Chocolate Chip Shortbread

As someone who’s baked about a million chocolate chip cookies in my lifetime, I’d say chocolate makes everything just that much better. If you agree, I think you’re going to love today’s buttery, tender chocolate chip shortbread cookies. These are my classic 3-ingredient shortbread cookies with just two additional ingredients: Vanilla extract and mini chocolate chips. They’re thick and crumbly, with crispy golden edges and plenty of chocolate in each square.

Add this chocolate chip shortbread to cookie platters with Danish butter cookies and Russian tea cakes. I also like to make no-bake Christmas treats, like peanut brittle and rum balls, while a batch of shortbread is in the oven!

What Makes This the Best Chocolate Chip Shortbread Recipe

• It’s all about the right ingredients, and the right ratio for a buttery, tender texture.
• These chocolate chip shortbread cookies are crowd-favorite, easy holiday cookies, perfect for Christmas cookie exchanges.
• The shortbread needs minimal chilling time, and the dough and cookies are freezer-friendly. Get a head start on this year’s holiday baking!

Shortbread Ingredients

Head to the pantry and gather the following ingredients to make this easy shortbread cookie recipe. Scroll to the recipe card for the full list with amounts.

• Salted Butter – Brought to room temperature. I always recommend using real butter, not margarine or an alternative, for this shortbread recipe. If you make your shortbread dough with margarine, you may need to add more flour and will likely need to chill the dough for longer. You can also use unsalted butter, but I’d suggest adding a pinch of kosher salt to the dough in this case.
• Sugar – I recommend regular granulated sugar for these shortbread cookies.
• Vanilla Extract – Please use pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste, and not imitation vanilla.
• All-Purpose Flour – My favorite is the unbleached flour from Bob’s Red Mill. Very important:  Measure the flour using a digital kitchen scale or the spoon-and-sweep method to avoid overmeasuring. Too much flour makes the already crisp shortbread very dry. 
• Mini Chocolate Chips – You could use regular-sized chocolate chips or even chopped baking bars. I like mini chips, as it means more chocolate in every bite.

Quality Counts!

With so few ingredients in this homemade shortbread, quality counts. Use quality butter, pure vanilla extract, and of course, the right flour. I LOVE Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, which is what I use. It’s unbleached, unbromated, enriched baking flour milled from high-quality North American wheat. It’s perfect for cakes, cookies, yeast breads, biscuits, muffins… literally everything.

Bob’s Red Mill products are also certified Kosher and made with ingredients grown from non-GMO seeds. So, beyond being flavorful, I feel good about the ingredients that I use to feed my family.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Shortbread

Mix and chill the shortbread cookie dough up to 48 hours ahead of baking, or freeze it to roll out later. It’s a great way to ensure I always have a fresh batch of cookie dough on hand for last-minute cookie exchanges and gifting. Here are the steps.

• Mix the shortbread dough. Beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and creamy. Slowly stir in the flour. Don’t overmix! Then, fold in the chocolate chips.
• Chill the dough. Transfer the cookie dough to a Ziploc bag or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

• Roll out and cut the cookies. While the oven preheats to 325ºF, roll out your shortbread dough to about ⅓-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into squares (or use cookie cutters in your desired shapes). Arrange the cut-out shortbread on a lined baking sheet.
• Bake. Bake the chocolate chip shortbread at 325ºF for 18-20 minutes, until lightly golden on the bottom. After baking, move the cookies to a wire rack to cool fully before storing.

Chilling the Cookie Dough Before vs. After Rolling It Out

I give two options when preparing these chocolate chip shortbread cookies for the oven. You can either roll out and cut the dough into shapes before chilling, or chill the dough before rolling and cutting. Both methods work well, with minor differences:

• For crisp, clean edges, cut the dough first, and then chill it.
• If you don’t mind a rustic edge, chill the dough and then roll it out. This is the method I use here (as pictured).

Baking Tips and Variations

• Roll the dough to the thickness you want your cookies to be. Shortbread doesn’t contain eggs or leavening, so it won’t rise as it bakes. The thickness you roll is the thickness you’ll get! I usually roll mine out to about ⅓-inch thick.
• Don’t overmix the dough. Overmixing leads to dense, tough shortbread cookies. Mix only until the flour is just combined, then gently fold in the chocolate.
• For more depth of flavor, consider browning the butter in a saucepan first to make browned butter shortbread. Browned butter has a richer taste and nutty aroma.
• For classic vanilla shortbread cookies, omit the chocolate.
• Substitute chocolate chips with chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, or sprinkles, like in this funfetti shortbread.
• Add a chocolate drizzle. Drizzle the cooled chocolate chip shortbread cookies with melted chocolate for a festive finish.

Make-Ahead and Storage

• Keep them airtight. Store these chocolate chip shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
• Freeze the shortbread cookie dough. After you’ve mixed the dough, shape it into a disc and seal it tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the fridge as directed, and then move it to the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw the shortbread dough in the fridge before rolling it out.
• Freeze the baked shortbread. You can freeze the baked and cooled shortbread cookies for 2-3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before serving.

More Shortbread Cookie Recipes

• Chai Shortbread
• Pecan Sandies 
• Chocolate Shortbread
• Strawberry Shortbread Bars
• Pumpkin Shortbread
• Linzer Cookies
• Whipped Shortbread Cookies