Easy Shortbread Cookie with Chocolate and Toffee

Sharing is caring!

Light, tender, and barely sweet. This isn’t the kind of cookie that weighs you down. It’s delicate and buttery, with pockets of melty chocolate and crunchy toffee scattered throughout. They’re unassuming right up until the moment you realize you’ve eaten half the batch.

this …

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Chill time: 30 minutes
• Bake time: 10 minutes per batch
• Prep level: Beginner +

Ingredient Notes

• Butter: Use unsalted, softened but still cool to the touch, not melty. This keeps the shortbread light instead of greasy. Salted butter works in a pinch. If you do use salted butter, don’t add any salt to the recipe.
• Flour: All-purpose is standard here. For an even more tender crumb, swap up to 25% of the flour for cornstarch.
• Sugar: Granulated keeps the shortbread light and barely sweet, as intended. Swapping in brown sugar will add moisture and a deeper flavor, but the cookie will lose some of its delicate texture.
• Chocolate: Since these cookies are much thinner than classic shortbread, use mini chocolate chips for the best result. Semisweet keeps the cookie from tipping too sweet. Milk chocolate makes them a little bit sweeter.
• Toffee bits: Store-bought toffee bits (like Heath) are the easiest. No toffee bits on hand? Roughly chopped toffee candy or even crushed English toffee bars work as well.
• Vanilla extract: Adds warmth without competing with the light flavor. Almond extract is a nice swap if you want a subtle twist; use half the amount since it’s more potent.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Beat butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix in the vanilla and salt.

Mix in as much flour as the mixer can handle. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the rest of the flour, plus the mini chocolate chips and toffee bits. Divide the shortbread cookie dough in half. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Heat oven and line two baking sheets. Roll out the dough and cut into shapes. 

Bake until pale with a hint of golden brown at the edges. Cool on the pan briefly, then move to a wire rack.

See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and baking time.

Laura Belle’s Tips

1. Keep the butter cool – softened but still slightly firm to the touch. If it’s too warm, the dough spreads too much, and you lose that light crisp texture.
2. For best results, don’t skip the chill – it firms up the butter so the cookies hold their shape and bake up tender.
3. Measure flour correctly – spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping directly from the bag. Too much flour makes the shortbread cookies dense instead of light.
4. Let them cool on the pan – shortbread is fragile straight out of the oven. A few minutes on the baking sheet lets it set before you move it to a cooling rack.

What to Serve with Shortbread

Pair these cookies with:

• Coffee or Latte – These light, buttery treats are subtle and make the perfect treat with a delicious cup of coffee or an afternoon latte.
• Tea – Especially black tea balances the toffee’s sweetness beautifully.
• Crumble a cookie (or two) over a scoop of vanilla or coffee ice cream from Life Currants for an easy no-fuss dessert.
• A charcuterie board – Sounds unexpected, but a light, barely sweet shortbread pairs surprisingly well with soft cheeses and a fruit preserve for a sweet-and savory bite.

Continue to Content

Yield: 3 dozen

Easy Shortbread Cookie with Chocolate and Toffee

No Ratings

Print

Light, tender shortbread cookies with melty mini chocolate chips and crunch toffee bits. An easy dessert with a simple recipe and a delicate, crumbly texture.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 cup of unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate morsels (or milk chocolate)
• 1/2 cup almond toffee bits (like Heath)
• Optional: decorative coarse sugar

Instructions

1. Cream butter – In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric stand/hand mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until smooth.
2. Add the granulated sugar and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
3. Beat in the vanilla extract and salt until combined.
4. With the mixer on low speed, beat in as much of the flour as the mixer can handle. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in any remaining flour along with the mini chocolate chips and toffee bits, until just combined.
5. Divide the dough in half, shape into a ball or disc, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 25-30 minutes or until easy to handle.
6. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
7. Press half of the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll out the dough into an even layer of 1/4-inch thick. Use a round or square cookie cutter (1-2-inch size) or cut into 1.5-inch squares with a knife. 
8. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared pan.
9. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until they are pale on top with light gold edges.
10. Remove from the oven and let rest on the pan for 1-2 minutes, until set. 
11. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Notes

Helpful Equipment:

• Large bowl
• Electric mixer
• Baking/cookie sheet x2
• Parchment paper
• Rolling pin
• 1.5-inch round or square cookie cutter (or a large sharp kitchen knife)
• Cooling rack

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 160Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 37mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest