For some people dark chocolate is an acquired taste for me it is perfection. In many of my recipes I replace at least a portion of the cocoa with black cocoa. Black cocoa has that distinctive dark chocolate flavor and when used in moderation it takes chocolate recipes to the next level. This recipe contains both regular and black cocoa. I get my black cocoa at a bulk food store that has lots of baking supplies, but it is available on Amazon as well.
I love a good shortbread dipped in chocolate, but this recipe takes shortbread to a whole new place. The texture is just a little chewier than a typical shortbread but still firm. The addition of black cocoa makes them so dark and delicious. Plus giving them a sprinkle of sea salt brings out that deep chocolate flavor.
Start by beating the butter, sugars and vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients and beat until combined. The addition of mini chocolate chips is optional, and I typically do half the dough with chocolate chips and half without the chocolate chips. I would recommend using mini chocolate chips. Roll into balls and then use the bottom of a cup to flatten the cookies to your desired thickness. I go back and tidy up any edges that have cracked when they were flattened. Sprinkle a few more chocolate chips if you like the look of chocolate chips on top of your cookies. Typically, I sprinkle sea salt after baking cookies, but you can sprinkle before baking and give them a little press into the dough.
Figuring out if they are done can be tricky because it hard to see if they are “golden” around the edges because of their dark color. I bake them for 12-14 minutes and use a spatula to lift the edge of a cookie to assess if they are done. If you bake them a little longer, they will just be a little firmer.
Recipe
Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon black cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
- ¾ cup butter
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat the butter, sugar, dark brown sugar and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat until combined.
- Roll into balls and place on prepared cookie sheet. Use the bottom of a cup to flatten out the dough balls. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and sea salt.
- Bake for 12 – 14 minutes, until the tops start to crack. Move onto a cooling rack.
