Chocolate and Pistachio Shortbread

Mamma Mia
Apr 23, 2020
2 min read

Chocolate shortbread is one of the things my partner used to always buy in a shop while doing groceries. Is not as sweet as cookies, it's crumbly and delicious.

You can simply make it by hand in a bowl. It would be faster with a mixer, but it doesn't require it. You can make it with any chocolate, nuts or dried fruit that you like.

Recipe is for about 20 "cookies".

Ingredients :

300 g plain flour

200 g unsalted butter (cold)

100 g icing sugar

1 egg

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

75 g dark chocolate

35 g pistachios

Prepare one or two big baking trays lined with parchment paper.

Method :

1. Sift the flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Add cold cubed butter and salt. Mix it for few minutes with a paddle attachment until it looks like sand with small bits of butter here and there. You can do it by hand as well, but you have to be quick to avoid melting the butter in your hands and careful not to overwork the dough.

2. When you achieve sand-like consistency you can add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix it for just few minutes, until it's consistency of a dough. If you overwork it, it will become harder and less enjoyable to eat later on.

3. Add chopped chocolate and pistachios, incorporate them into the dough. You can do it by hand or with a wooden spoon.

4. Place the dough on top of a sheet of some cling film or parchment paper, shape it into a log or brick and wrap it. Place in a freezer for 2-3 hours or until it becomes fully solid (it's important, if you use it before it's chilled properly it won't bake well). You can start preheating the oven 30 min before dough's cooling time has finished (175'C fan).

5. When the dough is fully chilled you can take it out the freezer and leave it on the kitchen counter for few minutes to slightly soften. Cut the dough into 5 mm thick slices and place on a baking tray, leave at least 3 cm spaces between them. Bake them in the oven for 10-13 minutes, until they are light golden-brown colour.

6. Move them to a cooling rack with a thin metal spatula or allow them to fully cool down on the tray before eating.