Description
Delightful chocolate shortbread heart cookies melt hearts with their rich, buttery essence. Chocolate lovers will savor these charming treats that promise a sweet connection to homemade comfort.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups / 250 grams all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 cup / 230 grams unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup / 100 grams granulated sugar
- ¼ cup / 30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 tsp / 5 milliliters vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp / 1.25 milliliters salt
- 4 oz / 115 grams semi-sweet or white chocolate, melted
- Valentines Day sprinkles
Instructions
- Dough Preparation: Whip butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then blend in vanilla and cocoa powder to create a luxurious chocolate base.
- Dough Formation: Integrate flour and salt, kneading gently until a smooth dough forms. Divide into two compact disks and wrap in plastic, then chill for 30 minutes to enhance flavor and texture.
- Preheating and Rolling: Warm the oven to 325F (165C) and line baking sheets with parchment. Roll out the chilled dough to a uniform thickness on a flour-dusted surface.
- Shaping Cookies: Press heart-shaped cookie cutter into the dough, carefully lifting and transferring shapes to prepared baking sheets. Reassemble and re-roll remaining dough to maximize yield.
- Baking Process: Slide cookies into the preheated oven, baking for 12-15 minutes until edges are set but not browned. Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Chocolate Embellishment: Once completely cooled, melt chocolate and either dip cookie edges or create decorative drizzles. Sprinkle with festive decorations while chocolate remains glossy.
Notes
- Manage Butter Temperature: Keep butter slightly cool but not rock-hard to achieve the perfect creamy texture when whipping, ensuring smooth and airy cookie dough.
- Prevent Overworking Dough: Mix ingredients gently and minimally to maintain a tender, delicate shortbread texture; excessive handling can develop gluten and create tough cookies.
- Control Chilling Time: Refrigerate dough for exactly 30-45 minutes to solidify butter and enhance flavor; over-chilling can make dough crumbly and difficult to roll.
- Precision in Baking: Watch cookies closely during baking, removing from oven when edges are just set but not browned to preserve the soft, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread consistency.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg