Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

If you love rich chocolate and buttery cookies, let me introduce you to one of my favorite go-to treats: Chocolate Shortbread Cookies. These cookies are rustic yet elevated, with velvety cocoa powder, a melt-in-your-mouth texture, and a delicate crumble. My favorite part is the topping of sugar, coffee, and cacao nibs that adds depth of flavor and a little crunch.

I have a soft spot for dry, buttery cookies, and have baked countless variations of shortbread over the years. From Candy Cap to Chamomile to Rose, I love them all. They’re wonderfully simple to make, can be mixed by hand, and come together quickly. In just about half an hour’s time, you can be enjoying these delicious chocolate shortbread cookies.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Deep chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder.
• Buttery, tender shortbread texture that’s sandy and light.
• Sweet and crunchy on top thanks to a sugar-coffee-cacao nib topping.
• Easy to make with simple ingredients and no mixer required.

How to make chocolate shortbread cookies

For a full ingredients list and recipe details, scroll down to the recipe card toward the bottom of this post. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview of how to make these cookies:

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter an 8×8 inch pan and optionally line the bottom with parchment to make unmolding easier.
2. Cream butter & salt: In a bowl, cream very soft unsalted butter with salt until fluffy (about 1-2 minutes). Add vanilla and optional coffee extract while mixing. 
3. Sift dry ingredients: Sift together all-purpose flour, cocoa (or cacao) powder, cornstarch (or brown rice flour), and powdered sugar.
4. Combine quickly: Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir just until blended. 
5. Press & bake: Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake until the edges just begin to brown and the center is set (about 22-28 minutes). Let cool for at least 5 minutes. 
6. Add topping & slice: While the shortbread is still slightly warm, prepare a topping by pulsing ground coffee, sugar, and cacao nibs. Sprinkle evenly, press gently, then slice into fingers and cool completely.

Variation ideas

Feel free to make these cookies your own! There are many ways you could mix up this recipe. Here are just a few ideas:

• Use dark cocoa powder instead of standard for an extra intense chocolate flavor.
• Swap the coffee topping for a drizzle of melted chocolate or ganache.
• Mix in some orange zest with the salt and butter for a flavor twist.
• Instead of making shortbread fingers, roll and cut dough into rounds or squares. Check out my Chamomile Shortbread Cookies recipe for instructions.

Ingredients notes & substitutions

Brown rice flour/cornstarch: For that classic light and crumbly shortbread cookie texture, it’s essential to cut the all purpose flour with a gluten-free flour. I often use either brown rice flour or cornstarch in my shortbread cookies, and love the results equally. You could also use white rice flour, tapioca starch, or a similar starchy non-wheat flour with a neutral flavor.

Cocoa powder: You can use any type of cocoa powder here – Dutch, natural, or even cacao powder all work fine. Because shortbread doesn’t use any leaveners (baking soda or baking powder), the cocoa powder you choose will only affect the flavor, but not the texture.

Butter: If you like your chocolate desserts a little on the salty side *raises hand*, feel free to use salted butter instead of unsalted. No need to reduce the salt in the recipe. I find these cookies to be extra delicious this way.

Coffee sugar topping: Top chocolate shortbread cookies with anything you like! At the very least, use a small dusting of granulated or superfine sugar.

Storage & serving

Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Serve with coffee, tea, or even crumble on top of vanilla ice cream for a lovely dessert option.