Shortbreads with Dark Chocolate Frosting

Shortbreads with Dark Chocolate Frosting



Recipe by: Adapted from the shortbreads recipe by Baking Bites
Yield: 25 bars

What’s better than buttery, thick shortbread bars? Buttery, thick shortbread bars with rich dark chocolate frosting, of course!

Shortbread Ingredients:
3 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (I use Plugrá), chilled

Frosting Ingredients:
7 tablespoons cocoa powder
7 tablespoons warm water
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 ounces dark chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips), melted and cooled

Directions:
Make the shortbreads: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with a a foil sling (just fold 4 long sheets of aluminum foil in half and arrange them so two line the pan one way and two line the pan the other way. They’ll overlap and hang over the sides of the pan, which helps you pull the bars out at the end.)

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, and salt. Add the chilled butter and process on low speed for a full minute. You want the butter to be very tiny and the dough to start to clump together. Pour this into your prepared pan and use the bottom of a glass or ramekin to press it firmly into the pan, creating a smooth top to your bars. Use a sharp knife to score the dough (5 rows in one direction, 5 in the other, making 25 bars) and a fork to dock the dough. Bake it for 30-35 minutes until it’s lightly browned. When you pull it out of the oven, use your sharp knife to cut the shortbread all the way through. Allow it to cool completely before gently lifting it out of the pan and breaking the pieces apart.

Make the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa and warm water. In a separate bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the melted, cooled chocolate and the cocoa mixture. Let this sit for exactly 30 minutes (no really, exactly 30!) before you use it to obtain the perfect texture. You can just slather a big dollop of frosting on top of each bar if you’d like, but I thought it was cute to stuff the frosting in a piping bag and pipe a squiggle onto each bar with a 1M star tip. Store in an airtight container.

14 Comments on Shortbreads with Dark Chocolate Frosting

  1. Kristen
    July 10, 2014 at 3:54 pm (10 years ago)

    Aren’t you glad you got back into reading? My 10 year old thinks she doesn’t like to read, which is foreign to me! But I swear it’s just because she hasn’t found the right books yet.
    These shortbread bars look so decadent!

    Reply
  2. TamTam
    July 10, 2014 at 3:56 pm (10 years ago)

    This looks so yummy!! I am a “grown up” who still prefers YA novels, though I do read some books geared for adults. Recent favorites are indie authors Joe Naff and Janine Spendlove, both fantasy YA with strong female lead characters.

    Reply
  3. Vivian (Mom)
    July 10, 2014 at 7:39 pm (10 years ago)

    These look delicious! I love shortbread. (Dad does, too!)

    Right now I am reading about 6 books and I can’t even remember what they are all about! I am loving Paris by Edward Rutherfurd, and also reading a book about the thyroid, book on Heaven, and a book on coconut oil!! 🙂 ( Variation, you know.) Sarah recommended Paris and I like it so much I will probably read his other books when I finish some of these. It is great to read multiple books on a Kindle or iPad because it is so easy to switch books! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Heather Mc
    July 10, 2014 at 8:54 pm (10 years ago)

    I’d love to see your kid-created list of books. I think my Megan is a girl who has yet to find her love of reading.

    I just picked up Paris at the library yesterday! Taking it to the mountains next week.

    In the recipe, what does it mean to dock the dough with a fork?

    Reply
  5. Kristine @ Kristine's Kitchen
    July 11, 2014 at 12:16 am (10 years ago)

    I love shortbread and that dark chocolate frosting looks amazing! These would be perfect with a cup of coffee or tea!

    Reply
  6. Ann
    July 11, 2014 at 3:22 am (10 years ago)

    I have always loved to read and it took until recently in our almost 8 year relationship for me to understand why my husband didn’t seem to enjoy it. Basically, he’s a pretty slow reader and therefore can get bored and frustrated. So like you said, we have to pick books he will like or the couple of months it takes him to finish won’t be worth it. As I’m a very fast reader, and we have similar tastes, I preview them and pass worthwhile ones on.

    I think I’m going to steal your class suggestions list to fill out my reading list! Several of my all-time favorites are already on there. I wish I could recommend the Young Jedi Knights and Junior Jedi Knights series, but they’re out of print now. I read them to death when I was a pre-teen and young teenager. Fantasy and science fiction have always been my favorites.

    Reply
  7. Kelly
    July 11, 2014 at 3:27 am (10 years ago)

    Interesting. It never occurred to me that anxiety disorder + horror novels would be a no-no. I wonder how many sleepless nights were fueled by too much Dean Koontz & King.

    Reply
  8. Jolie
    July 14, 2014 at 12:31 pm (10 years ago)

    you love cooking if you haven’t read “consider the fork” by bee Wilson. fascinating history of cooking and cooking utensils

    Reply
  9. Amy | Club Narwhal
    July 16, 2014 at 1:06 pm (10 years ago)

    Julie, we are cut from the same cloth, you and me! Reading your list of favorite YA horror writers threw me back to my own days devouring those books. We actually came across a cache of Christopher Pike books at a thrift store and I almost bought the whole thing (should have). I would love to cozy up with a great new book eating these cookies! Or maybe I’ll have to go back to R.L. Stine 🙂

    Reply
  10. dina
    July 18, 2014 at 10:41 am (10 years ago)

    these are yummy!

    Reply
  11. Renee @ Awesome on $20
    July 20, 2014 at 5:04 pm (10 years ago)

    I love books even more than I love shortbread, which is a lot. I just finished reading Zone One by Colson Whitehead, and I highly recommend it. It’s a unique twist on the zombie novel. Up next is Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. I can’t wait to start it. I’ve heard her interviewed, and she seems like a lovely person. I’m sure these cookies will be a great accompaniment.

    Reply
  12. Carla
    July 21, 2014 at 8:53 pm (10 years ago)

    I was an avid reader as a kid as well! Babysitters Club, Box Car Children. I stopped for awhile then spent my summers during college reading again. Then I became an adult and there went the time to read lol I do miss reading. Now baking shortbread – I do have time for that 😉

    Reply

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