Simple but so good, made with 6 ingredients. Stir the dough by hand so you don’t overmix. A little sprinkle of sea salt on top adds a bit of flair.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon salt, extra-fine if possible
- 1 cup (198g) sugar
- 1/3 cup (28g) cocoa
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 3/4 cups (206g) flour
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. For thin, crisp shortbread, grease two 8″ square pans. For thicker shortbread, grease one 9″ square pan.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the butter, salt, and sugar until well blended.
- Add the cocoa, vanilla, baking powder, and flour, and mix until you have a smooth, slightly stiff batter.
- Press the dough into your prepared pan(s) and prick all over with a fork. This will keep the shortbread from developing bubbles under the crust.
- Bake the shortbread in two pans for 35 to 40 minutes; the single 9″ pan will take about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.
- Invert the pan(s) over a clean sheet of parchment and turn out the shortbread. While still warm, cut each square into 12 pieces. Cool completely before serving.
- Yield: 12 to 24 pieces, depending on thickness.
