Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

These melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip shortbread cookies are a buttery, tender shortbread cookie studded with chocolate. A crisp, buttery twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie, these shortbread cookies are anything but ordinary.

It’s cookie time again! Until two years ago, I used to be a cake and brownie kind of person and rarely made cookies, unless a special request came in from my family or a reader. Turns out for years I was wrong, as now I’m a bit of a cookie addict and can’t stop making them to fill up my never-ending cravings.

There’s nothing like the smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven (or eating one when it’s still hot and melty). I make sure to always have cookie-making ingredients on hand, and even keep some extra dough stashed away in the freezer to bake up a single cookie instead of a whole batch.

Just by glancing through the ingredient list, these chocolate chip shortbread cookies may seem like a regular cookie but they are extra special. Unlike the typical soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie I love dearly, this chocolate chip shortbread is crisp, buttery, and will melt in your mouth as soon as you bit into it. This recipe’s inspiration comes from Alison Roman’s salted cookies, which is a recipe everyone adores and for a good reason.

I was surprised I loved these chocolate chip shortbread cookies so much. While I usually prefer soft and gooey baked goods (hence my initial preference for brownies), I couldn’t stop eating these cookies and ate 3 straight from the oven while they were hot, and 2 right after my photoshoot.

If you’re looking for an addicting cookie that’s a bit different from your typical favorite, try out this chocolate chip shortbread cookie recipe and let me know what you think!

How to Make Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Before you begin making this chocolate chip shortbread, make sure your butter is at room temperature. I like to take mine out of the fridge 1-2 hours before, letting it rest on the counter while I enjoy a morning coffee before my daughter keeps me busy for the rest of the day.

Once your butter is at room temperature, the cookie dough comes together in minutes. Simply beat together the butter, powdered sugar, brown sugar, and salt in a mixer until it is light and creamy. This will take about 4 minutes and is not a step you want to skip if you want perfectly tender shortbread cookies.

Once creamed, mix in the vanilla followed by the flour, mixing until combined. Add in the chocolate chunks, mixing just until incorporated. Be careful not to overmix your dough. It might be a bit crumbly, but that is fine since you’ll shape them into logs.

Divid the dough in half, placing each half on a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Using your hands, shape each piece of dough into a log that is 1.5 inches (4 cm) in diameter. Roll it up like a piece of candy and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days. You can also store the dough in the freezer, letting it thaw in the fridge before slicing and baking.

Slicing and Baking the Chocolate Chip Shortbread

Once your dough is chilled, it’s time to slice and bake these chocolate chip shortbread cookies. Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and brush the outside of the logs with a beaten egg. Roll them in sugar (you can do this by either sprinkle sugar over the logs or placing the sugar on plastic wrap and rolling the log over it), making sure it sticks evenly. This step is optional but definitely worth the extra effort. The sugar gives the cookies a nice crunch around the edges, contrasting the tender, buttery interior.

Use a sharp knife to slice the logs into 1/3-inch thick rounds (about 1 cm). The dough may crumble and break, or you could hit a chocolate chunk, both of which are fine. If this happens, cut gently back and forth or let the dough soften for a few minutes and squeeze any broken bits back into each cookie.

Don’t worry if the cutting isn’t perfect and the cookies aren’t evenly round. Mine didn’t look great before baking, but they came out beautiful as you can tell by the pictures.

Arrange the cookies on the baking sheets, placing them 1 inch apart. To make salted chocolate chip shortbread cookies I like to sprinkle a bit of flakey sea salt on top before baking.

Bake the cookies for 15 minutes, until slightly golden brown around the edges. The cookies will appear soft and light colored, but will crisp up as they cool completely on a wire rack. You can also bake them for an additional 1-2 minutes if you prefer crunchier, harder cookies. The chocolate chip shortbread cookies will last up to 5 days in an airtight container, but have never made it past 48 hours in my house.

These cookies may resemble a chocolate chip cookie, but once you bite into one you will be pleasantly surprised. A crisp, sugary exterior suddenly melts in your mouth to become a buttery, tender chocolate studded cookie that demands a second bite.

Other butter cookies:

• Coffee Nut Shortbread Cookies
• Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies
• Alfajores (Dulce De Leche Sandwich Cookies)
• Perfect Butter Cookies

5 from 2 votes

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

YIELD: 32 cookies

 

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Ingredients

• 2 sticks (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2/3 cup (75g) powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup (65g) light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (170g) chocolate chips or chunks cut from chocolate bar (bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate, or a combination)
• 1 egg , beaten, for brushing (skip the brushing for eggless version)
• 1/4 cup (50g) demerara sugar or granulated sugar, for rolling
• Flakey salt , for sprinkling, optional

Instructions

1. In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, powdered sugar, brown sugar, and salt on medium speed for 4 minutes until creamy. Mix in vanilla extract. Add flour and beat on low-medium speed just until combined. Mix in the chocolate chunks just until incorporated. Do not over mix the dough.
2. Divide dough in half. Place each half on parchment paper or plastic wrap and, using your hands, shape it into a log that is 1.5 inches (4cm) in diameter. Roll up the paper and wrap it like candy. Don’t worry if the shape isn’t perfect. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm (dough can be left in the refrigerator for up to 3 days).
3. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line 2 pans with parchment paper.
4. After chilling, brush the outside of the logs with the beaten egg, and roll in the demerara or granulated sugar.
5. Use a sharp knife to slice the logs into 1/3-inch thick rounds (about 1cm). If the dough is too crumbly and breaks, or if you hit a chocolate chunk, cut gently back and forth, or leave it for a few minutes to soften and squeeze any broken bits back into each cookie. Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets, placing them 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with flakey salt, if desired.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes until just slightly golden brown around the edges. It’s ok if the cookies appear soft and bright. Allow cookies to cool on a wire rack.
7. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week, bringing to room temperature before serving. Cookies can also be frozen for up to 2 months.

Recipe Notes

This recipe is inspired by Alison Roman’s shortbread cookies