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Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies are soft and moist, with a dough you can prep in just 15 minutes! Refrigerate, slice, and bake for the perfect twist on classic shortbread!
Imagine the best shortbread cookie that you’ve ever had. Now stuff it full of chocolate chips and brown sugar, and you have this cookie. It is tender with a perfectly crumbly crumb that isn’t dry. Just like my Almond Crescent Cookies, these are so wonderfully buttery and soft that they melt in your mouth.
These cookies created a fanatic following at the last restaurant where I worked. There was talk about pairing them with Double Chocolate Caramel Ice Cream for the best ice cream sandwiches in the world (direct quote). It was a lot like the first time I brought in a chocolate pecan pie, people were spellbound.
These would also make fantastic gifts! Or making a bangin’ cookie platter with these, some Butterscotch Chews, Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Cookies, and Cardamom Walnut Snowballs.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this shortbread cookie recipe:
- Perfect make-ahead dough. Just make the dough, roll it into logs, wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. These easy cookies will keep for weeks in the refrigerator or frozen for months! Simply slice and bake when you’re ready. The baked cookies also store nicely and the flavor improves over time!
- Soft, tender shortbread with chocolate in every bite. These flavorful shortbread cookies are soft and tender rather than dry and crumbly, and they pack a chocolatey punch!
- Developed by an NYC dessert professional. While the Executive Pastry Chef in a NYC restaurant, I fine-tuned this recipe. I even adjusted the sugar ratio to have the absolute best taste and texture.
Professional Tips:
- Avoid streaks of butter in your dough. While cutting your ingredients together, it’s important to scrape the sides of the bowl. You want to make sure your butter is being evenly incorporated.
- Slice with a serrated knife. There might be some larger chocolate chunks in there, which can be a challenge to slice, but a serrated knife makes it a breeze!
- The dough is easiest to slice when it is cold, not frozen. Try working in batches to keep the dough cold. If the dough gets too warm while slicing, refrigerate 10-20 minutes or until firm again before baking.
Ingredients
- Butter: Choose unsalted butter so that you control the amount of salt in your cookies. There is a lot of butter in this dough, so choose one that is higher quality to really pop that flavor!
- Light Brown Sugar: The molasses in light brown sugar contributes to the soft, moist texture.
- Granulated Sugar: You’ll know from my Scottish Shortbread Recipe that the granulated sugar shortens the gluten strands in the flour creating that tender, crunchy texture.
- Vanilla Extract
- All Purpose Flour
- Kosher Salt
- Semi-sweet Chocolate: Use a good quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate for the chocolate chips. I often use Ghirardelli bittersweet morsels! If you have the choice, I’d save your mini chocolate chips for some Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and go for chopped chocolate here instead!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Change the shape! No one says that shortbread cookies have to be round! I have made these same cookies square. The trick to keeping the shape is shaping the dough before refrigerating and then rotating the dough log 90° after every 2-3 slices. They can be easily rolled and cut with cookie cutters into any shape, or sliced and baked.
- Add icing. Use a simple confectioner’s sugar glaze or chocolate American buttercream frosting to sate your chocolate craving. You can also use an easy royal icing to make more precise designs. Or use them for some over-the-top ice cream sandwiches, using my homemade chocolate ice cream recipe!
- Make them sparkle. Brush with beaten egg white and give the outside of the logs a heavy sprinkling of turbinado sugar for a sparkly edge. It is optional but it really dresses up these holiday cookies! Check out my Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies for inspiration!
How to Make Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!
Prepare the dough:
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until lightened and fully combined. Add the vanilla to combine.
Step 2: Add the flour and salt, and mix on low speed until combined, but not light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
Step 3: Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the chocolate until distributed.
There is basically just enough dough to hold in all the chocolate!
Step 4: Turn dough out onto parchment paper or a large piece of plastic wrap, and shape into a log about 3 inches in diameter. Tighten to compress dough and release air pockets.
To maintain the shape of the cookies, rotate the dough 90° after every few slices. I made mine circles but you can do the same with squares or go wild and make hexagons!
Step 5: Refrigerate until solid, preferably overnight. The dough can also be frozen for 3 months at this point.
Slice and bake the cookies:
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the baking pan with parchment.
Step 7: Using a serrated knife, slice ½ inch slices, place on prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden brown at the edges, about 10-12 minutes.
They should look matte (no longer shiny) in the centers. I like mine soft and chewy but if you want crispy cookies, add 4-6 more minutes to your cook time. That would put your total time closer to 16-18 minutes.
Step 8: Cool completely on a wire rack. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 7 days.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
For the best cookies, you want to make sure the dough is compressed, or they will fall apart. I find the easiest way to do this is to shape the dough into a log in the middle of a piece of parchment. Leave about 2 inches on either side so the dough can press out without squeezing out of the paper! Then fold the side farthest away from you over the dough. You now have both edges in front of you. Press a ruler or bench scraper on top of both pieces into the seam at the bottom of the log. Hold the bottom piece of the parchment and press into the seam, tightening the log. Work your way down the entire log. This is optional but makes exceptional cookies. I do the same for my chocolate peppermint swirl cookies!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. Layer the cookies between pieces of parchment or waxed paper. The dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months or refrigerated for 2 weeks!
I prefer to freeze the dough so that the chocolate chip shortbread cookies are as fresh as possible. Freeze cut-out cookies in a single layer on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Once frozen, place in airtight containers. Bake as needed directly from frozen. Just bake until you see small cracks on the surface and they are slightly puffed in the center.
For perfect cut-out cookies, I always chill the dough prior to baking. This helps ensure sharp edges and the best shape!
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar unpacked
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped/slivered
Instructions
Prepare the dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until lightened and fully combined. Add the vanilla to combine.
- Add the flour and salt, and mix on low speed until combined, but not light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the chocolate until distributed.
- Turn dough out onto parchment paper or a large piece of plastic wrap, and shape into a log about 3 inches in diameter. Tighten to compress dough and release air pockets.
- Refrigerate until solid, preferably overnight. The dough can also be frozen for 3 months at this point.
Slice and bake the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the baking pan with parchment.
- Using a serrated knife, slice ½ inch slices, place on prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden brown at the edges, about 10-12 minutes.
- Cool completely on a wire rack. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 7 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. You might also enjoy perusing our Christmas cookie recipes, chocolate orange shortbread cookies, or all of our 250+ cookie recipes!
Looks like a yummy cookie. I am confused about the granulated sugar though… is the quantity 50g / ¼ cup or 100g / ½ cup?
So the 100g is light brown sugar and then the 50g is granulated (white) sugar. So both are needed! I hope that helps! Happy baking!
Perfect. Thanks for the response. I will use 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar. You may want to correct the entirely understandable error in the recipe [“50 g (½ cup) granulated sugar”]. Thank you again Lindsey.
Oh! I understand your question now. I apologize. And, yes, I already corrected the typo! I really appreciate you bringing that to my attention. Happy baking!
Love this cookie, so delicious! New favorite chocolate chip recipe.
Thanks Shea!
your are genius, the recipe is too good
Thanks!