and a more pronounced flavor that regular sugar. It’s made from the first pressing of cane sugar, and retains more of the natural molasses. Other types of raw sugar are Demerara, Muscovado, Jaggery, Sucanat, and Piloncilo.
Best chocolate for dipping cookies
- The first time I made these cookies, I used melted chocolate chips to dip them in. While you certainly can do that, I found it difficult to get the melted chocolate thin enough for neat dipping, it stayed pretty thick, maybe due to the way they process chocolate chips to help them keep their shape during transportation.
- I recommend using bar chocolate if you can. I used bittersweet baking chocolate here, but you can use whatever kind of chocolate you like best.
- If using bar chocolate, chop it in small pieces so it will melt quicker.
How to package cookies for gifting
If you’re going to bring these cookies with you to a cookie swap or office party, make sure to wait until the chocolate coating is completely hardened before packing. I’d also suggest separating layers of them with parchment paper so that the sugary topping doesn’t get squished and the chocolate stays smooth.
How to freeze chocolate dipped churro shortbread cookies
Freeze these cookies baked, or unbaked, the process will be the same.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet and put in the freezer for an hour until hard.
- Layer the cookies in a freezer safe container, laying parchment or waxed paper between the layers.
More shortbread cookies for the holidays ~
- Maple Walnut Shortbread
- Almond Shortbread Bars
- Butter Pecan Shortbread
- Espresso Sugar Shortbread with Toasted Hazelnuts
Chocolate Dipped Churro Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup raw or turbinado sugar
- 24 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. It doesn't need to get to the "light and fluffy" stage for this recipe, just well combined.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt, and continue to mix until the dough comes together.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into a flat disk. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and allow a few minutes for it to begin to soften. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until its about 3/8-1/2 inch thick.
- Cut the dough into rectangles (I used a pizza cutter) roughly 3 inches by 1.5 inches, or whatever size you prefer.
- Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over one half of each unbaked cookie on the diagonal (see photo above of cookies before they are dipped into chocolate), very lightly pressing the sugar into the dough. Reserve a little extra sugar for sprinkling along the chocolate at the very end.
- Bake for about 12 minutes. The cookies will still be pale and soft, but will firm up as they cool. Allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack. (If your cookies come out of the oven a little misshapen, they are really easy to nudge back into shape while they are still hot. Use the side of a butter knife or some other flat edge to gently press the sides of the dough back into a neat rectangle.)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for the cookies to rest on after they've been dipped in chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or in a microwave safe container like a Pyrex glass measuring cup, using short (10-15 second) bursts. You'll want a relatively small and deep container to make dipping the cookies easier. My 2 cup glass measuring cup worked well.
- Gently tap off any excess sugar from the cooled cookies, and dip the un-sugared half into the melted chocolate at an angle, covering the area that isn't coated in sugar. Place them on the lined baking sheet.
- Allow the chocolate coating to partially harden before adding the final sprinkling of raw sugar along the edge of the dipped portion of the cookie. If you sprinkle it on too early, it will just sink into the wet chocolate. When the chocolate is still a bit tacky and not fully hardened, it should stay on top and adhere. Sprinkle a little more than you think you want, press it in very very lightly, and tap off any excess once the chocolate is completely cooled and hardened.
I made your pecan sandies and they were delicious! Instead of rolling out the dough for this recipe, would it work if I used the same method as the sandies of forming the dough into a log, refrigerating or freezing and then cutting the dough into circles prior to baking ? Thanks.
I should think so, Vicky, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Looks so beautiful, I’m a fan of both churros and shortbread, a must try , pinned!
I’m interested in trying this. Just wondering if anyone used Mexican chocolate for the chocolate dipping? Thanks!
That’s a brilliant idea Kathi, I love it!
The flavor of these cookies was great but they were more work than I had anticipated. First, they spread too much and then getting the sugar sprinkled on as shown in the picture was nearly impossible. I ended up having to cut the cookies before they finished cooling to get them into neat rectangles. I tried several techniques to get that lovely diagonal line of sugar but nothing worked and I eventually gave up on them.
I have had great luck with your cardamom pistachio bread and cranberry orange bread but this one did not come out great for me ๐ The dough was very dry and cracked. The cookies had a dry sandy texture. They didn’t taste cooked at 12 minutes because they still had a strong flour flavor.Not the same texture that I am used to with a shortbread. Any ideas where I went wrong? I am also cooking the newly fallen snow cookies so I will see if they worked better for me.
UPDATE! After they sat overnight and I put the chocolate on them they are perfect. I just had to be patient. I made the fallen snow cookies and they are perfect too
I always try one new cookie recipe for my holiday baking and this year I tried this one! I absolutely loved it. I love shortbread and whatโs unique about this one is the great cinnamony flavor. The other uniqueness is the way you dip them. I did not sprinkle them with sugar because it overpowers the flavor of the cookie. Instead I dipped in chocolate as shown and along the edge sprinkled gold dust! Oh they looked so beautiful! And everyone loved them!
Thank you for such a beautiful and unique cookie at this very “traditional” time of year.
I needed to reward my very hard working group at work. Just finished up. They are DEEEEEELICIOUS! and beautiful too!
Breakfast of champions! Many Many Thanks! Happy Holidays!
Definitely gonna make this as part of my Xmas baking. They’re really pretty!
These are so pretty! Thank you. I haven’t made them yet as I just came across recipe. I will be one happy baker if they taste half as good as they look. This is now on the top of my long list to make.
I follow many food bloggers and receive many emailed recipes daily. It is rare when I find one that is fresh, stimulating and That I find myself eager to try……..until I started following you, Sue! Every recipe, picture and post is stimulating and exciting! Very happy to be one of your fans and look forward to each recipe I receive. Thank you so much!
This is the sweetest comment, you’ve made my day!