Valentine's Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with this chocolate on chocolate shortbread cookie. The cookie and glaze are less sweet than you expect and make an excellent grown-up treat to give to your special valentine.
Prep: 15 minutes Chill: 30 minutes Roll out and cut: 45 minutes Bake: 27 to 28 minutes Bake at: 300°F Glaze: 25 minutes Yield: twenty-two 2 1/2-inch cookies Pan: 2 baking sheets Difficulty: easy

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft (see “Tips”)
  • 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup (29 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Parchment paper

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

  • 4 ounces Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate squares
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • Sprinkles for decorating (optional)

Directions

Making the Cookie Dough

  • Slice the butter into 1/4-inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the flour, sugar, and cocoa to the bowl. Rub the ingredients together with your fingers until the dough is mixed to crumb consistency.
  • Form the dough into a ball and press the crumbs into the ball. Place the dough ball on a sheet of parchment paper. Add any remaining crumbs and then gently flatten the dough into a rectangular shape. Fold over the top third of the dough and firmly press. Fold over the bottom third and press again. Repeat.
  • Divide the dough ball into 2 pieces and flatten each piece into a disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Cutting Out the Cookies

  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove 1 dough disk from the refrigerator and let it warm until malleable, about 15 minutes. Unwrap the disk and place it on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness; expect the dough to be crumbly (see “Tips”).
  • Cut out your shapes and place on the baking sheet with 1 inch between cookies. Gather the scraps, form into a disk, and roll out again. Cut out shapes and add them to the baking sheet. Continue the process until the baking sheet is filled.
  • Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill the cookies for 1 hour. Repeat the process with the second dough disk.

Baking the Cookies

  • Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  • Remove the first pan of cookies from the refrigerator and place it immediately into the oven. Bake the cookies for 27 to 29 minutes until the cookies are just firm on the edges, but still slightly soft in the center. Remove the first pan of cookies from the oven and then bake the second batch.
  • Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Using a small spatula, remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Making the Chocolate Ganache Glaze

  • In a medium bowl with a wide base, melt the chocolate in a microwave oven at 50% power for 2 to 3 minutes. Check for melting and stir every 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  • In a small saucepan, boil the water and sugar together until the syrup is clear and the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir a few times to help the sugar dissolve.
  • When both are cooled to lukewarm, add the sugar syrup to the chocolate and stir until smooth.
  • Place a sheet of wax paper under your wire rack to catch drips. Hold a cookie and dip the top (not the sides) in the ganache. Let the glaze drip off slightly when you lift the cookie and then flip the cookie right side up. Place the glazed cookie on a wire rack. Repeat the process with all the cookies.
  • Decorate the cookies with sprinkles, if desired. If you want the glaze to harden quickly, refrigerate the decorated cookies uncovered for an hour.
  • After the glaze has hardened, store the cookies in an airtight tin for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

Tips

  • The butter for the cookie dough needs to be “squishy” soft without any signs of melting.
  • The cookie dough rolls out best on a silicone mat.
print recipe