Chew on This | Half-a-Heart Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies alone are just lovely. Shape them into hearts and add some dark chocolate...well, now you’re just showing off!

Making Shortbread cookie dough is a snippity snap.

You’ll need:

Butter, sugar, vanilla, flour and a pinch of salt

Lots of butter - some sugar. Happiness is closing in.

Cream butter and sugar together.



Sift in flour and salt.

Mix until dough starts to form.

Dump dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a flat round disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. I actually made two small disks and refrigerated one and froze the other. This helps when: You have a serious craving and no one is home and you bake yourself a tray of cookies and eat them by yourself and do not feel guilty ‘cause no one saw you do it...or when company is coming.

When you are ready to bake - take out your dough, place on a floured surface and roll it out to about a 1/4 inch thickness.

Cut out some hearts.

I dab a touch of milk on the dough and sprinkle with coarse sugar. I don’t know why I do this really. I just do. Try it. You’ll like it. Swear.

And......bake!

Take the cookies out and let them cool. While you are patiently waiting, get your chocolate “dipping” sauce ready. I used about 8 ounces of dark chocolate and some heavy cream.

Oh yea. Goodness. Don’t lick the spoon. It wouldn’t be sanitary. Though, you could lick this spoon and get another, clean spoon, to continue stirring. I wouldn’t know about such things.

Half-a-Heart Chocolate Shortbread Cookies 


The Boy. He really, really loved them.

Really.

Cares

Here's the recipe:

Half-a-Heart Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

3 sticks butter (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

1 pinch salt

Milk

Coarse sugar

8 ounces dark chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream 

Cream together butter and sugar until combined. Add vanilla. Slowly sift in flour and salt.  Don’t over mix. Stop mixing when a crumbly dough forms.  Turn dough out onto a floured surface and form into two 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick disks.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or more.

When ready, preheat your oven to 350℉ and prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick cooking spray.  Roll out cookie dough on a floured surface to about a 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut out hearts and place on the cookie sheet.  Lightly coat the cookies with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Allow cookies to cool.  While waiting, prepare your “dipping” chocolate in a double broiler or in the microwave.  Chocolate should be a pourable consistency, but not runny.

Dip half of your shortbread heart in the chocolate and place back on the cookie sheet to set.  

Now, gobble them up before somebody else does!