Delightful Repast Blog
February 8, 2018
Delightful Repast blog post on how to bake chocolate shortbread cookies
and decorate them with Rycraft cookie stamps.
Chocolate Shortbread
Why Chocolate Shortbread Hearts? Because this month is my 8th blogiversary here at Delightful Repast, and I was thinking how much I ❤ you, my dear readers.
I had no idea when I started out that I would be doing it for so long! Or that I would actually build a community of nice people who enjoy the same things I do.
Like comfort food and tea and wine and the occasional sweet treat like this. I like things less sweet, so I prefer this recipe with 1/3 cup sugar, but you might like it with 1/2 cup.
When I gave Mr Delightful a heart from Batch #1 with 1/2 cup sugar and asked him if he thought it was too sweet, he didn’t. But when I gave him one from Batch #2 with 1/3 cup sugar, he said it was more chocolatey. 👍
(Sorry. Couldn’t resist the thumbs-up emoji. Can you tell I only just learned how to insert “special characters” in a post?)
He’s the chocolate fan in the family (and is currently enjoying some 86% cacao chocolate, which is pretty intense), so I defer to him in all matters chocolate, since I can take it or leave it myself.
I know, I know, that isn’t natural. But hey, I hate shopping, too. I’m just a freak of nature!
If you think this is just a paltry amount of cookies, you can easily double or triple the recipe.
Also, you can shape them lots of different ways. I have a small collection of 2-inch cookie stamps and used the teapot stamp for the cookies below.
Chocolate Shortbread Recipe
(Makes about 16 2.5-inch hearts)
INGREDIENTS:
1 Rycraft cookie stamp #318 – Tea Time
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon very strong coffee (1.5 teaspoons coffee brewed in 1/4 cup hot water)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
1 In small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa and salt.
2 In medium bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract just until smooth.
3 Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix well without beating a lot of air into it.
4 Roll out dough to 1/4-inch (6.35 mm) thickness between 2 squares of parchment paper. Stamp with cookie stamp. Then use a 2″ round cookie cutter to cut out the circles of cookies. Place on baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5 Preheat oven to 325ºF.
6 Bake for 25 to 30* minutes, until quite firm. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
* I’m sure that depends on the size and thickness of the cookies, as well as your oven; so start checking at 20 minutes and don’t walk away. If you make them the same every time, you can settle on a time.
Note: This recipe was edited by Rycraft for clarity.