Coffee and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies

There is a Cookie shop in Spenser Plaza which makes us aware of its presence the moment we step into the mall.The wonderful aroma of freshly baked cookies is so tempting and inviting,and the variety,oh boy!!They have so many mix and match flavors that you'd really be confused as to which one to buy.Ajay is not much a cookie fan and I am content with 2 or 3 cookies,so it doesn't make sense to buy a batch for me and then feel guilty for finishing it off all by myself. 

But whenever we pass by the shop,we have a regular routine.I ask Ajay if we can buy some cookies and he says,why--you make better cookies!!Ok,I know I know,sounds very kiddish,but we,I enjoy it a lot!!


It's been a while since i posted a Cookie recipe here,I always fall back on my regular Cookie recipe and shy out from trying out new ones.I remember bookmarking this recipe when Ria made it.So when Sweatha of Curry Leaf made it recently for T&T from Aparna's blog,I decided it was high time I tried it too..and I did.

The crunchy cookie with a strong coffee burst and bite of chocolate chunks in between..man,to-die-for cookies,I bet!!

Coffee and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies
Recipe source - Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen,Original recipe by Dorie Greenspan



Ingredients

Instant coffee powder - 1 tbsp
Hot water - 1 tbsp
Butter - 200 gms
Powdered sugar - 2/3 cup
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Milk chocolate -3/4 cup chopped (into small chunks)
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Method

Dissolve the instant coffee powder in the water and keep aside to cool.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and powdered sugar till smooth, not light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). 
Beat in the vanilla and dissolved coffee.

Turn down the mixer to low speed and add the flour and salt, mix only till the flour is incorporated into the dough. Overworking the dough is not a good idea as it affects the texture of the shortbread.
Now fold in the chocolate chunks with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Using the spatula, transfer the dough (it will be a bit sticky) into a large Ziploc bag. Leave the bag open, place on your work surface and slowly press out the dough with a rolling pin so it becomes a 9" by 10 1/2" rectangle about 1/4" thick.
Turn the bag to the other side as well, while rolling, and occasionally lift the bag from the dough to smooth out the creases. Take care to see no air pockets remain and gently press out any. Seal the Ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least two hours or upto 2 days.

The longer the dough is chilled the easier the dough is to handle, and the better the cookies hold their shape when baked. So please make sure the dough chills for about 24 hours.
When the dough has chilled enough, take it out. Place on a cutting surface and slit the Ziploc bag open. Take the chilled rectangle of dough out, and cut into 1 1/2" squares with a sharp knife after marking them out using a ruler.
Place the squares on a baking sheet lined with parchment (I just placed them on ungreased cookie sheets) and prick them well with a fork.

Bake at 180C for 18 to 20 minutes till they look golden. The baking time needs to be judged well, as the dough is already a pale brown, or one might end up with slightly burnt shortbread squares that no one wants to eat! So keep a watch on them once they've baked for 15 minutes.

Dust the shortbread squares with powdered sugar while they're hot, if you prefer.
Cool on a rack.

Sending this to Srivalli for the Tried and Tasted event which features Aparna's blog this month!