It’s been a while since I’ve made a batch of cookies or a round of shortbread. I’ve hit two birds with one stone with this salted butter chocolate chunk shortbread recipe from Alison Roman.
They’ve become so popular that she now simply refers to them as “The Cookies” – all her Instagram fans know what she’s talking about!
The recipe makes two ‘logs’. Cooking off one log at a time is enough for our 2-person household. The other log is now in the freezer, waiting for the first batch to be demolished.
Refrigerator cookies are so convenient. A quick ten or so minutes in the making, about the same amount of time in the oven, cook off as many as you want and no waste.
The recipe is very straightforward. However, there’s one step that needs to be followed to the letter. Chilling the logs in the fridge for 2 hours before cooking is the absolute minimum.
I whisked them out of the fridge a little too early as we wanted to catch some daylight for our photos. That’s why my cookies spread a little too much in the oven and the chocolate chunks didn’t hold their shape very well. The next batch will be super chilled!
They still tasted great – and that second log won’t be languishing in the freezer for long!
Click here to save the recipe to Pinterest for later
- 255g/9oz salted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
- 100g/3½oz granulated sugar
- 50g/1¾oz light brown sugar
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 295g/10⅓oz plain flour
- 170g/6oz dark chocolate, chopped (you want chunks, not thin shards of chocolate)
- 1 large egg
- A few tablespoons Demerara sugar, turbinado etc for rolling
- A few pinches of flaky sea salt for sprinkling
- Beat the butter, granulated and brown sugars and vanilla with an electric or stand mixer until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl as needed
- Add the flour and mix until just until combined
- Add the chocolate chunks, mix just until incorporated. The mixture will look crumbly
- Divide the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, cling film and use your hands to form the dough halves into log shapes about 5cm/2" in diameter
- Chill until totally firm - around 2 hours
- Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350°F/Gas mark 4
- Line one or two large baking sheets with parchment paper
- Lightly beat the egg and open up your chilled cookies logs to brush it over the sides
- Sprinkle the coarse, brown sugar on the open paper or plastic wrap and roll the logs in it, coating them thoroughly
- Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the logs into 1cm/½" thick rounds. You'll hit some chocolate chunks, so saw gently, squeezing the cookie to keep it from breaking
- Arrange the slices on the lined baking sheets 2½cm/1" apart, then sprinkle each with a few flakes of salt
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn golden brown
- Allow to cool slightly before transferring them to wire racks to cool
- The dough can made ahead and stored - tightly wrapped in cling film - for up to 1 week in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer. Baked cookies keep in an airtight container for 5 days