Tender Chocolate Shortbread

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 35
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably dutch process)
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 lb cold unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 adjust two racks to divide oven into thirds, preheat to 300 degrees.
• 2 you can prepare this dough in a mixer or food processor (or by hand).
• 3 food processor method, using steel blade:.
• 4 place dry ingredients in processor bowl.
• 5 cut cold butter into 1/2 slices and drop into bowl.
• 6 add the vanilla.
• 7 cover and pulse just until all ingredients hold together.
• 8 electric mixer method (take butter out of fridge 20-30 minutes before mixing):.
• 9 cream butter in large mixer bowl.
• 10 add salt, sugar and vanilla and mix.
• 11 using low speed, add cocoa and flour.
• 12 make sure to scrape down the sides and beat only until the dough holds together.
• 13 turn out dough onto floured surface. knead it briefly, if necessary, until it's very smooth. roll it into a ball and flatten it a bit.
• 14 roll to an even 1/2" thickness. use a 1 1/2" round or square floured cookie cutter for a yield of 35-40 cookies. reroll scraps of dough, if any, and cut more cookies.
• 15 place cut cookes 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheet. prick each cookie in three rows (i line the rows up evenly)with a dinner fork. fork should go all the way through to the cookie sheet for each row. pop the sheet in the fridge for a few minutes if your fork sticks too much or if the cookies are losing shape when you prick them.
• 16 bake 25-30 minutes or until firm to touch, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back once. be careful - since they're so dark in color it is easy for them to burn without much notice.
• 17 if you use only one sheet, place on higher rack and reduce baking time.
• 18 place on rack to cool.