These classic, buttery shortbread cookies are dipped in dark chocolate and are the ultimate treat. One bite and these cookies melt in your mouth! They are incredibly simple to make and taste absolutely amazing.
Old-fashioned shortbread cookies are rich, crumbly, buttery, and made with only three ingredients—flour, butter, and sugar. Other flavors can be added such as cinnamon, chocolate, or coffee, but today we’re going for the classic shortbread cookies and flavoring them with vanilla extract.
How to make shortbread cookies
Because shortbread dough is very soft and delicate, the dough needs to be chilled before rolling it out and cutting out cookies.
- After you’ve made your dough, place it in the fridge in a disc shape wrapped in plastic wrap for at least one hour. You want the dough to be very cold.
- Once chilled, remove the dough from the fridge. Dust a flat surface with flour and roll out your cookie dough to about ¼-inch thick with a rolling pin. Use a cookie cutter to cut-out cookies, and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Before you bake the cookies, place them in the freezer or fridge on the sheet pan for at least 15 minutes to firm up again. This helps them hold their shape better while baking.
- Bake. Bake the cookies just until the edges turn slightly golden, about 8-12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before dipping them in chocolate.
*Tip: I like to take a quarter of cookie dough at a time out of the fridge to roll out. That way, the rest of the dough will stay cold while you cut out the first batch of cookies.
Dipping shortbread cookies in chocolate
Shortbread cookies are great on their own, but for me, everything gets better with a little bit of chocolate!
- Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and melt in 30 second increments, stirring between each. You can also melt your chocolate over a double boiler.
- Dip half or a quarter of each cookie in chocolate and place it back on a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle with a touch of sea salt, if you wish.
- Put the sheet pan in the fridge for a few minutes to set the chocolate.
Tips for perfect chocolate dipped shortbread cookies
- Since there are only a few ingredients, I recommend using high quality butter, chocolate, and pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- I prefer using powdered sugar in these cookies for a super, melt-in-your mouth texture.
- Instead of using a cookie cutter, you can roll the dough into a rectangle and cut it into 2-inch squares with a knife.
- Take a quarter of cookie dough at a time out of the fridge to roll out. That way, the rest of the dough will stay cold while you cut out the first batch of cookies.
- If your cookie dough gets too soft while rolling it out, you can just put it in the fridge for a few minutes to chill up.
- If your cookies spread out while baking or don’t look perfect, don’t worry! They’ll still taste delicious.
- Wait until your cookies are completely cooled to dip them in chocolate.
More of my favorite cookie recipes
- Coffee Nut Shortbread Cookies: Toasty nuts and ground coffee adds amazing flavor and texture to these shortbread cookies.
- Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies: Buttery shortbread cookies loaded with chocolate chips.
- Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies: The best chocolate chip cookies ever! Super moist, chewy, and rich.
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake: This chocolate chip cookie cake is made with brown butter for a delectable nutty, caramel flavor.
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies: Chewy and thick bakery style peanut butter cookies loaded with peanut chips.
Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies
These rich and buttery shortbread cookies are dipped in dark chocolate for the ultimate treat!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup (130g) granulated sugar (or 1 cup/120g powdered sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup 170g dark chocolate, for dippng
- sea salt, for sprinkling on chocolate (optional)
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt. Set aside.
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In a mixer bowl place butter and sugar. With the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat on medium-low speed for 2-3 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, beating just until dough starts to come together. Do not overmix or the cookies will be tough.
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Form dough into a ball, then flatten slightly to form a disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, until firm enough to roll. If you don’t want to use the dough right away, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to a month, then thaw overnight in the fridge.
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Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy rolling. On a lightly floured surface (or between 2 pieces of parchment paper), roll the dough to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch squares/rounds using a cookie cutter and place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. If at any point the dough becomes too warm, place it back into the fridge for a few minutes. Reroll the remaining scraps and repeat. Place sheets of cookies in the freezer or fridge for at least 15 minutes, until firm, so that they will be less prone to spreading.
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Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes, or until cookies appear golden brown at the edges. Baking time will vary and may take longer depending on the size of your cookies. Allow cookies to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Place half of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, then place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Add remaining chocolate and remove bowl from heat. Stir occasionally until smooth and glossy. Dip ½ of each cookie in the chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt, if desired. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place cookies in the refrigerator for a few minutes until chocolate hardens.
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Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
