Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Stars
These cookies look so pretty but take very little time to decorate. The trick to great flavor is to combine the simple, buttery shortbread with the richness of bittersweet chocolate (though you can use whatever style of chocolate you prefer).
Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Stars
Photo Credit : Kristin Tieg | Food Styling by Liz NeilyThese cookies look so pretty but take very little time to decorate. The trick to great flavor is to combine the simple, buttery shortbread with the richness of bittersweet chocolate (though you can use whatever style of chocolate you prefer).
Ingredients
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1⁄2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1⁄4 teaspoons ground cardamom (optional)
1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄4 cup cornstarch
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
Flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 300 °F and set racks to the upper and lower third positions. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, using a stand or handheld mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, almond extract, cardamom, and salt. Add the flour and cornstarch and beat until a dough forms. Gather into a ball, press into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to two days.
Gently roll the dough out onto a floured surface to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out your stars and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Gather and reroll the dough as needed.
Bake the cookies until pale golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. When cooled, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or a microwave. Dip half of each cookie into the melted chocolate, then return to the parchment paper and sprinkle with sea salt, if using.
Amy Traverso
Food Editor Amy Traverso oversees the Yankee Magazine Food department and contributes to NewEngland.com. Amy's book, The Apple Lover's Cookbook (W.W. Norton), won an International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) cookbook award for the category American.
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