Chocolate Shortbread Recipe

Ingredients

• 270 gplain white flour
• 75 gwhite caster sugar
• 40 gDutch-processed cocoa powder
• 200 gsalted butter, chilled
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 1 tbsp, plus a little more if neededcold water
• 30 gchocolate drops or chunks

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven

   Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F).

2. 2

   Mix dry ingredients

   Put the flour, caster sugar and cocoa powder in a large bowl and stir to combine.

3. 3

   Add the butter

   Cut the chilled butter into cubes and add them to the bowl.

4. 4

   Rub to crumbs

   Rub the butter into the dry mixture until the crumbs are even.

5. 5

   Add the liquid

   Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of cold water, then use a round-bladed knife to cut them through the mixture.

6. 6

   Form the dough

   Work the mixture into a soft dough, adding a little more water if needed.

7. 7

   Chill if needed

   Turn the dough onto a floured surface. If it feels too soft and squidgy to handle, wrap it and chill for 10 minutes.

8. 8

   Roll the dough

   Roll the dough to 1 cm thick, preferably between two sheets of baking paper to prevent sticking, or on a lightly floured surface.

9. 9

   Cut the biscuits

   Use a round 7 cm cutter to cut out biscuits. Gather and reroll the scraps until you have around 15 rounds.

10. 10

    Add chocolate drops

    Arrange the rounds on a baking tray lined with baking paper and press a few chocolate drops into each one.

11. 11

    Bake and cool

    Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the biscuits feel just firm when pressed. Once cool enough to handle, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

12. 12

    Serve the biscuits

    Enjoy the cooled biscuits on their own, with a cup of tea or dunked into a glass of ice-cold milk.

What is chocolate shortbread?

Shortbread is a traditional British biscuit, usually made with flour, sugar and butter. This chocolate version adds cocoa for a deep flavour while keeping the tender, crumbly character of the classic.

Chilled butter is rubbed into the dry ingredients, giving the dough its fine, even crumb. Chocolate drops pressed into the tops add little pockets of chocolate.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 212 calories, 3g protein, 23g carbs, 13g fat.

The flour and sugar provide most of the carbohydrates, while butter contributes most of the fat; the cocoa and chocolate drops add further flavour and some fat. Serve a biscuit with fruit or alongside a meal with a source of protein if you want a more balanced plate.

Choosing the ingredients

Cocoa powder: Dutch-processed cocoa gives these biscuits their chocolate flavour and dark colour. Stir it thoroughly through the flour and sugar so it is evenly distributed.

Butter: Salted butter brings seasoning as well as richness. Keep it chilled until you cube it, so it is easier to rub into the dry mixture.

Getting the dough together

Even crumbs: Rub the butter through the flour mixture until there are no large pieces left. Add the vanilla and water, then use a round-bladed knife to bring the ingredients together before working them into a soft dough.

Chilling: If the dough is too soft to roll, wrap it and chill it for 10 minutes. Add any extra water a little at a time; the method calls for only a small amount if the dough needs it.

Rolling and cutting

Thickness: Roll the dough to 1 cm thick so the biscuits bake evenly. Rolling between baking paper helps prevent sticking without needing much extra flour.

Scraps: Cut the rounds with a 7 cm cutter and gather the offcuts to reroll. The method makes around 15 biscuits, while the stated serving count is 14.

When are they baked?

Bake: Allow 12–15 minutes in the preheated oven. The biscuits are ready when they feel just firm when pressed, rather than waiting for a pronounced change in colour.

Cooling: Let them firm up enough to lift before moving them to a wire rack. Cool them completely on the rack before serving.

Serving chocolate shortbread

Tea break: Serve the biscuits on their own or alongside a cup of tea. Their cocoa-rich flavour also pairs well with a glass of ice-cold milk.

For an even bake: Arrange the rounds on a baking-paper-lined tray and leave space between them. If they do not all fit comfortably, bake them in batches.

Recipe notes & tips

• Keep the butter chilled until you are ready to cube it.
• Rub the butter in until the crumbs look even before adding the vanilla and water.
• Use a round-bladed knife to cut the liquid through the mixture before forming the dough.
• Chill the dough for 10 minutes if it is too squidgy to roll.
• Roll between baking paper to help stop the dough sticking.
• Check the biscuits at 12 minutes, as the method gives a 12–15 minute baking window.

Variations

• Chunky chocolate: Use chocolate chunks instead of drops for larger pockets of chocolate.
• Simple tops: Leave off the chocolate drops for biscuits with a plain cocoa finish.
• Smaller rounds: Use a smaller round cutter and keep an eye on them as they bake.
• Tea-time pairing: Serve with tea as suggested in the method.
• Milk pairing: Dunk the cooled biscuits into ice-cold milk.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Butter too warm: Keep it chilled before cubing so it can be rubbed into the dry ingredients.
• Uneven crumbs: Rub the mixture thoroughly until the butter is distributed evenly.
• Dough too soft: Wrap and chill it for 10 minutes before rolling.
• Sticky dough: Roll between two sheets of baking paper or lightly flour the work surface.
• Biscuits too thick: Roll the dough to 1 cm so the rounds bake evenly.
• Moving them too soon: Let the biscuits cool enough to handle before transferring them to a wire rack.

How to store

Once completely cool, store the biscuits in an airtight container. The recipe does not specify a storage duration; for serving, enjoy them at room temperature or warm them briefly in the oven.

Frequently asked questions