I set out to make crumbly, bittersweet, melt-in-your-mouth double chocolate shortbread cookies – my twist on a classic biscuit with origins in 12th century Scotland – but didn’t have white chocolate chunks or enough powdered sugar. So I developed a chocolate shortbread cookie recipe with ingredients I had on hand, swapping white chocolate for roasted peanuts and some confectioner’s sugar for turbinado sugar.
Far from a traditional shortbread ingredient, turbinado sugar and its cousin, Demerara sugar, are minimally-processed brown sugars with very large crystals, which (along with the peanuts) give these cookies a subtle and delicious crunch.
For peanut-butter-and-jelly-inspired sandwich cookies, spread a thin layer of raspberry jam (or any flavor of your choosing) on a handful of cookies, and top with the remaining cookies.
Chocolate Peanut Shortbread Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup turbinado or Demerara sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup roasted, halved peanuts (I used the unsalted version of these)
Jam, for filling (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and turbinado sugar until light and fluffy.
- Sift cocoa powder, salt, and flour in a medium bowl. Add to butter and sugar mixture, stirring until just combined. Mix in peanuts.
- Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough, roll into balls, and arrange on prepared baking sheet at least an inch apart. Flatten the balls of dough with your fingers until around 1/4 inches thick. Bake for 18 minutes, or until just set; be careful not to overtake.
- Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once fully cooled, spread with jam if desired and form sandwich cookies.
Yield: 13 cookies, or 6 sandwiches cookies with 1 cookie left over!
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