There is a cookie craze online for this recipe from Alison Roman's Dining In—read more about it here. Roman writes: “Less chocolate chip cookie, more brown sugar shortbread with chocolate chunks—they just might be the cookie you’ve been looking for. Made with lots of salted butter (it has a slightly different flavor and a deeper saltiness than using just salt), the dough has just enough flour to hold it together and the right amount of light brown sugar to suggest a chocolate chip cookie. If you find it tragically annoying to buy salted butter just for this recipe, you can use unsalted butter and add ¾ teaspoon kosher salt to the flour.”
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What you’ll need
Electric Mixer
$40 At Amazon
Pastry Brush
$6 At Amazon
Get It Right Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$26 At Amazon
Parchment Paper
$3 At Amazon
Ingredients
1
½
¼
1
2¼
6
1
Preparation
Step 1
Using an electric mixer and a medium bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until super light and fluffy, 3–5 minutes.
Step 2
Using a spatula, scrape down sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour, followed by chocolate chunks, and beat just to blend.
Step 3
Divide dough in half, then place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold plastic over to cover dough and protect your hands from getting all sticky. Using your hands (just like you’re playing with clay), form 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. Each half should form logs that are 2–2¼" in diameter. Chill until firm, about 2 hours.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet (two, if you’ve got 'em) with parchment paper. Brush outside of logs with egg wash. Roll logs in demerara sugar (this is for those really delicious crispy edges).
Step 5
Slice each log into ½"-thick rounds. Arrange on prepared baking sheet about 1" apart (they won’t spread much). Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake cookies until edges are just beginning to brown, 12–15 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.
Do Ahead: Cookie dough can be made 1 week ahead. Tightly wrap in plastic and chill, or freeze up to 1 month. Cookies can be baked 5 days ahead. Store in plastic wrap or an airtight container.
How would you rate Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread?
Leave a Review
Reviews (174)
Back to TopDelicious cookie...my family said these were the best out of all that I baked. The only issue I had was putting the egg wash on and sugar. I rolled the dough into a log and stored in fridge for a few days, and then added the egg wash and sugar just before baking. I think I should have done this step first then refrigerated them because the edges melted and flattened when I baked them. I thought I would never make them again and threw out the recipe. Well, my family loved them so much that I'm resurrecting the recipe and keeping them in the line up to make again. They are a nice spin on a shortbread cookie.
Bridget
Ohio
12/17/2022
Absolutely delicious! My family just loved these cookies. Even my husband and daughter who have a bit of a sweet tooth have said that these hands down are the best shortbread cookies! Better than grammas even 😋 I find that these are m perfect using very dark chocolate chunks. I even rolled them in crushed candy canes last year for Christmas and they were a hit, although too sweet for me. Sent thr recipe to my sister is Switzerland who complained that they were too crumbly and came out of the oven all broken apart, which was surprising to me as she said she followed the recipe to a T, so not sure what happened there…
Amanda
Whitehorse, Yukon
10/30/2022
Yum! These are the moistest shortbread cookies I've ever had. I did have a slight complication with the dough - I think my butter was TOO cold and the dough didn't hydrate properly, so it was a little crumbly. In the future, I won't use fresh-from-the-fridge butter. The flavor was delicious though!
Casey
Arlington, VA
2/13/2022
I discovered this recipe in 2019, and fell in love with this cookie! I've made them every Christmas since then. I absolutly adore shortbread (it's not for everyone), and the pecans bring me back to my childhood. My mother loved pecan shortbread cookies, albeit they were store-bought. These are hands- down the best shortbread cookies I've ever come across.
Lisa Welch
Linden, NJ
12/25/2021
Those who think that these are bland just don't like shortbread. Shortbread cookies aren't supposed to be soft, gooey, and ultra-sweet. They are supposed to be crisp, subtly sweet, and super buttery. That is just what these cookies are. I actually found the sugar coating on the edges to be a bit too sweet, but its textural addition is wonderful. The bottoms of the cookies are beautifully golden, crisp, and buttery. This is just a perfect shortbread cookie. If you don't know the difference between a shortbread cookie and a regular chocolate chip cookie, you may be disappointed or surprised by your results. All of the reviewers bashing this recipe and comparing it to non-shortbread cookies are making my eyes roll. I love gooey chocolate chip cookies too, but these are a delicious option for those who prefer crispy or who just want something different from the typical chocolate chip cookie. This will definitely remain in my cookie rotation.
Haileigh
Atlanta, GA
12/14/2021
My six year old Granddaughter gave these cookies her seal of approval. She noticed the salt, said it made it the best. We're in New Zealand and our butter is excellent. Considering that half the population probably has some Scottish ancestry we like the shortbread taste too. The sugar coating and salt sprinkle elevate it immensely. I love the idea of using salted caramel European chocolate. This recipe is a winner.
Anonymous
Auckland, New Zealand
9/6/2021
Best cookies ever. That is all there is to say!
Laura B
Nashville, TN
3/15/2021
These cookies were very good. I found that if you don't use high quality chocolate, vanilla, demerara sugar or flakey salt they are ok, but not great. Once you use good quality ingredients the taste is magnified. For those that thought they were "sub-par" maybe you should check what your using and they cook time. Sometimes they vary depending on oven, sea level and experience.
Anonymous
Washington State
2/5/2021
I’m an Alison Roman fan, but I found these cookies dry and bland. My boyfriend tried these and they’re sub par for any type of cookie in his opinion, he doesn’t understand why everyone loves them. For anyone who said that they’re delicious or amazing, you’re straight up LIARS!!
Marco
Miami
1/24/2021
So. Good. I had been meaning to make these for so long and finally got around to it over the holidays. I’m so glad I did because these are my new alltime fave. Perfect mix of sweet and salty and if you bake for 12-13, are the perfect softness - not too hard like some shortbreads. Everyone who’s tried them loves them and wants the recipe !
Anonymous
Toronto
1/10/2021
This is the first cookie I made breaking into my new stand mixer. Boy am I disappointed. I love the concept but the flavour of the cookies was bland, not sweet enough (I don't like overly sweet food, so this really did lack the sugar) and the salt-sweet combo just did not exist. The chocolate did take centre stage but it would have been better to eat the chocolate bar separately instead of in these cookies. I would love to try these with a little more sugar in the recipe, but not sure how the dough will turn out. Also found rolling in sugar after it chilled hard to do, maybe doing it before is easier.
Aashna Jay.
India
1/8/2021
Like other reviews state, this recipe is easy to do and is definitely an easy way to elevate your cooking and overall elevate the simple chocolate chip cookie. But (this is the part where I get critical), these chocolate chip shortbread cookies will never be better than ordinary chocolate chip cookies. They are quite dry and with that dryness, the flavor becomes dull. You need to have a large glass of milk right beside you if you wish to devour this cookie. Many might say, "Oh, Deanna, you just baked it for too long," and I would have to disagree. I baked the cookies for fifteen minutes, like the recipe called for. So the dry attitude from these cookies isn't my fault. If you look at all Shortbread cookies, they tend to be on the dryer side and this dryer side definitely doesn't agree with the high moisture content chocolate chip cookie (ooh alliteration). This is more of a premonition than it is to dissuade you from attempting this recipe. This recipe is fun to make, but less fun to eat, so if you have a neighbor that you just don't like, give them these. It's a win for you and your neighbor. Why? Obviously you have fun making them and you're mean neighbor who gives your yard some of the 'dryest' most rude comments can eat what he/she sows. Merry Christmas, Everyone. P.S. I clicked the "Would you make this recipe again?" Button so that you had a higher chance of seeing my review. My real answer to that question would be no, unless I'm in the mood for a cookie that makes my mouth feel like the desert which oddly could happen.
Deanna W
Madison, Mississippi
12/24/2020
So easy to make and possibly the best cookie I’ve ever tasted. They’re always a big hit and make a great gift as they travel well.
GG
Palm Springs
12/20/2020
The first time I made these fabulous cookies, I used a Lindt Dark Chocolate and Salted Caramel bar for the chocolate and it was so good that that's the only thing I've ever used for the recipe since. Many people who've tasted them have said they're the best cookies they've ever had, and, although I've made countless other chocolate chip cookies (that got no such accolades) over the years, I have to agree. So thank-you, Alison Roman! BTW, Alison Roman's Tiny Salty Chocolate Cookies recipe is also outstanding, and contains no gluten, so you can make those for your envious but gluten-avoiding friends. And her Key Lime Pie is the bomb.
Kate Z.
Vancouver, BC
12/16/2020
These are my go to cookies right now. I usually use chocolate chips and skip the sugar half the time and they are very yummy.
allison
illinois
12/13/2020