CHOCOLATE-DIPPED SHORTBREAD COOKIES
Sometimes simplicity is its own reward—and these buttery, vanilla-flavored cookies dipped in chocolate are proof of that.
| PREP: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling | COOK: about 20 minutes | COOL: 30 minutes, plus 1 hour setting |
COOKIES
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ pound (3 sticks) salted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
GLAZE
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening
1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. To make the cookies: In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt to blend. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture. Add the vanilla. Pulse to form small clumps of dough.
3. Pour onto a work surface. Gently gather into a clump of cohesive dough. Divide in half. Form each piece into a log that is about 10 inches long and 2½ inches in diameter. Use a sharp knife to cut each log crosswise at ¾-inch intervals to form about 12 cookies each. Rotate the logs a quarter-turn between cuts to keep the logs round.
4. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
5. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
6. Position racks in the top third and middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.
7. Bake until the cookies are firm and pale golden on the edges, 18 to 20 minutes, switching racks and rotating the pans halfway through baking so that they bake evenly. Cool on the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool to room temperature.
8. To make the glaze: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and shortening. Melt in the microwave in 20-second increments on 50% power, stirring after each increment, until the chips begin to lose their shape. Stir until melted and smooth.
9. Dip one half of each cookie into the melted chocolate, let excess drip off, and place on a wire rack. Let stand until the chocolate is set, about 1 hour.
10. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies