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Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

These crumbly, buttery Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies are so delicious and such a fun bake! These European style shortbread cookies are dipped in melted chocolate, and they are slightly crispy but still moist and buttery.

I love how they are so elegant and lovely, yet so simple to make!

Chocolate dipped shortbread cookies perfectly lined up on a plate

Shortbread Cookies Dipped in Chocolate

You all enjoyed my Strawberry Thumbprint Shortbread Cookies so much I decided we will keep going on this shortbread train.

These Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies uses a similar cookies dough that is buttery and crumbly, but instead of strawberry preserves, we are dousing it in rich and creamy melted chocolate. Err, yum!

Whether you are serving this with a cup of hot tea or coffee, for the holidays along with other delicious holiday bakes, or simply snacking it by itself, you will love these lovely little treats.

Why you should make these chocolate dipped shortbread cookies:

  • 6 ingredients – it calls for minimal ingredients but make no mistake, it tastes AMAZING
  • minimal active time – it takes only 30 minutes to prepare and bake these cookies. You’ll want to set aside about 1 hour to refrigerate the dough for best results! Also set aside some time for cooling the cookies and letting it sit.
  • simple and straightforward – don’t let it’s fancy look fool you, they are easy to make!
  • perfect for holiday baking – I love making chocolate dipped shortbread cookies during the holidays as they make the best treats for cookie exchange, desserts and snacks.
  • perfect for gifting – they also makes the best gift to neighbors and friends, especially during the Christmas season.
A platter of chocolate dipped shortbread cookies with festive decorations around it
So perfect for the Christmas season!

Ingredients

As I promised, our chocolate dipped shortbread cookies call for a short list of ingredients. In addition, they are also pantry-friendly, easy-to-find ingredients:

  • unsalted butter – if possible, bake with unsalted butter, not salted.
  • granulated sugar
  • vanilla extract – pure vanilla extract will give your shortbread cookies the best flavor
  • all-purpose flour
  • salt – just a pinch
  • chocolate – use baking chocolate or pieces of chocolate. Either milk chocolate or dark chocolate works – whatever works better. Avoid using not chocolate chips. Chocolate chips don’t melt well and come out thicker, making it harder to coat the shortbread cookies. Chop chocolate into small pieces so they melt easily.
Chopped chocolate on cutting board
Chocolate chopped into small pieces

How to make it

When making chocolate dipped shortbread cookies, make sure to leave room for some time to refrigerate the dough.

Other than that, it is a simple, straight-forward, fairly standard cookie-making process!

Step 1: Make and chill dough

I use my stand mixer to bring all the ingredients together to make my shortbread cookie dough. If you do not have a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer or even an old-fashion spatula and arm strength combo would be sufficient.

Start by creaming sugar with butter, and then add vanilla extract to it.

Once all that is combine, add flour and salt, and mix well.

Dough should be fairly crumbly at this point. It shouldn’t be wet. Use your hands to press dough together to form a ball, then refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.

shortbread cookie dough in a shape of a ball

Step 2: Prepare and bake shortbread cookies

Remove dough from refrigerator and shape it into a rectangle. If you refrigerated the dough for a few hours, it may be rock hard and difficult to shape.

You can continue to warm it with your hands, or let it stand on the counter in room temperature for 30-45 minutes or so before shaping it.

Avoid letting the butter soften so much that it defeats the purpose of refrigerating.

Rectangular shape shortbread cookie dough

Using a pastry cutter, slice into small 1/2-inch pieces of rectangular shortbread cookies.

Slicing shortbread cookie dough with pastry cutter

I usually get about 12-14 pieces of cookies.

Place shortbread cookies at least two inches apart from each other on baking sheet.

unbaked rectangular shortbread cookies on baking sheet
Before

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until they are crispy and golden brown on the edges.

Baked shortbread cookies on baking sheet
After

Place baked shortbread cookies on baking rack to cool for 20-30 minutes.

Step 3: Prepare Chocolate

To make the chocolate part of the chocolate dipped shortbread cookie, chop chocolate into small pieces and melt them in a skillet under low heat.

Make sure to stir continuously as chocolate melts so that they bottom of the skillet doesn’t burn.

It should only take a few minutes for chocolate to melt. Once they are melted complete, pour chocolate into a small ramekin.

Dip cooled shortbread cookies into chocolate, and there you have it: chocolate dipped shortbread cookies!

Dipping shortbread cookies into a bowl of melted chocolate

After dipping, place shortbread cooking on a plate lined with wax paper, then let it sit for about 30 minutes as the chocolate hardens. To speed up the process to harden the chocolate, place it in the refrigerator and remove from fridge in 20 minutes.

A bunch of shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate

Tips and Tricks

A few notes when making chocolate dipped shortbread cookies:

  • When melting chocolate, cut it into small pieces so that it melts quicker. Melt chocolate on low heat and stir continuously to prevent burning at the bottom of the skillet.
  • Refrigerate dough before baking for best results
  • Refrigerate shortbread cookies briefly after dipping in chocolate so that it hardens quicker.

Storage

The best way to store chocolate dipped shortbread cookies is in airtight container under room temperature for 2-3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I melt chocolate chips instead of chocolate?

Chocolate chips don’t melt as well – there is an extra coating on them. They tend to be thicker and doesn’t come out as smooth when cookies are dipped into them.

Can I skip the step where you refrigerate the dough?

Ideally, you should refrigerate the dough. If you don’t cookies will be flatter.

What is the best way to store cookies?

Please see the section on ‘storage’ above for more infomration.

A platter of shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate

Note: This recipe is part of The Sweetest Season, a virtual cookie swap. This year, we are raising money for Cookies 4 Kids Cancer, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new treatments for childhood cancer.

If you are able and willing, please consider donating through this fundraising page for this amazing cause. OXO will match every dollar raised through the end of 2022 up to $100K. This means that whatever money we raised will be automatically doubled!

Thank you advance for your generosity, participation and support! ❤️

More Sweets and Treats

Shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

These European style shortbread cookies are dipped in melted chocolate. They are buttery, crumbly and so delicious!
5 from 31 votes
Print Pin
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, European
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
refrigerate and cooling time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12 cookies
Calories: 188kcal
Author: MinShien

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 6 oz chocolate

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter, then add vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
  • Add flour and salt. Mix to combine.
  • Mixture should be crumbly. Use hands to press everything together into a ball. Wrap in parchment or wax paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
  • Remove dough from fridge and shape in rectangular shape.
  • Using a pastry cutter, slice into 1/2-inch thick rectangular cookies
  • Place cookies 2-inch apart on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Remove cookies from oven and let it cool on a baking rack for 15-20 minutes.
  • Chop chocolate into small pieces, and heat under low heat in a sauce pan. Stir continuously until chocolate melts. Remove from heat and transfer to a deep ramekin.
  • Dip cookies into melted chocolate. Place on a plate lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 20 minutes so that chocolate hardens. (See Note 1)
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: Cookies can be left in room temperature while chocolate hardens as well, it will just take longer (depending on temperature in the house etc).

Nutrition

Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Take a pic and tag me at @joyous.apron, or hashtag #joyousapron on Instagram!

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5 from 31 votes (15 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




34 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love shortbread but have never done chocolate dipped! This looks delicious!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you so much, Liz!

  2. 5 stars
    I can’t get over how delicious and stunning these cooked turned out! Perfect for the holidays and even gifting because everyone will want a batch of these!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      So glad you are enjoying these this holiday season!

  3. 5 stars
    LOVE the simplicity of a shortbread cookie. The chocolate dip was a nice touch!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you!

  4. This shortbread cookie is utterly PERFECT! Buttery and delicious and that chocolate just pushes it over the top for me. YUM! What a perfect celebratory cookie.

    Thank you so much for participating in this year’s Sweetest Season! I am always blown away with the recipes shared and the generosity of its participants. Thank you for making this event such a success. I hope you and yours have a wonderful season and a happy new year!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you Erin!

  5. 5 stars
    I’ve been on the hunt for a shortbread cookie that’s simple and yet delicious! We’ll definitely be making these again!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Wonderful! So happy to hear that you found a shortbread recipe you love 🙂

  6. Gaila Perez says:

    5 stars
    I love shortcake cookies and these came out so pretty. I love these.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you, Gaila! Happy to hear that!

  7. 5 stars
    These were perfect on the cookie tray I took to the ornament exchange last night. They were easy to make too! Thanks for the step by step pictures.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thanks Debi! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it at your party last night!

  8. 5 stars
    These shortbreads cookies are so good and easy to make. The chocolate is a wonderful addition! We love this recipe.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you, Megan! That’s great to hear!

  9. 5 stars
    I love shortbread cookies – especially when they are dipped in chocolate! These look so delicious!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you Shashi! I hope you give it a try and loved it! 🙂

  10. 5 stars
    These cookies are so buttery and good, and I love how pretty they are on my cookie tray! YUM!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yay! That’s wonderful! So glad you enjoyed them!

  11. 5 stars
    I love the way you dipped these in chocolate, and I had to try them for my cookie plates this year! They really look so gorgeous and made the whole mix look so elegant.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you, Susannah! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  12. 5 stars
    MinShien, these cookies are wonderful! They are delicious!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Glad you enjoyed them, Cheryl!

  13. 5 stars
    I made them for Christmas & Chinese New Year and gave them to my friends & relatives. They all find them so good .
    Thanks for the recipe so simple & easy to make.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you so much! Glad everyone loved them!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      So glad you enjoyed it!

  14. Sue Ringsdorf says:

    5 stars
    These classic shortbread cookies were a huge hit at our holiday party last night! Thanks so much for this delicious recipe!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank YOU for making it and sharing!!

  15. 5 stars
    I made these with dark chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt. So yummy!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      YUM! Love the addition of sea salt! Great idea!

  16. Cassandra says:

    5 stars
    Simple and successful shortbread cookie. We will make them a tad thinner next time, which is really just a matter of preference.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      So glad it was a success!!