Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Valentine's Day is just a few days away and many of you are probably fretting over whether to buy flowers, chocolates or fine jewelry to celebrate this made-up holiday to fill the retail void between Christmas and Easter.

Ben Bernanke would probably not like me for saying this. But this year, why don't you just buy a card and make a nice home-cooked meal complete with a selection of home baked cookies? Skip trying to jump-start this dreadful economy and save some money for something important, like your cable bill.

I decided to make classic shortbread cookies to celebrate Valentine's Day. They're decadent and extra delicious when dipped in dark chocolate. I used Green & Black's organic dark chocolate with 85% cocoa content. The package reads "our darkest chocolate made with fine Trinitario cocoa beans." I'm not sure what a Trinitario cocoa bean is, but it sure sounds delicious. After dipping a bunch of cookies in chocolate I decided to channel my inner Jackson Pollock and drip chocolate as if I were creating a museum quality masterpiece.

This recipe is very easy to make. The most time-consuming part of making the cookies is chilling the dough before you roll it and again once the cookies are cut out.

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
3/4 sifted confectioners sugar
1 t vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 t canola oil or vegetable shortening

In the bowl of a mixer cream butter, sugar and vanilla until combined. On slow speed, beat in flour and salt until combined. Split dough in two pieces and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm (2 hours or overnight).

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness. Use heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 300 degrees with rack in center of oven. Bake until just beginning to brown around the edges, around 16 minutes. Check after 10 minutes since baking time varies due to thickness of cookies.

Let rest on pan for 1 or 2 minutes before removing cookies to a wire rack. Cool completely.

Melt chocolate in a heat proof bowl over simmering water. A double boiler works best. Stir in the oil. When chocolate has cooled slightly, dip 1/3 to 1/2 of each cookie into the chocolate. Transfer cookies to wax paper or parchment and freeze for 10 minutes until chocolate hardens.

Cookie Press Review

I like everything about these cookies. They look festive without being gaudy, are easy to make, and even easier to eat. The bittersweet chocolate really makes this cookie a standout. Share them with your sweetheart and guarantee yourself a Happy Valentine's Day!

Cookie press rating: 4 cookies (out of five)