Best Emilys Famous Chocolate Shortbread Cookies Recipes

CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Mix flour and cocoa powder together in a bowl.
• Beat butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sugar and vanilla extract; mix well. Mix in flour mixture gradually, 1/2 cup at a time, until incorporated; dough will resemble damp sand.
• Press dough firmly into a 9x13-inch baking pan. Cut into 1x2-inch rectangles. Prick each rectangle a few times lightly with a fork.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top looks dry and edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool before lifting out of the pan.

SALTED CHOCOLATE CHUNK SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, beat the butter, both sugars and vanilla on medium-high till it's super light and fluffy (3 to 5 minutes for a stand mixer; 6 to 8 for a hand mixer). Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and, with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, followed by the chocolate chunks, and mix just to blend. If necessary, knead the dough with your hands to make sure the flour is totally incorporated. At this point, the dough should be smooth and feel like Play-Doh with no pockets of flour.
• Divide the dough in half, placing each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic over so that it covers the dough to protect your hands from getting all sticky. Using your hands, form the dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help you smooth it out, but don't worry about getting it totally perfect. (Don't be afraid to make them compact. Shortbread is supposed to be dense. That's part of why it's so good.) You can also do this using parchment paper, if you prefer, but plastic wrap is easier when it comes to shaping the log. Each half should form a 6-inch log, 2 to 2¼ inches in diameter. Chill until totally firm, about 2 hours.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the outside of the logs with the beaten egg and roll them in the demerara sugar (this is for those really delicious, crisp edges).
• Using a serrated knife, carefully slice each log into ½-inch-thick rounds (if you hit a chocolate chunk, slowly saw back and forth through the chocolate). If the cookies break or fall apart, just press them back together - the dough is very forgiving. Place them on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart (they won't spread much). Sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.

EMILY'S AMAZING SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. When creamed well, add sour cream and cream for an additional 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and combine. Sift flour, baking soda and salt and add it to the wet ingredients and combine well. Refrigerate for several hours. Roll out dough so that it is fairly thick. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes (don't let them brown).