MY BEST PICTURE
STORY
My mom loves to bake plain shortbread and add some sprinkles on top. This got me thinking… why would I not just add chocolate chips to the batter?!
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (you can use any type of chocolate chips, but I think semisweet tastes best)
HOW I BAKED IT
I turned on the oven to 350F degrees. I like to take out a stick of butter the day before I am going to bake if the recipe requires softened butter so that you do not have to microwave it the next day and its ready to go! This is exactly what I did in this case. You can use unsalted butter, but I think salted butter gives this recipe a nice added flare. I mixed the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with a hand mixer (kudos to you if you have a stand mixer…maybe that will be on my Christmas list…hint hint…)
Then I mixed in the vanilla extract. Don’t even get me started on vanilla extract. Vanilla is my favorite ingredient to add to baking. Whenever I look at a recipe, I always add more than the recommended amount of vanilla extract… and it always turns out fabulous! I will try and make my own vanilla extract one of these days.
After the vanilla was incorporated and it was a smooth, silky consistency, I added in the flour and the salt. The dough transformed into a crumb-like texture.
Lastly, I added in the chocolate chips. After this was all mixed and the chocolate chips were distributed evenly, I pressed the dough into an ungreased standard pie dish. If you have a 9×9 square pan, that is fine too.
I baked the shortbread at 350F for 13 minutes. I looked to make sure the edges were slightly browning. I then let the pan cool, and I cut the shortbread into triangle pieces like you would cut a pie or a cake!
MY HONEST OPINION
This shortbread has turned out delicious every single time! It is definitely a crowd-pleaser. I brought this to a book club meeting and all of the pieces were devoured.
WHAT I WOULD TRY NEXT TIME
I was thinking of incorporating toffee into traditional shortbread… maybe I will try this at a later date!