Salted Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies (Dairy-Free)

Name: Salted Dark Chocolate Shortbread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 240g of all-purpose flour; 75g of semolina flour (see notes!); 70g of brown sugar (dark or light); 80g of powdered sugar; 70g of dutch-process cocoa (see notes); Sprinkle of cinnamon; 3/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt; 190g of avocado oil (or other flavorless oil); 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract; Flaky sea salt (for topping)

This salted dark chocolate shortbread feels like it shouldn’t work. In fact, it didn’t at first, which I’ll explain below. But with a little fiddling, this recipe is now absolute perfection…not too sweet, with a deep dark chocolate flavor balanced by a nice saltiness. *chefs kiss*

The first time I made these chocolate shortbread cookies, the flavor was BOMB but the texture off…a bit chalky, kind of glued my mouth together. So after some noodling on it, my solution was to sub out some of the regular flour for semolina flour. Once I got the balance right, it gives the perfect texture a bit crisper.

There’s some precedent for swapping in some semolina flour in shortbread. I haven’t found another good substitute, though have wondered whether a small amount of cornmeal (in a pinch) could do something similar. I recommend the semolina though.

The other big thing to know is that good cocoa powder is KEY! Dutch-process cocoa definitely lends the best flavor here, and is easy to find online. If you don’t have it, at least use a quality dark cocoa powder, like Hershey’s Special Dark and not the basic Hershey’s you find at Kroger. Trust me, it makes a difference.

If it matters to you, this recipe is dairy-free as well…this is a unique shortbread made with oil instead of butter.

Two other notes…there is a step in the recipe that says to rest the dough for 15 minutes before baking. DON’T SKIP THIS.

I was moving too quickly and accidentally skipped this step once, and my chocolate shortbread was…not great. This step is important, I assume to both let the gluten relax and let the oil coat/hydrate the flour and cocoa powder.

Also, don’t be scared of the salt content. One of the best compliments I got on these was from my massage therapist, who texted me after I left them and said, “This cookie has the perfect amount of salt! No one ever uses enough.” Couldn’t agree more.

Line an 8- or 9- inch (my reco) square pan with parchment paper. I like to make a cross with two different pieces, making an easy sling to pull the baked shortbread out.

In a large mixing bowl (no stand mixer needed), sift the flour (regular and semolina), powdered sugar, and cocoa.

Add the salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar, then whisk or stir the mixture.

Add the avocado oil and the vanilla and switch to a spoon or rubber spatula.

Mix until the dough is fully combined and there are no streaks or bits of flour, but then stop (overmixing will make it tough). It may seem a bit oily but don’t worry, it’ll be fine.

Press the dough into the prepared pan, using the back of a measuring cup or the spatula to pack it in and smooth over the top.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Let the dough rest in the pan for 15 minutes while the oven heats up—trust me, this is important! I skipped it accidentally once and my cookies were awful. I believe that this is giving the flour and cocoa time to hydrate and the gluten time to rest and relax.

Once the oven is ready and the dough has rested 15 minutes, sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt and bake for 20 minutes.

Then remove from the oven. Using a knife or scraper tool (my preference), cut the cookie in either half (for 16 cookies) or thirds (for 24 cookies), then turn the other way and cut it into 8 pieces (so in half, then in half, then half again if you prefer…).

Basically you want eight thin columns. The picture below shows this better than my terrible explanation.

Return to the oven for another 10 minutes, possibly up to 15. Then remove from the oven and let them cool. You should then be able to use the scraper tool or knife to re-cut/break them easily along the lines you already made.

Once the cookies are cool you can store them out in the air for a while (I like to dry them out a bit, have even left them out on the counter overnight and they were fine) and then in an airtight container for up to a week.

These salted dark chocolate shortbread cookies are the perfect afternoon treat with a cup of tea…or, I’ll be honest, I’ve had them as pre-breakfast with my morning coffee!

Other recipes that make a perfect afternoon treat:

Adapted slightly from Buttermilk by Sam

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Salted Dark Chocolate Shortbread

Yield: 16 large or 24 small cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

These salted dark chocolate shortbread cookies are a perfect treat for any occasion...they're not too sweet, with a deep dark chocolate flavor balanced by a nice saltiness, and made with oil instead of butter (dairy-free!). A chocolate shortbread that's super easy to whip up, make ahead, and a total crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

240g of all-purpose flour
75g of semolina flour (see notes!)
70g of brown sugar (dark or light)
80g of powdered sugar
70g of dutch-process cocoa (see notes)
Sprinkle of cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt
190g of avocado oil (or other flavorless oil)
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
Flaky sea salt (for topping)

Instructions

Line an 8- or 9- inch (my reco) square pan with parchment paper. I like to make a cross with two different pieces, making an easy sling to pull the baked shortbread out.
In a large mixing bowl (no stand mixer needed), sift the flour (regular and semolina), powdered sugar, and cocoa.
Add the salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar, then whisk or stir the mixture.
Add the avocado oil and the vanilla and switch to a spoon or rubber spatula. Mix until the dough is fully combined and there are no streaks or bits of flour, but then stop (overmixing will make it tough). It may seem a bit oily but don't worry, it'll be fine.
Press the dough into the prepared pan, using the back of a measuring cup or the spatula to pack it in and smooth over the top.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Let the dough rest in the pan for 15 minutes while the oven heats up---trust me, this is important! I skipped it accidentally once and my cookies were awful. I believe that this is giving the flour and cocoa time to hydrate and the gluten time to rest and relax.
Once the oven is ready and the dough has rested 15 minutes, sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt and bake for 20 minutes.
Then remove from the oven. Using a knife or scraper tool (my preference), cut the cookie in either half (for 16 cookies) or thirds (for 24 cookies), then turn the other way and cut it into 8 pieces (so in half, then in half, then half again if you prefer...). Basically you want eight thin columns.
Return to the oven for another 10 minutes, possibly up to 15. Then remove from the oven and let cool.
Once the cookies are cool you can store them out in the air for a while (I like to dry them out a bit, even left them out on the counter overnight and they were fine) and then in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes

The biggest adaptation I made was to swap some semolina flour for a portion of the all-purpose. I felt like it made a bit difference in texture, keeping it from being too chalky. If you can't find semolina, you could still try it with all regular flour, or you could test out swapping in a smaller amount of polenta/cornmeal for the 75g of semolina. I haven't tested this, but if you do please let me know!
Dutch-process cocoa definitely lends the best flavor here, and is easy to find online (I buy mine on Amazon). If you don't have it, at least use a quality dark cocoa powder, like Hershey's Special Dark and not the basic Hershey's you find at Kroger. Trust me, it makes a difference.