Saturday, December 24, 2011

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

As I mentioned earlier, I found myself with a bag of fine-grind espresso this year and was looking for some recipes to use it. I found this one online, but now I can't find the link to it. The shortbread melts nicely in your mouth and the chocolate/espresso combination brings a great flavor to the shortbread.
Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
1 tbsp fine-grind espresso
1 tbsp boiling water
1 c butter, at room temperature
2/3 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
3/4 c mini chocolate chips
Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water and set aside. Cream the butter and the powdered sugar together, until very smooth. Add the vanilla and espresso. Using a low speed, add the flour, mixing only until it is incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Using a spatula, transfer the soft, sticky dough to a gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2" rectangle, 1/4" thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. Seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.

When ready to bake, put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets.

Bake at 350 for 18 to 20 minutes. The cookies will be pale. If you’d like, dust the cookies with powdered sugar while they are still hot. Allow to cool on cooling racks.
Disclaimer

2 comments:

Zoe said...

This is my first visiting your blog. I would think you have been blogging for a while with this long list of Christmas baking but then realise that you started blogging in Dec 2011.

Welcome to blogging! I hope to see more of your baking or cooking in the future :D

A Busy Mom of Two said...

@Zoe - Actually, I have a main blog that I have been doing for over three years, but decided recently to dedicate a space to just recipes.

thank you for stopping by.