Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Stars
These cookies look so pretty but take very little time to decorate. The trick to great flavor is to combine the simple, buttery shortbread with the richness of bittersweet chocolate (though you can use whatever style of chocolate you prefer).
By Amy Traverso|Oct 25 2022|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanThese cookies look so pretty but take very little time to decorate. The trick to great flavor is to combine the simple, buttery shortbread with the richness of bittersweet chocolate (though you can use whatever style of chocolate you prefer).
Yield:
Ingredients
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1⁄2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1⁄4 teaspoons ground cardamom (optional)
1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄4 cup cornstarch
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
Flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 300 °F and set racks to the upper and lower third positions. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, using a stand or handheld mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, almond extract, cardamom, and salt. Add the flour and cornstarch and beat until a dough forms. Gather into a ball, press into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to two days.
Gently roll the dough out onto a floured surface to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out your stars and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Gather and reroll the dough as needed.
Bake the cookies until pale golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. When cooled, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or a microwave. Dip half of each cookie into the melted chocolate, then return to the parchment paper and sprinkle with sea salt, if using.
Well, you can’t find cardamom at stores near me for even that high price so I used Allspice and they are crisp and buttery and delicious! Easy to make.
Try a Natural Food Store, maybe.
You will always all kinds of spices (cheap and good quality) at any well-stocked Indian grocery store.
*always find. They only cost a fraction of the price of those little glass spice jars found at box stores across the country.
Hi, Chitra,
You typed “*always find.” I searched tgrough
Hi, Chithra,
In your December comment in Yankee Magazine regarding Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Stars, you typed “*always find.” I searched back through the recipe but didn’t find any asterisk. Maybe I’m just missing it, but I’d really like to know, please:
What is it that I must always find??
I’m guessing it’s the cardamom, which I do have in powered form. It’s pretty old because I don’t often bake since my husband’s death — but I’m starting to get interested in cooking/ baking again.
BTW: I shop at Hannaford’s super markets. When I need to renew/ replace my spices, I’ll usually go to the Ethnic Food section of the store (Spanish/ Hispanic in particular) and not only do I find my spice, but the price is usually at least a third (or even less!) the cost of brand name spices — and I’ve yet to notice any difference in flavor! And small glass baby food jars (Beechnut or Gerbers) make dandy containers for bulk spices — and they don’t leave a plasticky flavor, either.
Anyway, thanks in advance for solving the asterisk mystery, and happy baking!!
Elin Lee