Salted Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk Shortbread

An update on the classic shortbread cookie to include hazelnut flour, large chunks of chocolate, and plenty of salt to balance out the sweetness.

If you’re a user of social media or look at food and cooking websites with any sort of regularity, then there’s no doubt that you’ve encountered “The Cookies,” a.k.a. Alison Roman’s salted butter chocolate chunk shortbread cookies from her book Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes. One of the key features with these sweet treats is that they call for salted butter, whereas 99.9% of all other recipes always specify unsalted.

Well one day a couple of weeks ago I decided it was my turn to finally give them a try, albeit with a few modifications, of course. The first being the addition of hazelnut flour to add a nice nuttiness to all of the other flavors going on in this cookie. I also use less butter than the original recipe. This is because I went for the good dairy, which comes in eight-ounce packages, so I cut down on the original 10 ounces instead of asking you to buy extra. (Cutting down on the amount of butter was also necessary because of what I did with the flours, so it was a win-win in my recipe book.)

Lastly, because I’m lazy, I skipped the final step of rolling the chilled dough in an egg wash and then coarse sugar before baking. Certainly don’t let me stop you if that’s the route you want to take, but I wanted to simplify things just a little bit to get you to cookie nirvana faster.

Just don’t forget to check your flakey salt supply (I was almost out), and make sure you have a glass of milk at the ready for maximum cookie enjoyment.

Salted Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk Shortbread

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• Author: Aaron Hutcherson
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: Makes 24 1x
• Diet: Omnivore

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Description

Buttery shortbread studded with hazelnuts and bittersweet chocolate. A perfect treat for any occasion.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 227 g (8 oz) salted butter
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (237 ml) hazelnut flour
• 170 g (6 oz) bittersweet chocolate
• flakey sea salt

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Instructions

1. Beat butter, both sugars, and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (3–5 minutes for a stand mixer; 6–8 minutes for a hand mixer).
2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and, with the mixer on low, slowly add both flours and chocolate chunks; mix until just blended. Knead dough by hand if needed to fully incorporate flour.
3. Divide dough in half, place each half on plastic wrap, and form into 6-inch long, 2-inch diameter logs.
4. Chill logs until firm, about 2 hours.
5. Heat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Slice each log into ½-inch thick rounds using a serrated knife. Press together any broken cookies.
7. Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets and sprinkle with flaky salt.
8. Bake until bottoms are golden, about 15 minutes.
9. Let cool slightly before eating.

Notes

• For richer flavor, toast the hazelnuts before incorporating them into the hazelnut flour.
• If you don’t have hazelnut flour, you can substitute an equal amount of almond flour or a blend of almond and all-purpose flour.
• Store the baked shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 200
• Sugar: 15
• Sodium: 80
• Fat: 12
• Saturated Fat: 7
• Unsaturated Fat: 4
• Carbohydrates: 20
• Fiber: 1
• Protein: 2
• Cholesterol: 20

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