These are the cookies you should make for your Valentine’s Day dessert. And then these are probably one of the only chocolate chip cookies recipes you ever need to make again. I’ve been itching for a reason to make these cookies. They’ve been ALL over Instagram. Everyone is making Alison Roman’s Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies. One of our friends brought these cookies to our house for our annual Christmas party and I ate so many. I’ve been wanting to make them myself since then.
Chocolate chip cookies are my absolute favorite. I don’t make them very often because I will eat the entire batch of cookies in one day. I have a few small batch recipes I bust out from time to time but for the most part, I reserve my cookie making for times when I can share, like family gatherings, barbecues, camping, and rafting trips. And, of course, holidays.
I made this particular batch of chocolate chunk shortbread cookies to take over to my in-laws for dessert this past weekend. And they were a big hit! Everyone loved them! And now I’m going to have to make them again for Kris and my Valentine’s… Kris and I take turns making each other dinner for Valentine’s Day instead of going out to eat. But we cannot remember who made Valentine’s dinner last year! Like seriously, we’re both drawing blanks. And then as I started writing this I thought that I should look back through my Bound by Food Instagram posts, and I found last year’s Valentine’s dinner, which I made-ribs with potatoes, asparagus, and a skillet raspberry chocolate chip cookie. Guess it’s Kris’s turn to make me dinner this year!
If you haven’t decided on your Valentine’s Day plans yet, I highly recommend making dinner at home and having these cookies for dessert. Chocolate chunk shortbread cookies are on a level all their own. The original recipe calls for demerara sugar, I used raw sugar and that worked fine. And I used regular sea salt. as I didn’t have any flaky sea salt. And lastly, make sure you chop your chocolate into pretty big chunks so you get those delicious bites with lots of chocolate, buttery shortbread, and a touch of salt. Enjoy!
The best chocolate chip cookies you will ever make. Rich, buttery shortbread with chunks of chocolate, rolled in raw sugar and sprinkled with sea salt. Original recipe can be found at: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/salted-butter-and-chocolate-chunk-shortbread
- 2 1/4 sticks Salted Butter, cold (1 cup + 2 tbsp), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup Granulate sugar
- 1/4 cup Light Brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
- 6 ounces Semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped into chunks
- 1 egg, beaten to blend
- Raw sugar (Demerara or turbinado) for rolling
- Flaky sea salt
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Using an electric mixer and a medium bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until super light and fluffy, 3–5 minutes.
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Using a spatula, scrape down sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour, followed by chocolate chunks, and beat just to blend.
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Divide dough in half, then place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold plastic over to cover dough and protect your hands from getting all sticky. Using your hands (just like you’re playing with clay), form dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help you smooth it out, but don’t worry about getting it totally perfect. Each half should form logs that are 2–2¼" in diameter. Chill until firm, about 2 hours.
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Preheat oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet (two, if you’ve got 'em) with parchment paper. Brush outside of logs with egg wash. Roll logs in demerara sugar (this is for those really delicious crispy edges).
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Slice each log into ½"-thick rounds. Arrange on prepared baking sheet about 1" apart (they won’t spread much). Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake cookies until edges are just beginning to brown, 12–15 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.
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Do Ahead: Cookie dough can be made 1 week ahead. Tightly wrap in plastic and chill, or freeze up to 1 month. Cookies can be baked 5 days ahead. Store in plastic wrap or an airtight container.
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Original Recipe can be found at: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/salted-butter-and-chocolate-chunk-shortbread
You have to use the egg wash or just roll in sugar then cut in slices without it
Hi Rhonda,
You could probably go without the egg wash. The sugar will still stick to the dough, just not as well, maybe press the sugar into the dough with your hands to help it stick.
Call me crazy, but I’m not completely on board with these. When I first saw them I thought they sounded amazing. The hype that surrounds the recipe assures their success, or so I thought. I love shortbread and I love chocolate, but the two together just seemed wrong.
The instructions to start with cold chunks of butter yet beat them with the sugar until “super light and fluffy” was a conundrum to me. I did it though, or attempted to do it. The chilled logs were difficult to cut. It was easier after they warmed a bit but then the cookies spread more and the turbinado carmelized. Perhaps the next time I make these (that is, if my family requests them again) I will have some foreknowledge and they will be less daunting.
I welcome any suggestions to improve the execution, but changing my palate just ain’t gonna happen. 😏
Hi Jan, did you cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces? Maybe try even smaller pieces to make it easier to mix. I also used a very sharp knife to cut the logs into the cookie rounds. You could also try making smaller diameter logs, maybe 1-inch to 1.5-inch and that might be easier to slice. You’d end up with cute mini cookies. Let me know if you try the recipe again!