Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Recipe Video Print Pin Recipe

These chocolate shortbread cookies are buttery and crisp with a melt in the mouth texture. Made with just 6 ingredients these cookies get done in less than 20 minutes. A fuss-free recipe that needs no chilling or special equipment.

stack of cookies on a table — Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate

Have you tried my shortbread cookies recipe? These are the same with the addition of cocoa powder. My mom would make both these together and we’d call them black and white cookies.

These are light and airy made with butter and cornstarch which makes them buttery with the crumbly texture from the cornstarch. Also, they are naturally eggless, so they make perfect cookies to have in the jar when kids come over. No eggs and no nuts mean no worry about allergies. And who doesn’t love chocolate? Right?

Table of Contents

Ingredients and substitutes

Butter – I prefer unsalted butter over salted. And yet, if salted butter is all you have – go ahead and use it. Make sure to omit the extra salt in the recipe
Powdered sugar – This helps to create a nice creamy texture and melt in the mouth smooth, not a grainy texture. You can use the same amount of regular sugar just make sure you cream it a bit longer until almost dissolved.
Cornstarch – That crisp melt in the mouth feeling you get with shortbread cookies usually comes from adding a starch such as rice flour or cornstarch. That’s because they soak up all the moisture in there. If you can’t find cornstarch, you can use an equal amount of rice flour instead.
Vanilla – a good quality vanilla extract goes a long way.
Cocoa powder – I use regular unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder for these cookies.

stack of chocolate cookies on a table — Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate

Step by step instructions

Preheat the oven to 170 C/340 F.
In a bowl using a spatula or whisk, cream butter for a minute then add the powdered sugar.
Add the vanilla or (rose) flavoring. Followed by the flour, cocoa, and cornstarch. Combine well and shape into a ball.
Tip – all flour absorbs moisture differently so if necessary add one to two tsp of water if the dough is dry.
Make 32 cookies – Divide dough into four and each into another four. Continue to divide until you have 32 pieces.
Tip – I like small shortbread cookies but you can also make these fewer and bigger in size
Roll each piece of dough into a ball and flatten it on the palm of your hand. Gently dap the flat cookie into granulated sugar.
Place on a baking tray. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes.
Cool in the tray for 5 minutes then cool completely on a cooling rack before you store in a cookie jar.

Vanilla and chocolate shortbread cookies on a blue table — Cookies Recipe – Shortbread

Frequently asked questions

How long will these cookies keep?

Most cookies are best in the first few days of baking. However, shortbread cookies do have a longer shelflife. These cookies will keep well at room temperature for about 2 weeks. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.

Can I use salted butter for these cookies

I like to control the amount of salt in my baking recipes so I always use unsalted butter but if you only have butter with salt, use it. But, make sure to omit salt in the recipes.

Is it ok to chill cookie dough overnight? Do I have to make the cookies immediately?

Shortbread cookies have a good shelf life as a dough as well as cookies. The dough, if wrapped well, can usually stay in the fridge for 5 to 6 days before rolling and baking. And you can even cover the cookies and place them on a parchment-lined tray, wrapped well with cling wrap, for about 3 to 4 days.

Can I add some spices or nuts to these cookies?

You certainly can. I wanted to keep these cookies white so I omitted any color from the spices. But, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, gingerbread spice, chai spice would work. You can even add 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts. You may need to add a tablespoon of water to bring the dough together if you add nuts.