Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread
Inspired by techniques from King Arthur Baking and NYT Cooking.
Follows the classic butter shortbread method, skipping the sugar sprinkle so the cooled fingers can be half-dipped in melted dark chocolate instead.
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Method
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Equipment
- 20 cm square metal baking tin (not glass), lined with a baking-paper sling
- stand mixer or electric hand whisk
- fork
- sharp knife
- small deep bowl for dipping
- baking paper
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 261 kcal |
| Protein | 2.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 28.2 g |
| of which sugars | 9.2 g |
| of which free sugars | 9.1 g |
| Fat | 15.5 g |
| of which saturates | 9.5 g |
| Fibre | 1.5 g |
| Salt | 0.19 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
0.9 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 16 servings
Shortbread
- 225 g unsalted butter, softened (about 18°C)
- 110 g caster sugar
- 3 g fine sea salt or table salt about ½ tsp
- 225 g plain flour
- 110 g cornflour
To dip
- 150 g dark chocolate (about 70% cocoa solids), chopped
- 1
Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan) for at least 20 minutes before baking, ideally during the dough's chilling time.
- 2
Cream butter and sugar. Beat the cool-soft butter with the sugar and salt for 2-3 minutes until pale and creamy, but not fluffy or white. Overbeating whips in too much air and softens the characteristic short, dense crumb.
- 3
Add flour and cornflour. Sift over the flour and cornflour and mix on low speed or with a spatula just until the dough clumps. With no egg or leavening in the mix, handling it as little as possible keeps it short rather than tough.
- 4
Press into the tin. Press the dough evenly into the lined 20cm metal tin and smooth flat, then prick all over with a fork so steam can escape evenly as it bakes.
- 5
Chill the dough. Chill for 30 minutes until firm, so it holds its shape and bakes evenly.
- 6
Bake. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until pale to just golden all over and a touch deeper at the edges, but never properly brown. Long, gentle heat dries and crisps the biscuit without the colour running away.
- 7
Cut while warm. Cool for 5-10 minutes, then cut into 16 fingers while still warm in the tin — cold shortbread cracks under the knife rather than slicing cleanly. Skip the sugar sprinkle this time, since the chocolate coating finishes it.
- 8
Cool fully. Let the shortbread cool completely in the tin before you lift out the fingers.
- 9
Melt and seed the chocolate. Once the fingers are completely cold, melt 100g of the chocolate gently in a bowl over barely simmering water, without the bowl touching the water. Take it off the heat and stir in the remaining 50g chopped chocolate until smooth and slightly cooled — this seeding helps it set glossy with a clean snap.
- 10
Dip and set. Dip one end of each finger into the melted chocolate, let the excess drip off, and set on baking paper. Leave to set for 1 hour at a cool room temperature, or 15 minutes in the fridge, until the chocolate is firm.
Storage
Keep in an airtight tin at room temperature for 3-4 days. It freezes well for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature before serving.
