Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies feature dough infused with espresso and bittersweet chocolate, perfect for a tea party or cocktail hour.
If you like chocolate you'll also want to try Double Chunk Chocolate Shortbread cookies.
Cookie Spotlight
You'll infuse a shortbread dough with a shot of espresso and four ounces of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate.
I used a four-ounce Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate bar which I found in the baking aisle.
This recipe is inspired from Dorie Greenspan's recipe for Espresso Chocolate Sables in her Dorie's Cookies cookbook.
Overall, I'm thrilled with these cookies.
I fell in love with espresso shortbread at a kitchen supply store that also slings espresso drinks. The espresso shortbread however, is only available at the shop for a couple weeks a year.
The shop rolls the shortbread into hearts then dips half in dark chocolate. They are so good. I had planned to dip these cookies too but decided that would be gilding the lily.
These cookies are perfect to eat during a morning coffee break or to serve at a garden party.
This recipe has just seven ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes, which includes rolling time, to make and put in the fridge to chill. Remember that shortbread doesn't use eggs.
Cookie Baking Advice
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Recipe Tips
Finely chopping the chocolate is key. You'll see from the photos that some of the cookies have visible chunks of chocolate. Delicious? Yes. But the chunks made it difficult to roll out the dough. Next time, I'll be sure to really chop the chocolate finely or I'll throw the chocolate in the food processor.
Ingredients
1 shot of espresso, room temperature OR 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder mixed with one tablespoon boiling water
2 sticks room temperature unsalted butter
⅔ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon kosher salts
2 cups all purpose flour
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Equipment:
- 1 gallon-size Ziploc bag
- a rolling pin
- cookie sheet
- parchment paper
- ruler
- small (1-inch) cookie cutter
- knife
- While the espresso is cooling down, beat butter and powdered sugar in bowl. on medium speed for roughly three minutes or until mixture is smooth
- Beat in vanilla, espresso and salt
- Add flour, beat on low until just combined. Don't overmix, this will make the cookie tough.
- Stir in the chopped chocolate.
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Recipe
Espresso Chocolate Shortbread
Espresso Chocolate Shortbread has a full shot of espresso in the dough, which is streaked with chopped bitter sweet chocolate.
Ingredients
- 1 shot of espresso, room temperature OR 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder mixed with one tablespoon boiling water
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Instructions
Prep:
Chop four ounces of bittersweet chocolate, either a bar or disks, with a sharp knife on a cutting board lined with wax paper.
You’ll be able to just lift either end of the wax paper to add the chocolate to the dough, getting every last speck of chocolate.
Make the dough:
Beat butter and powdered sugar in mixing bowl with an electric mixer. on medium speed for roughly three minutes or until mixture is smooth
Mix in vanilla, espresso and salt.
Add flour, and mix on low speed until just combined and no white streaks remain. Don't overmix, this will make the cookie tough.
Stir in the chopped chocolate.
Split the dough in two chunks.
Roll out each chunk on a parchment lined countertop and roll, using a rolling pin, into a square.
Put the dough into a gallon size freezer bag and chill for at least two hours or overnight. Repeat with second chunk of dough.
Bake the dough:
Preheat oven to 325 F
Remove dough from fridge and let rest for ten minutes.
Put dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll a ¼ in thick.
Using a bench scraper or a small cookie cutter, cut dough into 1.5 squares of another shape.
Prick each cookie with a fork.
Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.
Let cool on a wire rack.
Store at room temperature for up to two weeks or freeze, in a freezer safe container, for up to three months.
Shortbread keeps well and travels well, making it a great gift if you need to mail cookies to a loved one.
Recipe notes:
Notes
Be sure to chop chocolate finely, There should be lots of thin shards.
If you leave chunks of chocolate, it will be hard to roll out the dough.
Recommended chocolate:
Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 148Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 20mgSodium 40mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 2g
My batch made about 30 cookies but I think I could have rolled the dough a bit thinner and ended up with a bigger yield.
What are your thoughts about shortbread? To be perfectly honest, I didn't love it until I discovered the espresso/chocolate combination. Have you tried these cookies? If you make them, send me a photo.
Amy
I adore shortbread! It was my dad's favorite cookie, and I have a soft spot for it - but also every time I eat it am smitten with the simplicity and rich taste. I'd be smitten ten times more with these, for sure!!! They look delicious.
Jennifer
Hi Amy,
I think you've nailed it, the allure of shortbread is the simplicity. I love it when recipes are both simple and delicious.
Let me know if you try the recipe!
Thanks for visiting,
Jennifer