These chocolate-dipped chocolate shortbread cookies are incredibly buttery, rich and straight-up delicious! With fun add-ons, like dried cranberries and walnuts, they’re sure to be a favourite addition to your holiday baking list!
Have the holiday festivities begun in your home?
Just last weekend, we watched a couple of Christmas movies, enjoyed a big mug of hot chocolate, and put up our tree.
As I was unpacking the ornaments, I realized how many memories are contained in each and every one of them. Each ornament has a story. As I was grabbing each one, I was thinking about the wonderful memories associated with it.
Funny thing, when you first get an ornament, while they are special at the time, they truly mean that much more as the years pass. I love looking at our tree because there are so many happy memories and stories.
Food is like that too, don’t you think? Certain foods or meals are representative of a memory or special occasion. Every single year I make these cornstarch shortbread cookies and they always put a smile on my face.
Aside from the copious amounts of butter, cornstarch helps make these cookies flaky, light and kinda melt-in-your-mouth. Bottom line? So good!
Why We Love These Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- These holiday cookies are made with less than 10 simple ingredients (including the chocolate dip and garnish).
- They can be customized to taste with other add-ons (instead of cranberries and walnuts).
- Shortbread cookies are super simple to prepare.
- Of course, they taste so good!
How To Make Shortbread Cookies With Cornstarch
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Start by making the shortbread cookie dough. To do this, in the bowl of your stand mixer (or use a mixing bowl and a hand mixer), mix together flour, cornstarch, icing sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Add softened butter, then blend everything together.
- Remove the shortbread dough ball from the mixer and wrap in plastic food wrap. Place into the fridge for a little while to chill (this makes the dough easier to handle).
- Once the cookie dough has chilled, remove it from the plastic food wrap, form into balls and place onto a parchment paper-lined sheet pan.
- Flatten dough balls to form cookies and bake. Allow the cookies to cool after baking.
- Melt some chocolate. Then, one by one, dip the chocolate shortbread cookies into the bowl of melted chocolate (just on one side), allowing the excess chocolate to drip off, back into the bowl.
- Place the chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies on a wax paper-lined sheet pan and sprinkle with dried cranberries and walnuts. Allow the chocolate to set before enjoying.
Do Shortbread Cookies Freeze Well?
Yes! These chocolate shortbread cookies freeze really well!
Store cooled cookies in a freezer-safe bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
When ready to enjoy, take them out of the container and place on a plate to thaw. They thaw super quickly and can almost be enjoyed right away.
Tips and Variations
- This shortbread cookie recipe can easily be halved if you want to make a smaller batch.
- A small pinch of flaky salt is a yummy addition. Add a little after dunking the cookies in the melted chocolate. Sweet and salty combos are delicious!
- Instead of walnuts, try almonds or pecans.
More Fun Holiday Recipes
If you make this shortbread cookie recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
This recipe was originally published in December 2016 but has been updated.
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup icing sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1.5 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces dark chocolate, melted (about 227 grams)
- 4 tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped, if necessary, to make smaller
- 4 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit for use shortly.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a mixing bowl with a hand mixer), mix together the flour, cornstarch, icing sugar, cocoa powder and salt.
- Add butter to flour mixture and blend until combined and dough is soft. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic food wrap and place in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes until dough is easier to handle (and form into cookies).
- Remove dough from the refrigerator, unwrap from plastic food wrap, and shape into balls (each ball about 2 tablespoons). Place balls onto a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Note: If the dough is too firm to handle, just let sit on your countertop for a little bit until you can roll into balls.
- To form cookies, gently flatten each ball with your hand. You want the cookies about ½-inch thick and about 2 inches in diameter. Cookies should be about 1-inch apart to allow for them to spread a little.
- Bake for about 22 minutes or until cooked through. Once done, carefully remove (as they are delicate before they cool). Remove the cookies from the sheet pan with a spatula and place onto a cooling rack to cool.
- Place a sheet of wax paper on a sheet pan. Once cookies are cooled, one at a time, dip cookies into a bowl of melted dark chocolate on one side (allowing excess chocolate to drip off back into the bowl). As you are dipping them, place cookies onto prepared sheet pan and sprinkle with dried cranberries and walnuts (gently pressing into chocolate, if necessary, to adhere).
- Once done, allow the chocolate to harden completely. To speed cooling and hardening of chocolate, place the sheet pan into the freezer for about 10 minutes. Remove, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- You can melt the dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, heating for about 30 seconds at a time, stirring and mixing and heating for another 30 seconds until just melted. Note: it’s easier if the chocolate is roughly chopped first.
- This shortbread cookie recipe can easily be halved if you want to make a smaller batch.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Adina
It’s nice that you all have your Christmas tree standing already, there is more time to enjoy it this way. We only get it on Christmas Eve day or maybe a day before and it’s already gone on the 3rd or 4th of January. The cookies are lovely, I like using cranberries in baked goods, their sourness cuts so pleaseantly through the sweetness.
Girl Heart Food
Years ago, growing up I remember we were a lot later putting up our tree, but these days it seems that a lot of people are putting it up earlier and earlier….some even in November, but that’s a little too early for me. I just love the ambiance it creates in the room with all the coloured lights. Thanks so much, Adina!! Have a great weekend 🙂
Stephanie | The Foodie and The Fix
Sounds like a fun weekend to me! We had a real tree this year for the first time ever! The adventure of finding it in the forest and cutting it down in the snow, was absolutely nothing short of magical. And I’m like you, I LOVE getting our ornaments out every year and and all of the happy memories that each one represents. And yes, those Christmas movies have some kind of voodoo going on, because you KNOW they’re terrible, but it’s like you can’t help yourself, you have to watch them anyway! Things have been so crazy over here lately, I’ve really missed reading your posts, Dawn! So glad to hear that you’re having a great holiday season! Pinning! XOXO
Girl Heart Food
It really was! Super busy getting ready for the big day, but so fun and I really think that a big part of Christmas is the actual getting ready part, don’t you? Thanks so much for the lovely comment and Pin, Stephanie…really appreciate it! Hope you have a fabulous weekend, my friend! XO
Tracy | Baking Mischief
Sounds like a fabulous weekend! I came down with my traditional before-Christmas-cold, so I spent the weekend on the couch with lots of hot drinks and vaguely holiday-themed television. It was actually pretty great. 😉
Mmmm. These cookies are all of my favorite things. I love the idea of chocolate shortbread, and adding dried cranberries just makes it perfect x2! Bet these show up on a lot of cookie trays this year. Pinning!
Girl Heart Food
That unfortunate, but at least it forced you to relax, right? Yay! Happy you like the cookies! Shortbread is one of my absolute favourites for sure. Thanks for the kind words and Pin, Tracy! Hope you are feeling better 🙂
THE HUNGRY MUM
squee! that milk glass!!! I am in lurve with these Chrissy cookies, they look perfect.
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much 🙂
David @ Spiced
I am totally right there with ya on the ornaments, Dawn! I’ve never thought about it, but Laura and I often talk about the unique ornaments as we pull them out of the box. And there’s always 1 or 2 that we’ve forgotten about, and it’s fun to find them again each year. We always do a real tree because of the smell + tradition, but then we have an artificial tree down in our basement. (That’s where we hang all of our childhood ornaments!) I’m loving these cookies, and I’m thinking a batch of these would be an excellent addition to the holiday cookie lineup. And the cranberries + walnuts on there is a perfect touch for the holidays! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
I may have to get a second tree, lol. I just love the real ones! That smell totally reminds me of Christmas! Thanks David….hope you like the cookies 🙂
Cathy | whatshouldimakefor.com
I’m with you on the Christmas movies and the traditional ornaments. Our tree is filled with ornaments from my youth all the way to today. We’ve collected from our trips and include every ornament our boys ever made. Makes it so special. Love traditional cookies at Christmas too. Shortbread is a must and even better with chocolate!
Girl Heart Food
Those heartfelt ornaments definitely make the tree extra special! Love it so much! Shortbread is a favourite around here…they don’t last too long 😉 Thanks Cathy!
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry
I can never pass up a plateful of chocolate cookies with all the fixings!
Girl Heart Food
Can never go wrong with cookies, especially during the holidays 😉 ! Thanks Nicole!
Sues
I feel like I just need to get TWO trees (tell my husband that!) because I am so torn every year. I LOVE the look of a modern tree that’s all silver and white… But I also love all my fun ornaments. And you’re so right that it’s just like food… I only want our classic family traditions on Thanksgiving, but I also get really sad that I can’t introduce new fun dishes. I guess these are good problems to have??? Also, these cookies like perfect to me!! The good thing about cookies is that you can never have too many… which means there’s plenty of room for the classics and the new guys 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Two trees sounds like a brilliant idea! Now you have me thinking that’s what I should do, lol. I totally agree that you can never have too many cookies, especially since I sample them as I’m baking so I definitely have to make extra…hehehe! Thanks Sues!
Natalie R
These look so good and I think they’ll make the perfect holiday cookie for my family!! Could you clarify what temperature to bake at? 350 degrees F? Thanks!!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Natalie! I’m sure they will love them! These need to be baked at 300F for about 20 minutes. I’ve updated that in the instructions – thank you 🙂
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks
Your weekend sounds like a blast! I actually got sucked into watching Home Alone 2 the other day and I’d forgotten how funny it is. Going the chocolate route with these cookies was a genius move, my friend! I love the cranberries and walnuts in here too!
Girl Heart Food
It was!! Haha! Home Alone is pretty funny! Thanks girl! So happy you like the recipe 🙂 Have a great week!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
Sounds like you had a wonderful, holly jolly weekend, Dawn! Our weekend was busy and productive, but none of it was spent on holiday stuff. Oops? Lol. Our tree is artificial, but we don’t have one up yet… and I’m thinking it might not make it up this year. I donno though, we will see. I’d just rather spend all my free time baking holiday cookies for my own consumption. 🙂 LOVE these!! Boy would absolutely devour these! He eats all the chocolate for me, so I’m thinking I will need to make a double batch of these! The cranberry and walnuts in here is perfect!! Cheers, dear!
Girl Heart Food
Yes, we definitely did, Cheyanne! No tree up? Maybe you can put it up and even if you didn’t decorate it, but just had it lite? I just love the ambiance it creates! Perhaps you can make these for boy and the white chocolate version for you 😉 Thanks girlie!
annie@ciaochowbambina
We did real trees forever until the year with spiders (I whispered that), which I think I already told you about… Oh my! Then switched to artificial for ten years, and now this year – we took a leap of faith and went back to real! I just missed the pine smell in the house! So far, so good! So these cookies with chocolate? Are you kidding me? Divinity!! Pinned! Have a great day, my dear! XO
Girl Heart Food
Giving me cold shivers just reading that, Annie! You know me and spiders, lol. Yes, you definitely can’t beat that pine smell. It’s the best!! Thanks for the kind words and Pin, my friend! XO
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
We have two real trees Dawn. One big one and one smaller one. We always decorate the smaller one with ornaments that are beach inspired! It’s my favorite tree!
I can’t get enough shortbread during the holidays, so I’ll be adding this recipe to my cookie list for sure! I love the tart cranberries in this one!
Girl Heart Food
That’s so neat – two trees! What a great idea! I’d love to see that beach inspired one 🙂 Thanks Mary Ann-hope you like ’em!!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan
Dawn, I love old school trees too – my daughter and I started a tradition a while ago of getting an ornament (and if we couldn’t find one, then a keychain) from every city/place we visited and so every year at Christmas we get to relive our adventures -in a way. I wouldn’t trade those old ornaments/clunky keychains for anything!
By the way – these cookies look so good! So loving the dark chocolate + cranberry + walnut combo!
Girl Heart Food
That’s so sweet! Now, every time you look at those ornaments or keychains you think about the day you got them 🙂 Thanks Shashi! Hope you have a wonderful week!
Miriam - londonkitchendiaries.com
This is just Christmas in a cookie – perfect for chocolate addicts like me 😉 Can’t believe it but I am slowly getting ahead of my to do list. We have also managed to decorate our Christmas tree – we bought a real one but we used an artificial one before which is great as well! Christmas food and ornaments certainly bring back fond memories of past Christmas – I just love this time of year! Have a great week!
Girl Heart Food
Yay for you for getting ahead on your to do list! Always nice to cross things off! Can’t believe we are less than two weeks away! Thanks Miriam 🙂 Hope you have a lovely week, my friend!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Sounds like you had a great weekend, Dawn! I get sucked into those made-for-TV movies EVERY time. Most aren’t too bad, but I watched one last weekend that was horrible (not a Christmas one though), and afterwards, I was second guessing my sanity haha! 🙂 And hooray for finishing your tree! My husband and I both grew up with artificial trees, so it was a no-brainer for us to get one too. So much easier to put up and so fun to decorate! We got piled with snow this weekend (about 7-8 inches) so I’ve been baking up a storm. These cookies look SO good, friend! I can’t decide which of your shortbreads I like better! 🙂 I don’t think I’ve ever had a chocolate version before, so this is calling my name. I love the addition of cranberries and walnuts, just perfect for the season. Pinned, of course! Hope your week is off to a wonderful start!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks for the sweet comment, as usual, Gayle…and for the Pin – much appreciated! Hope you have a wonderful week too 🙂