Salted Butter Chocolate Chunk Shortbread

• 1 c plus 2 tablespoons (9 oz or 255 g) salted butter, cold, cut into small pieces*
• 1/2 c (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 c (50 g) light brown sugar
• 1 t (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 c (295 g) all-purpose flour
• 6 oz (170 g) semi- or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped (you want chunks, not thin shards of chocolate)
• 1 lg egg (optional - water works fine)
• Demerara, turbinado, raw, or sanding sugar, for rolling
• Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

* Roman says that if you find it annoying to buy salted butter just for this recipe, you can use unsalted and add 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt instead. I would like you to know that if you’re buying European butter (and oh, if there was ever a time to splurge on it, it is here) in European packages, most will come in 250-gram blocks which is (drumroll) within 5 grams of what you need here and the recipe works perfectly even without this 5-gram pat of butter.

• Beat the butter, granulated and brown sugars, and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl as needed.
• Add flour, and mix just until combined. Add chocolate chunks, mix just until incorporated. Mixture will look crumbly.
• Divide between two sheets of parchment paper, waxed paper, or plastic wrap and use your hands to form the dough halves into log shapes about 2 to 2 1/4 inches in diameter.
• Chill until totally firm, about 2 hours. I hastened this along in the freezer (30 minutes, tops) but did feel that the cookies were better after resting longer. (But do know that it works!)

• When you’re ready to bake the cookies, heat your oven to 350°F.
• Line one or two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Lightly beat the egg and open up your chilled cookies logs to brush it over the sides.
• Sprinkle the coarse sugar on the open paper or plastic wrap and roll the logs into it, coating them.

• Using a sharp serrated (or regular) knife, cut logs into 1/2-inch thick rounds.
  • You’re going to hit some chocolate chunks, so saw gently, squeezing the cookie to keep it from breaking if needed.
• Arrange cookie slices on prepared sheets one inch apart (they don’t spread much) and sprinkle each with a few flakes of salt.
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to get golden brown.
• Let cool slightly before transferring to the cookies you don’t eat immediately to wire racks to cool.

Do ahead: The dough can made ahead and stored, tightly wrapped in plastic, up to 1 week in the fridge, or 1 month in the freezer. Baked cookies keep in an airtight container for 5 days, or so I’ve heard.

Cooking Log/Notes

jvv - lg bowl = 333g

Serves: X      Total cook time: X

Source: https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/12/salted-butter-chocolate-chunk-shortbread/