Double Dark Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies ~ they melt in your mouth with an explosion of deep rich chocolate that’ll make your eyelids flutter… to call it a cookie is to completely miss the point.
these ultra dark chocolate chip shortbread cookies are not your everyday cookies
There really is nothing else like these cookies ~ if you have not yet made this recipe then I can safely say you haven’t tasted anything like this before…it combines the buttery mouthfeel of shortbread with deep rich chocolate flavor…I used extra dark cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips, so this is about the richest chocolate you can bite into short of a truffle. Seriously.
the flavor of these super dark shortbread cookies is bittersweet
It’s a very different, more intense, more sophisticated chocolate experience, and if you’re not expecting it you might be thrown for a loop. The mouthfeel of the shortbread is different, too, it’s crumbly but not at all dry, and sticks to the roof of your mouth. Are you up for this? –– then proceed, if not, turn back now!
Dutch processed cocoa powder
Yes, the inside of that cookie is so dark it’s basically black. In fact the cookie is so dark that it makes my bittersweet chocolate chips look like milk chocolate in comparison. That’s because I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder. It’s a specially formulated Dutch processed cocoa which, among other things, has a richer color and smoother flavor compared to regular cocoa powder. It’s what gives Oreo cookies their deep color.
Because of all that Dutch process cocoa, I warn you making these cookies is messy ~ messy like making mud pies messy…
The double dark chocolate chip shortbread dough stains your hands and the cocoa powder flies everywhere. But it’s a small price to pay for transcendent chocolate cookies.
this dough can be rolled out or sliced and baked
You can form this dough into a log and slice and bake it, or roll it out and cut out your cookies, both ways work, but either way it needs to be chilled for several hours before slicing and baking since it’s a butter rich dough.
for dark chocolate lovers only…
The deep dark rich flavor of chocolate is a joy ~ be sure you experience some of my other ultra chocolatey recipes:
- Double Chocolate Muffins
- Dark Chocolate Truffle Tart
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Dark Chocolate Mendiants
- The Ultimate Drinking Chocolate
variation suggestions
- You might add walnuts or pecans.
- Use regular cocoa powder for a less intense cookie.
- Any type of chocolate chip will work, including white!
Double Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (this is important)
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder, sifted, (I use Hershey's Special Dark)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cream the butter, cocoa powder and sugar together until completely combined and smooth. Add in the vanilla. if using a stand mixer, be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl often.
- Mix in the flour, making sure to get it thoroughly blended.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the dough out onto a board dusted with cocoa powder. The dough will be sticky.
- For roll and cut cookiesform into an 8 inch disk (like you would do for pie dough.) Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until firm enough to roll out. You can also freeze the dough for later use.
- Preheat oven to 325F
- Roll the disk out to 1/3 inch thickness and cut cookies with a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter. Use cocoa powder liberally to prevent sticking to the surface and to your rolling pin. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will still be soft, but will firm up as they cool. Cool them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack.
- For slice and bake cookiesform a 10" log. Wrap in plastic wrap, smoothing the dough as you wrap it, and twist the ends to secure. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours until firm enough to slice. You can also freeze the dough for later use.
- Slice the log into 1/3″ slices with a sharp knife. If some of the chips fall out of place, or the dough crumbles as you slice, reform it with your hands. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will still be soft, but will firm up as they cool. Cool them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Note: Because of the chocolate chips these cookies will not be perfectly uniform or smooth.
Nutrition
I tried these and made the following changes on the second batch: I added 1\4 c of black cocoa, 1/4 c sugar and a generous pinch of salt. Also replaced the choc chips with cacao nibs. The texture was less fragile, more crisp like traditional shortbread, and deeper flavor. thanks so much for the recipe.
Should it be this crumbly and soft?
Made them twice now, and they are very fragile and crumbly – not at all crisp like Scottish shortbread. Should I add more butter or cut the flour? Doesn’t seem like the texture it like shortbread.
Yeah, I’m having the same issue. They’re definitely not crispy. I’ve added half again the flour and they’re better now, but still crumble easily.
Can I freeze the dough for later use?
Yes, absolutely.
I am definitely gonna try this very soon.
I have been on a VFGI shortbread bender ! I’ve made the chocoLate orange; PB chocolate chip, double chocolate chip and more. They are all truly special. Melt in your mouth. My only issue is they tend to fall apart so……. I’d love any suggestion to make them more stable. Thanks!
The recipe leaves out salt, which probably accounts for the bland, flat taste noted in previous comments. So 4 stars for being simple and otherwise delicious. I added an egg to make the dough less crumbly, per a lemon shortbread cookie recipe I made last week.
Made these the other day with a bunch of friends as we geared up for the holidays… It was amazing!
We couldn’t find extra dark cocoa powder where we were so we used the regular cocoa powder instead and it turned out great. We also added a mix of walnuts and pistachios for an extra crunch, which really nicely complemented already soft-crumbly cookie texture. In place of the dark chocolate chips, we roughly chopped some ginger-infused dark chocolate for spice! Since the nuts and chocolate chunks were a little bulky, our cookies had a little bit of a height to carry all of that goodness.
We had flaky sea salt on hand and sprinkled some on top of the eggwashed cookies just before putting it in the oven and this surprisingly worked so well. So much salty-sweet-spiced goodness in every bite!!
I had really high hopes for these, but I’m not sure I will make them again. I love dark chocolate and was really happy to learn that one can buy a dark chocolate cocoa powder. I’m looking forward to using my Hershey’s Special Dark powder for other desserts. I made these cookies exactly to recipe–with chocolate chips. I like the taste and the level of sweetness, but something is missing for me with the texture. I don’t find them lush or complex. Maybe I just don’t like shortbread–I’m not sure because I’ve never made shortbread cookies. If I were to agree with any of the comments of previous posters, it would be that these cookies are certainly chocolate-y enough but they seem dry. For those who are wondering (as I was), these cookies do not spread out much when baked so you can place them close together on the baking sheet. I also left them on the cookie sheet to cool and did not have trouble with them breaking.