Chocolate Shortbread Cookies Martha Stewart Food

CHOCOLATE-CHUNK SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Sift together flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add sugar gradually, beating between additions; continue to beat until mixture is very pale, about 2 minutes total. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture; beat until just combined.
• After beating in the flour, beat in 4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (3/4 cup). Press dough evenly into a parchment-lined 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Cut dough in eighths lengthwise, then quarters crosswise, making 32 rectangles. Evenly pierce all over with a skewer.
• Bake until shortbread is firm in center and golden brown, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack; immediately recut rectangles with a paring knife. Let shortbread cool completely in pan.
• Melt 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate. Dip bars into chocolate, place on parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 10 minutes.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• Coat a 9 1/2-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides, and coat parchment with spray.
• Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Press dough evenly into pan. Cover, and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake shortbread until golden brown and firm in center, 45 to 50 minutes. Let shortbread cool in pan on a wire rack.
• Place a basket-weave mat, trimmed to fit pan, on a rimmed baking sheet, and spread melted chocolate evenly on mat. Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.
• Use parchment to unmold shortbread from pan, and trim edges to create a square. Spread peanut butter evenly on shortbread. Carefully center chocolate, mat side up, on top of peanut butter, and gently peel off mat. Cut shortbread into 1 1/2-inch squares. Shortbread will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.

BROWN-SUGAR CHOCOLATE-CHUNK SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Beat together butter, sugars, and salt on medium speed until creamy and combined, 2 minutes. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add flour, and beat to combine. Beat in chocolate. Divide dough into two pieces, each about 1 pound. Roll into logs (each about 8 1/2 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter).
• Wrap logs in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Dough can be made to this point, well wrapped, and frozen for up to 1 month. (It can also be sliced and re-formed into logs before freezing; see cook's note.)
• Remove from refrigerator or freezer (if frozen, let stand 10 minutes to soften). Brush with egg white and roll in sanding sugar to coat. Use a serrated knife and a back-and-forth motion to cut logs into 1/2-inch-thick slices (if any crack around larger chunks of chocolate, just press back together).
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Place cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake until golden on edges, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool on pans on wire racks 10 minutes, then transfer to racks and let cool completely, about 45 minutes. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days, or freeze up to 1 month.

CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. With an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add flour, sugar, and cocoa; mix just until combined. (Chill dough in the refrigerator 10 minutes if it is too soft to handle.)
• Pat dough into an 8-inch round cake pan; press edges down with the tines of a floured fork. Bake until firm, 30 minutes. Immediately score into eight wedges; cool completely. Turn out of pan; break wedges apart. Decorate with icing.

MARTHA STEWART DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325* --
• whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl -- set aside.
• Melt coarsely chopped milk chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water.
• transfer chocolate mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment --
• add sugar, eggs and vanilla -- mix on medium speed until combined --
• reduce speed to low, gradually mix in flour mixture --
• fold in chocolate chunks.
• scoop batter using a 1 1/2" ice cream scoop, place 2" apart on parchment lined baking sheets.
• bake until cookies are flat and surfaces begin to crack.about 15 minutes.
• transfer parchment paper to wire racks.
• let cool 5 minutes.
• cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

MARTHA STEWART'S CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
• In another bowl, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes) scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add the vanilla, whole egg, and egg white, beating on low speed until well combined (about 1 minute).
• Add flour mixture in two batches; mix until just combined.
• Mix in chocolate.
• Shape 2 heaping tablespoons of dough at a time into balls and place about 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are golden brown, about 18 minutes.
• Transfer parchment and cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED SHORTBREAD HEARTS

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until combined. On slow speed, beat in flour and salt until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill until firm, at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/16-to-1/8 inch thick. Cut out hearts with a 2-inch heart cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet; chill for 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 300 degrees with a rack in the center. Press the tines of a fork into each cookie to make designs. Bake until just beginning to brown around the edges, about 18 minutes. (Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days.)
• In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Stir in the oil. Dip half or one third of each cookie into the chocolate mixture. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to dry, or place them on a piece of parchment paper in the freezer for 10 minutes. Serve.