Chocolate Cinnamon Shortbread Recipe

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Every now and then a girl needs a vacation, right? Well this week our family is on Spring Break.  I’ve promised my husband I will not blog or anything else related.  Instead I plan on catching up on reading books, which have collected dust on my nightstand.  Another priority is making sand castles on the beach and playing in the surf with my kids.  Who knows, maybe I’ll live on the wild side and take my husband up on his suggestion to treat myself to a pedicure!  But don’t worry, I’ve left Savory Sweet Life in good hands while I’m gone.  I have two amazing bloggers lined up to share with you wonderful recipes for sweets!

Today’s first guest post is from Hannah of HoneyandJam.com. I’m very excited to have Hannah guest posting on Savory Sweet Life.  If you’re not familiar with Hannah, trust me, you would be doing yourself a favor by visiting her beautiful blog.  While you’re there, soak up and be inspired from all her gorgeous still-life photography and yummy recipes.  Today she is sharing a recipe for Chocolate Cinnamon Shortbread which I cannot wait to try when we return home.  Thank you, Hannah!

I’m such a cookie person. I love how versatile they are – they can be pretty much any flavor you crave, are done in no time, and totally portable. The perfect sweet in my mind. Today, I was craving chocolate, not chocolate chip though, so I went on a search. I was flipping through Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook and this recipe jumped out at me. Chocolate and cinnamon shortbread? How could I resist!

These cookies are little gems – maybe the best chocolate cookie I’ve ever had. Rich and buttery, the chocolate flavor seems more pronounced due to the addition of cinnamon. I made two batches, the first in a round tart pan, they were thick, and almost fudgy, the second I rolled into a log and cut into rounds, they were much crisper. Both ways are utterly delicious!

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Chocolate Cinnamon Shortbread
adapted from Martha Stewart

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 1/2 tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder
heaping 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup superfine sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt and baking soda until combined.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and superfine sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.

Form dough into 2 logs, each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; wrap in parchment, and refrigerate 1/2 hour (or up to 3 days).

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

If frozen, let the logs stand at room temp for 10 minutes. Remove parchment. Slice logs into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, and space about 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake for about 12 minutes. Let cool.

(If you want thicker, fudgier cookies, press dough into a tart pan with removable bottom, bake at 325 for about 25 – 30 minutes.)