Shortbread cookies is one of the favorite cookies that I like to bake quite often because it uses very little ingredients and is very easy to bake. Not to forget the amazing taste and texture. It just uses butter, flour and sugar and optional add-ons. No leavening agent like baking powder and/or baking soda. The cookies get a rich buttery flavor and have a crispy texture. To make chocolate shortbread cookies the only additional ingredient is unsweetened cocoa powder.
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies Recipe |
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Makes |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Mins | 25 Mins | 60 Cookies |
| Author | Category | Method |
| Madhuram | Cookies | Baking |
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup plus little Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (For Dusting)
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, At Room Temperature
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (Optional)
- In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa and salt.
- In a large bowl add the butter and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes until fluffy.
- Add sugar and beat about 2 minutes, until very light in color and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add vanilla if using.
- Add the flour mixture and combine on low speed, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
- Form dough into a flattened disk; wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325F for 15 minutes. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. I greased it lightly with the butter wrapper itself.
- Use a spoon to form the dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. I chilled it for 2 hours and the dough became so hard I was not able to scoop the dough. I had to pinch the dough and roll it in between my palms.
- Bake until firm, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating halfway through (that is, moving the baking sheet in the top row to the bottom row and the vice versa) My cookies were ready around 23 minutes.
- Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving. (I didn't do this)
- These chocolate shortbread cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
If you want to bake vanilla flavored shortbread cookies you can try one the following recipes: Cranberry shortbread cookies or pistachio shortbread cookies.
If you are looking for an easy chocolate shortbread cookie recipe then you are in the right place. This recipe for eggless chocolate shortbread cookies is from a Martha Stewart book. I think it's called "Cookies".
I noted it long time back so don't remember it. These are basic beginner's level cookies. These chocolate shortbread cookies have a crumbly texture with a buttery smell and taste. I wanted to bake a big batch of cookies and a simple recipe. So this chocolate shortbread cookie recipe fits the bill. The yield mentioned in the recipe was 3 dozen but I got 5 dozen chocolate shortbread cookies.
I would say that this the best chocolate shortbread recipe. To make it even better you may also add chopped walnuts to the cookie dough. These chocolate shortbread cookies are perfect for Christmas cookie swap because it makes a huge batch and also a wonderful Valentine's Day treat. What are you waiting for? Now that you have the recipe for chocolate shortbread cookies, get baking already!
I tried these out and turned out great! I did add a tsp of baking powder… My one year old son enjoyed it! 🙂
Thanks Aishwarya.
i tried them it came out to be really well….thanks a lot much appreciated
hey could you please tell me where can i get the egg replacement thing that you use? that would be of great help
thanks 🙂
Thanks VAidehi. Where do you live?
can u convert the butter measurement into grams and cup?
Check this page: https://www.egglesscooking.com/baking-101/baking-measurements/
I think I left them a little too long in the oven…
But they are still tender in the middle…
Excellent with the Ricardo cream cheese frosting over it!
Great combination!
I have made a very similar recipe only with powdered sugar. They were a little to crumbly. Goes using granulated suger make them more firm?
I have used powdered sugar too in this Cranberry Shortbread Cookies and it turned out great. I think the cookies tend to crumble when you use a lot of fat. Did you get the right amount of butter?
just wanted to know that the sugar in the recipe is powder or granulated ?
It’s granulated white sugar
They are the best! I am a school girl in 8th grade and I tried it alone at home these lovely beauties came out just perfect.
Thanks for the feedback, Sagunya. It’s great that you are trying your hands on baking at this age.
Hi, are these cookies suitable to be cut out using cookie cutters (eg. butterfly cookie cutter)? Will cookies hold its shape whilst baking?
I think it should work Michelle. To be sure why don’t you test bake about 5 cookies in different shapes and see if it works or not.
I tried the recipe as written (well, almost…I don’t have a hand mixer so I had to beat everything by hand) and the results were delicious! I had a serious chocolate craving and did not have any eggs or chocolate chips for my regular go-to recipe. My oven may run hot, but I only baked my batch for 14 minutes. Very good!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
You’re welcome Brandi and thanks for rating the recipe.
I tried this recipe and it came out well. All of us enjoyed it. I just wanted to share it with you and thank you for sharing all your recipes.
[…] then don’t let me leave out dessert! I made some vegan chocolate shortbread cookies using this recipe with the following modifications: I made a half batch using one stick of Earth Balance, whole […]
I tweaked this a bit adding coconut extract and shredded coconut to the batter. They were super yummy!
Thanks Heather.
Hi,
I tried the recipe tonight. I didn’t have cocoa powder, but did have some hot chocolate mix and some chocolate chips. I melted the chips in a double boiler (bittersweet 60% cocoa) and mixed the powder in with the flour, and then mixed it all together. They came out light and delicious, a little sugary, I’m tempted to add crushed almonds or macadamia nuts to these. Thanks again!
You’re welcome Alex. Crushed nuts does sound like a wonderful idea! Can you rate the recipe?
These came together quickly and baked up quite yummy. Nice simple cookie that tastes great with a cup of milk or tea. Another winner!
Thanks Tara. I guess you are on a baking spree!
It is Communion/Christening/Graduation season so I am filling my freezer! I am on the poundcake next!
That’s great Tara. When you try the poundcake, try part tofu and part yogurt, like one of the readers had baked.
it worked great
hi
i love u r recipee vweru much…
need to more cake recipee
my cookies melted all over the baking tray….i dont know what the reason can be ðŸ™
Hello Madhuji,
I tried this recipe last week in my impressing my in-laws series 😎 , it came out fabulous!!!!! My MIL has actually packed a dozen to India too. 😛
Not only this, she asked me to bake ur Apple raisin muffins and Dates Cake too. Baked a Batch especially for her.
Thanks a Ton for sharing these recipes!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You have made my day Priya. Thank you so much for trying the recipes and taking the time to record your comments here. The dates cake is a hit with my mil too. She too has asked me to bake it for her when she leaves for India next week. Thanks to Shilpa for such a wonderful recipe.
Thanks for the great recipe! I found out last night at 7:00 that I had been invited to a cookie swap the next day, and I didn’t have any eggs in the house. This was the perfect recipe. The bake time, though, seems way too long. I’m afraid the cookies will come out like rocks after 25 minutes! On the MS Web site a similar recipe calls for a bake time of 12-15 minutes, which is what I’m going to try.
Do let me know after you try it Laura.
Hi, I love ur website and ur recipes. I tried out the banana nut bread and it came out fabulous. I had one question regarding all purpose flour. Some say that all purpose flour and maida are different. But the thing sold in indian stores reads all purpose flour(maida) whereas the one in american grocery stores read just all purpose flour. The cookies baked using that come out hard. I need your advice in this field.
Thanks for trying the recipe Disorichu. As far as I know maida and all purpose flour are one and the same. But that said, I have not baked with maida bought from Indian stores. I usually buy it from American grocery stores and have been baking with that only without any problem. Cookies get hard if it’s baked more than the required time, or sometimes if the flour is mixed too much which makes it very glutenous and thus hard.
I’m totally new this space, what is all-purpose flour? Also, I just have a basic Microwave oven. Will I be able to make some cookies?
Anusha, all purpose flour is nothing but maida. I have not baked in microwave oven, but have seen some recipes. So google and see.
60 cookies? really?
Yes, small size ones. About the size of a quarter.
Hi Madhuram, I was looking for eggless baking recipes since a very long time. I tried your chocolate cake which came out excellent. This is my first bake and I became crazy for baking. I tried your Eggless Shortbread Cookies but these came out hard. The first batch I followed exactly what was told but the second batch I removed 5min early. Still they came out hard but tasted wonderful. I dont know if I was doing something wrong. Please help me if possible.
Ranjita, thanks for trying the recipes. Cookies become hard because of two reasons 1) Adding more flour than required or 2) Overmixing the batter after adding the flour. I think you could have done the 2nd. To soften the cookies, take an air tight container or a ziploc bag. Place the cookies in the bag and also 2 slices of fresh bread and close the bag. Leave it for 24 hours and your cookies should have softened. I have not tried this but have read in a lot of baking sources.
Hi
I just tried this recipe and I only got 30 small cookies. Not nearly close to 60. Also, they’re not very sweet – just cocoa-ey. I actually prefer them that way but I can see that some people might expect more chocolate-y flavour. I’m taking them to work tomorrow for a baby shower potluck lunch so I hope they’re well received! Super easy recipe. Thanks for sharing.
In response to the question above about too many cookies, when I bake cookies I usually take them to work and they don’t last more than an hour. I also like to freeze some for “emergencies” like when I get invited to someone’s house at the last minute.
M
Thanks for trying it M. My cookies were the size of a quarter, so I guess I got lot more cookies. I recently tried the freezing method and it’s such a neat idea.
Bookmarked this recipe. I have been wanting to make cookies too and this recipe sounds simple. The shape is really round and perfect.