Recipe Collection: Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies

Written by Kate Tietje

From the time I was in high school, my friends and family told me I was good at cooking.  Some claimed that even boxed mac’n’cheese tasted better when I made it — and I laughed at them.  My nickname became “Martha Stewart.”

So when I was at work recently, and one of my team members said, “The Cookie.  Everyone is obsessed with Alison Roman’s Salted Butter Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies and I need that recipe,” my immediate response (conceited as I am about my cooking abilities) was “I can do it better.”

They laughed and said, “Prove it!  Bring in both, and we’ll test them!”

I said I would.  They thought I was kidding, but I showed up the next day with cookies.  One made exactly according to Roman’s recipe and one along the same lines but my own creation.

I handed them Cookie #1.  (This was Roman’s, but they didn’t know that at the time.)  They all bit in…and said the cookies were very good.  Then I handed them Cookie #2 (mine).  The reactions?

One said, “Cookie number one is good, in the absence of cookie number two…but cookie number two is my favorite.”

Another said, “Cookie number one is like, one and done.  Cookie number two is like, give me a plate!”

Hands down, my version won.

If you’ve seen the obsession over this cookie, you might be wondering what is so different or special about my version.  Well…

Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies

These cookies follow the same “style” as Roman’s because I was trying to get a similar outcome.  They involved the creaming of butter and sugar and chilling the dough before baking to get cookies that didn’t spread much.

But, there are some key differences in the recipes.

Orange zest is the secret ingredient.  It adds a delicious yet subtle depth of flavor to the cookie.

It has more brown sugar than white, which gives it a more tender, delicate texture.  A tiny amount of baking powder contributes to the lightness, too.  And it has some chocolate chopped up in tiny bits and some in big chunks, so you get a little bit of chocolate in a varying texture in every bite.

It’s interesting.  It’s delicious.  Are you ready to make it?!

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup salted butter (learn how to make homemade butter)
• 1 medium orange, zested
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla (learn how to make homemade vanilla extract)
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 3/4 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup chocolate chunks, divided
• Flaked sea salt

Directions: 

Step 1: Starting with cold butter, smash and whip it until it gets a bit softer and lighter (but not melted).

Step 2: Add the sugars and the orange zest.  Beat well until light and fluffy.

Step 3: Add in the egg and vanilla and mix well.

Step 4: Add baking powder and flour and mix until a stiff dough forms.  It should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl as you mix.

Step 5: Chop half the chocolate chunks into small pieces, some as small as shavings.  Add all of the chocolate, of varying sizes, to the bowl and mix it in.

Step 6: Roll the dough in a large sheet of parchment paper into a long log, about 1 1/2″ thick.  Chill in the fridge for 2 hours or in the freezer for 20 min.  (if you’re impatient like I was).

Step 7: Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Step 8: Slice cookies about 1/2″ thick.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Step 9: Bake on the middle rack for 10 – 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Let these cookies cool…they will fall apart if you try to eat them immediately.  (Still yummy!)  Store in an air-tight container for 2 – 3 days or freeze.

This recipe can’t be called “healthy,” per se.  It includes real ingredients, and we all need a treat now and then!  I’ll be working on an actual healthy, probably vegan version of these soon.  I know my testers are willing! 🙂

Have you heard about “The Cookie” Obsession?  I’d love to hear if you’ve tried both, which you preferred!