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
Hi there! I made these last night and they are DELICIOUS- not too sweet, deep dark chocolate flavor, just incredible. The only thing I felt was off was the texture- I love a harder shortbread cookie and these turned out pretty soft, even though I baked them for a little longer than directed. They were perfect otherwise, nice and crumbly. Are these normally just a softer cookie? My oven is not super consistent so it could have just been that too.
I prefer my shortbread soft, so this recipe is probably skewed a little on the soft side, and the presence of chocolate chips makes them seem softer, too. I suggest cutting the dough a little thinner and baking a little longer for more of a crunch! But if your oven is not consistent, I would tackle that problem first.
Thanks for the reply! I’ll try that next time. Even soft, though, these aren’t making it out of my house- delicious with a cup of coffee!
Making these for a cookie exchange and I’m using Ghirardelli Peppermint Chunks instead of chocolate chips. So excited!
Mmmmmm, let me know how it tastes!
I made these today, swapping out all vanilla for a mixture of orange and vanilla extracts. Yummo! Set them out, turned around, and they were gone! Thanks for the delicious addition to my holiday recipes/cookie exchange.
I love chocolate and orange together, thanks for the tip!
What a lovely recipe. I used Castor Sugar (don’t know what that is called in America) which is between Confectioners Sugar and Granulated Sugar. Maybe it added a little more sweetness. Instead of Chocolate Chips I added chopped Hazelnuts. (Chocolate and Hazelnuts is a marriage made in heaven!!) Really delicious – Yum! Will be lovely as Christmas gifts. ??
That sounds really delicious Mary, and I, for one, would love to get them as a gift!
If I make these again (don’t bake much anymore unless I am asked to take baking to an event) I’m going to make the “log” much skinnier, so the cookies are smaller in diameter. I can’t get these transferred without them breaking in half. Not sure how the serving will go at the wine walk tonight…I’m afraid they are all going to be broken in half.
You had me at double chocolate! These look incredible!
oh my!! total guilty pleasure. Actually double guilty pleasure .. It sure does look super rich. I am only dark chocolate lover at home, so I don’t even have to share these LOL LOL
Lucky you, Kankana! I’m in the same boat, my husband loves milk chocolate…go figure!
Love that you reposted this because it is new to me. These look like they’d live up to my deepest, DARKEST fantasies for dessert! YUM.
Hope you INDULGE soon 🙂
I am so glad you resurrected these, because I must have missed them the first time around and that would have been a tragedy. The only thing better than chocolate cookies is double chocolate cookies, so yes please 🙂
Well, tragedy might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but…come to think of it, not really 🙂
Oh my God, these cookies look amazing and I am not even that much into chocolate. But I could easily devour 5 of these! It’s a great idea updating some of your old recipes, I’ve been following your blog for ages but I am sure I haven’t seen all you have.
Thanks Adina, and I’m so glad this idea works for you, I thought maybe my loyal readers would be bored…but it just goes to show you how much I’ve crammed into the ‘vaults’ over the years 😉