If shortbread and a brownie had a baby they might come up with a delicious buttery cookie like these Chocolate Walnut Shortbread Cookies!
If you ask me dark chocolate and walnuts were made for each other. These easy slice and bake chocolate walnut shortbread cookies are like little brownie bites, only not quite as sweet, with the slightly bitter walnut flavor holding its own next to the robust deep chocolate. They also have that famous shortbread texture that melts in your mouth.
what’s in this post
ingredients for chocolate walnut shortbread cookies
Shortbread is a traditional Scottish treat made with 3 basic ingredients: sugar, flour and butter. The absence of eggs and leaveners, such as baking powder or baking soda, contributes to the dense, crumbly texture characteristic of shortbread and gives it its tender, melt-in-your-mouth quality.
- salted butter
- if you use unsalted butter, add a little extra salt to the dough. Salt ties the flavors in this cookie together.
- granulated sugar
- all purpose flour
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- be sure you’re using unsweetened cocoa powder. Do not use sweetened cocoa powder, hot cocoa mix, or anything other than pure cocoa.
- toasted walnuts
- the easiest way is to lay them out on a plate and microwave for 2 minutes on high. Let them cool before adding to your dough.
- vanilla paste or extract
- don’t skip this, it really brings out the chocolate flavor.
Slice and bake cookies are one of the best concepts ever. One of my favorite ways to use chocolate walnut shortbread cookie dough is to slice off a few at a time to bake up when the urge for fresh cookies warm from the oven strikes. Or freeze the whole log (or two) to get a head start on holiday baking.
slice and bake shortbread, step by step
- Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder and sugar to combine.
- Work in the soft butter. I do this with a stand mixer on low. Keep mixing until the crumbly dough comes together. It might seem to dry at first, but the moisture in your soft butter will eventually bring it together, have patience.
- Shape the dough into a log and wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Refrigerate or freeze until firm.
- Slice using a sharp knife and you’ll reveal a kaleidoscope of chocolate walnut gorgeousness in every slice.
- Bake!
tips and tricks for making chocolate walnut shortbread
Be sure your butter is at room temperature and get the dough thoroughly combined, with no dry flour or dry crumbles, before rolling it into a log.Â
The dough must be well chilled before slicing and baking.
Be aware that the cookies will be delicate when they come out of the oven and until they cool, so treat them gingerly!
Dutched cocoa will give you a darker cookie (see my Double Dark Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies)
Chocolate Walnut Shortbread Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, regular or extra dark
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup salted butter, room temperature (it is important to use soft butter.)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1 cup toasted walnuts, rough chopped Note: if you want to see the pretty walnut shapes in the sliced cookies don't chop your walnuts too finely.
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer until combined.
- Add the butter and vanilla and mix on low until the dough comes together. Note: the dough may seem crumbly at first, but keep mixing on low, once the moisture of the softened butter is completely incorporated into the flour, the dough will form.
- Fold in the walnuts and turn the dough onto a surface. Form the soft dough into a log, about 10 inches long.
- Roll up in plastic wrap, smoothing the log through the plastic with your hands. Twist the ends securely. I like to roll the log in a terrycloth dish or hand towel to help it keep its round shape as it chills.
- Refrigerate for 2-3 hours (or overnight.) If you're in a hurry you can freeze for 1 hour or until quite firm.
- Preheat oven to 325F
- Unwrap the cold dough and slice into slices, about 1/3 inch thick.
- Place on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 12-14 minutes. Just until set.
- Cool for a few minutes on the tray, then transfer to a cooling rack. They are delicate, especially when warm but will firm up a bit as they cool.
Notes
- To toast walnuts place them on a baking sheet and toast in a 350F oven for 12-15 minutes. Or place on a plate and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
- Pecans would also work well in this recipe.
Nutrition
more chocolate cookies!
- Buckwheat Cardamom Chocolate Chip Cookies
- DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe ~ the secret’s out!
- Double Dark Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
- Homemade Thin Mints
I love this recipe! I added a little bit more powdered sugar, and it was a very nice and semi-sweet buttery cookie! Melted in my mouth! Kept each batch in for 12 minutes and removed from the tray to the cooling rack after about 30 seconds. Had minimal problems with cracking, just treated each cooking carefully. Easy recipe and very satisfying results. Thanks for sharing this Sue!
You’re so welcome Nanda ~ thanks for taking the time to come back and comment 🙂
I made these for my annual Christmas cookie exchange. I loved the flavor and they looked so good until I took them off the cookie sheet. they all fell apart and were too crumbly. I followed the recipe so I don’t know what I did wrong. any suggestions? I’d like to try them again. Thanks!
Shortbread does need time to cool completely so it sets up. Is it possible you moved them while warm? Shortbread does have a ‘crumbly’ texture, but they shouldn’t fall apart. Hope this helps 🙂
Crumbled cookies are fabulous over ice cream. They can frozen and used later.
These cookies sounded great and look pretty, but they are not sweet at all. I put a glaze on them to make them palatable.
These aren’t super sweet cookies, that’s true Susan. You can add a little more sugar to the dough next time without a problem.
I too made them as directed yet they were super crumbly. Not too sweet. I didn’t mind but they sure would not hold together. ?
Kristina make sure your butter is at room temperature and you work the dough until it is thoroughly combined, with no dry flour, etc., before you roll it.
So… don’t set your oven then place dough in fridge for 2 hours… ?
I made these as directed and they tasted very dry and bitter. Is the 1/4 cup sugar correct?
Did you use Black Walnuts if so that is probably where the bitterness came from, but it could be the cocoa you used. Shortbread cookies are never sweet just a bit sweet, but you can add extra powder sugar 1/4 cup and it should not affect them.
Bitter that’s the word I am looking for. Unbaked dough tastes great. Baked not so much.
Thanks for sharing your recipe. Looks yummy, can’t wait to bake.
Looking forward to other recipes.
We loved these cookies, and they were so easy to make!
oops! Just saw it at the top!
yum! I’m making these for thanksgiving! One question..what temperature do you bake them at? Thanks!