Chocolate Shortbread Fingers

Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook has a recipe for Chocolate Shortbread Fingers, a recipe that is both straightforward and rewarding. Their texture is brownie-like and their flavor is warm, indulgent, and spicy, similar to drinking thick hot chocolate and eating a gingersnap. These chocolate shortbread fingers have none of the fuss associated with making brownies (from scratch at least), but capture the moistness and indulgence associated with eating a brownie.

Martha’s Chocolate Shortbread Fingers from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

• 1 1/2 cups of unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour
• 4 1/2 tablespoons of Dutch-process cocoa powder
• Heaping 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (I used a tablespoon or two because I like cinnamon. A lot.)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 cup of superfine sugar (I just used normal sugar.)

First thing to do is get your butter to room temperature. For the longest time, I just dunked whole sticks straight from the refrigerator, but room temperature butter really makes a difference. When creaming butter with sugar, the effect is much fluffier. I cut my sticks into smaller chunks to help it along…

In the meantime, I got all my dry ingredients incorporated. That’s your flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.

After creaming the butter and sugar, add your dry ingredients in batches.

I love watching the mixer go! So much fun. 🙂

Eventually you’ll end up with this. It should be easy to work with and not too sticky.

After chilling the dough for about 30-45 minutes, roll it out onto a greased pan. Martha’s book suggests that you use an offset spatula, but I’m not very good at using one. To prevent the rolling pin from sticking to the dough, I covered the dough with a layer of plastic wrap first. Plastic wrap is a lifesaver. When it’s all about even, use a fork and poke some holes into the dough. I don’t know why this step is necessary, but it sure looks good!

You can see the plastic wrap wrinkles quite clearly…

After baking for about 18 minutes on 325 degrees Fahrenheit, this is what came out of the oven. Looking good! (By the way, Martha’s book suggests 15 minutes, but again, my oven needs more time. I just didn’t want my shortbread to taste all greasy and mushy.)

While the shortbread is still warm, cut it into strips.

Sprinkle generously with sugar.

Very generously! 🙂

After everything’s cooled, and the dishes are washed, you’re ready to enjoy! I love the sugar sprinkles… the earthtones mixed with the pure white reminds of me of autumn transitioning into winter. I guess it’s only September so I’m getting ahead of myself.

Glorious.