Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

by Dorothy Reinhold on August 3, 2021


Print This Post Print This Post Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookies have a secret -- olive oil + butter! -- and a super-satisfying crunch from coarse sugar on top. This is the grown-up cookie you want.

Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookies have a secret — olive oil + butter! — and a super-satisfying crunch from coarse sugar on top. This is the grown-up cookie you want.

I’m on a bit of a shortbread kick….well, probably for my whole life, but who is counting? It’s just such an easy cookie to make, with a big flavor payoff. Flour, sugar, butter….that’s basically it. I often add an extract or some other flavoring, because I like to tweak recipes like that, but it’s basically a simple recipe.

This Rich Chocolate Shortbread version is enriched with high-quality cocoa, and has a mixture of butter and light-flavored olive oil, for the best of both worlds. I’m a big fan of baking with olive oil. I keep two kinds in the pantry — an extra-light flavored version to bake with, and a full-bodied version for the skillet.

Fingers hold a piece of Chocolate Shortbread with more cookies out of focus on the white plate on ShockinglyDelicious.com

How to make Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

It’s easy! Flour, sugar, some kind of fat…shortbread is a breeze.

Ingredients for Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookies on a white marble counter on ShockinglyDelicious.com

Assemble your ingredients, as with any recipe. This is a good practice to get into. For this recipe, we are using

  • Powdered sugar
  • Butter
  • Olive oil
  • Vanilla extract
  • Flour
  • Dark cocoa powder
  • Salt
  • Coarse sugar crystals for garnish

Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookie dough held by a hand above a white marble counter top on ShockinglyDelicious.com

Mix up the dough. I do it with an electric mixer (I’m lazy that way), but you could do it by hand of course.A fork pokes the Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookie dough on ShockinglyDelicious.com

Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then pat or roll out and poke with a fork.A hand sprinkles Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookie dough with coarse sugar on ShockinglyDelicious.com

Sprinkle with coarse sugar crystals.Coarse sugar coats top of Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookie dough on ShockinglyDelicious.com

Don’t be afraid to lay it on!Chocolate Shortbread Cookies baked and out of oven on ShockinglyDelicious.com

Here it is baked and out of the oven.Cut Chocolate Shortbread Cookies are shown on a textured silicone baking sheet on ShockinglyDelicious.comCut while warm. I used the edge of a spatula to cut them so I don’t slice my silicone baking mat with a knife.

Let’s make Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookies!

Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: 24 cookies

Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookies have a secret -- olive oil + butter! -- and a super-satisfying crunch from coarse sugar on top. This is the grown-up cookie you want.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup extra light-flavor olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4. 5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened premium dark cocoa (I used Divine Chocolate Cocoa)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Garnish: Coarse sugar crystals for sprinkling on top

Directions

  1. Turn oven to 325F degrees. Place a silicone mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet and set aside.
  2. Place sugar, butter, olive oil and vanilla in a bowl, and mix well. I use an electric mixer to do this, but you may do it by hand.
  3. Stir in flour, cocoa and salt.
  4. Remove from bowl, pat into a square, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  5. Remove from refrigerator and place dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Press dough into an 8 x 5-inch rectangle, about 3/4-inch thick. Poke top surface with a fork. Sprinkle top liberally with coarse sugar. Bake for 30 minutes. Dough will be set.
  6. Remove from oven, allow the pan to cool for about 10 minutes, and then cut with a spatula into 24 pieces. Allow to cool completely.
  7. Makes 24 cookies.

Notes

Recipe source: Lightly adapted from Cooking Light, Nov. 2008

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/rich-chocolate-shortbread-cookies/

pin this please!Pin the image below for Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookies to your Pinterest board to save it. 

A stack of Rich Chocolate Shortbread Cookies on a white plate on ShockinglyDelicious.com

Looking for more shortbread? Try this Lemon Shortbread

Lemon Shortbread with Sprinkles stacked on a white plate on ShockinglyDelicious.comLemon Shortbread with Sprinkles

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This recipe was originally published Oct. 13, 2019 and has been refreshed and republished today.


{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }

kohar January 6, 2022 at 2:34 am

these look so delicious and yummy. I must try these, so easy to make at home. thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.

Reply

Tiffany La Forge-Grau February 12, 2020 at 6:38 pm

I want to try a piece of this! I have not seen it made like this before; so nice and well made!

Reply

Jacque Hastert February 12, 2020 at 8:57 am

These would be dangerous around me! I would eat the whole batch in one sitting.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold February 12, 2020 at 4:34 pm

Jacque,
Yes, and if you try to hide them from yourself in the freezer, you discover that they are every bit as good eaten while frozen!

Reply

Jen February 12, 2020 at 8:49 am

This is such a nice treat! I would love to give it a try!

Reply

katerina @ diethood.com February 12, 2020 at 2:51 am

My kids would LOVE these! I can’t wait to try this recipe! 🙂

Reply

Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert February 11, 2020 at 5:44 pm

This Chocolate Shortbread is seriously making me hungry!

Reply

Amanda February 11, 2020 at 4:17 pm

I cant wait to make these with the kids this weekend!

Reply

Carrie Robinson February 11, 2020 at 3:31 pm

Just when I think homemade shortbread couldn’t get any better, you go and add chocolate to it! 😉

Reply

Toni | Boulder Locavore October 17, 2019 at 11:06 pm

These would be so hard to resist!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold October 18, 2019 at 10:08 am

Toni,
They are, I can attest.

Reply

Farrah October 17, 2019 at 9:50 am

I haven’t made shortbread cookies in ages, but I love that they don’t take a billion ingredients to make! :] These look super tasty!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold October 17, 2019 at 10:13 am

Farrah,
I totally agree. You pretty much always have the ingredients for shortbread, in the pantry.

Reply

Alisa Infanti October 17, 2019 at 8:39 am

I have never heard of chocolate shortbread before… I am actually giddy with excitement to try this!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold October 17, 2019 at 9:43 am

Alisa,
Bonus: they are so easy, too!

Reply

Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert October 17, 2019 at 1:52 am

These chocolatey cookies look so fun and tasty!

Reply

susan | the wimpy vegetarian October 16, 2019 at 11:04 am

These look sooooooo good! I love that you used olive oil too – that’s one of the things I add sometimes when baking since it’s so dry up here at Tahoe!

Reply

Melanie | Melanie Makes October 15, 2019 at 7:17 pm

Love how sparkly these chocolatey cookies are!

Reply

Jade October 15, 2019 at 12:18 pm

My kids will demolish these bad boys!

Reply

Taylor October 15, 2019 at 10:09 am

Love those coarse sugar crystals on top! So delicious!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold October 16, 2019 at 4:20 am

Taylor,
It’s a little extra crunch and make a big difference!

Reply

Allison October 14, 2019 at 5:13 pm

Looks like a delicious recipe that will be quick and easy around the holidays when I want to make a lot of different kinds of cookies.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold October 15, 2019 at 12:13 am

Allison,
Exactly right!

Reply

annie October 14, 2019 at 4:25 pm

I’ve never tried to make my own shortbread, it looks so easy!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold October 15, 2019 at 12:13 am

Annie,
One of the easiest cookies to make!

Reply

Demeter October 14, 2019 at 3:47 pm

Choctoberfest, lol, I love it!! Plan on celebrating all month long starting with these cookies. Yum!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold October 14, 2019 at 4:04 pm

Demeter,
Best. Made-up. Week. Ever!

Reply

Wendy Klik October 14, 2019 at 2:08 pm

Shortbread is my favorite Dorothy. It feels like I haven’t seen you in a while. Hope all is well.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold October 14, 2019 at 3:40 pm

Wendy!
I adore shortbread. So simple, so good.

Reply

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