Buttery shortbread is baked until crisp, then half-dipped in dark chocolate and toasted coconut for a delicious treat!
Ingredients
12tbspunsalted butterat room temperature
1/2cupsugar
1/2tspsea salt
1/2tspalmond extract
7.5ozby weight all purpose flour(1.5 cups measured)
1cupsweetened shredded coconut
2cupssemisweet or bittersweet chocolate chipsmelted
Instructions
Either in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with a hand mixer, whip the butter on medium speed for about 30 seconds to spread it around the bowl.
With the mixer still on medium, add the sugar. Cream the butter and sugar together for 30-60 seconds on medium, until the two have been combined.
Briefly mix in the sea salt and almond extract.
Add the flour all at once and take care to only mix the flour with the wet ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. The dough will be crumbly and that’s fine.
Dump the crumbly shortbread out onto a big piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a rectangle. It should clump together smoothly.
Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour, but two is better if you have the time.
After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Once preheated, place the coconut on a sheet pan and place it in the oven, giving the coconut a stir every 5 minutes or so. The coconut can take between 5 and 15 minutes to take on color, and it’s ready to be removed from the oven when it’s a golden brown color.
Lightly flour your countertop and roll the chilled shortbread out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes and place the cutouts on a baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 13-17 minutes, depending on how brown you like your shortbread. My husband likes soft shortbread with no color (13 minutes), and I like the shortbread golden brown and crisp (17 minutes).
Let the cookies cool completely, then dip half the cookie in the chocolate and sprinkle it with the toasted coconut. Let the chocolate harden and enjoy!