Chocolate-Chunk Shortbread

By LisaMK

This recipe is from Food and Wine, December 2012. Great cookies to enjoy with coffee or after dinner. Wonderful shortbread cookies to give to friends, neighbors for the holidays.

Ingredients

• Dipping:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp coarse salt (sea salt works beautifully)
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 4 oz bittersweet chopped chocolate (3/4 cup)
• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate melted

Preparation

Step 1

Cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Sift together flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter with mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add sugar gradually, beating between additions, continue to beat until mixture is very pale, about 2 mins. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture until just combined.
2. Beat in 4 ozs chocolate. Press dough evenly into a parchment-lined 9 by 13 inch rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
Cut dough in 8ths lengthwise, then quarters crosswise, making 32 rectangles. Evenly pierce all over with a skewer.
3. Bake until shortbread is firm in center and golden brown, 50 mins to 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack; immediately recut rectangles wit a paring knife. Let shortbread cool completely in pan.
4. Melt 5 oz chocolate. Dip bars into chocolate and place on parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate until set. Approx. 30 minutes.