A Challenge For YOU!

I DARE you to make these!

Salted butter chocolate chunk shortbread cookies from chef and author Alison Roman. Shown on Inside Edition Show 2018. ENTERTAINMENT - 12:51 PM PDT, March 20, 2018 - 

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2¼ sticks) salted butter       (see Note), cut into½-inch pieces
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
6 ounces semi- or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped (but not too fine, you want chunks, not thin shards of chocolate)
1 large egg, beaten
*Demerara sugar, for rolling
Flaky sea salt, such as Jacobsen, for sprinkling

NOTE: 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.

DO AHEAD: The cookie dough can be made ahead and stored, tightly wrapped in plastic, up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or 1 month in the freezer. Cookies can be baked and stored in plastic wrap or an airtight container for 5 days.

Made with lots of salted butter (it has a slightly different flavor and a deeper saltiness than using just salt—I prefer unsalted butter everywhere else but here), the dough has just enough flour to hold it together and the right amount of light brown sugar to suggest a chocolate chip cookie. The chocolate is cut into chunks to prevent chip congregation, and once the dough is formed into a cylindrical log, the whole thing gets rolled in Demerara sugar for the crispiest-ever edges. Less chocolate chip cookie, more brown sugar shortbread with chocolate chunks— they just might be the cookie you’ve been looking for. 

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet (two, if you’ve got ’em) with parchment paper. 

2. Using an electric mixer and a medium bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, both sugars, and vanilla on medium-high till it’s super light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and, with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, followed by the chocolate chunks, and beat just to blend. 

3. Divide the dough in half, placing each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic over so that it covers the dough to protect your hands from getting all sticky. Using your hands (just like you’re playing with clay), form the 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. You can also do this using parchment paper, if you prefer, but I find using plastic wrap easier when it comes to shaping the log. *Each half should form two logs 2 to 2¼ inches in diameter. Chill until totally firm, about 2 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

5. Brush the outside of the logs with the beaten egg and roll them in the *Demerara sugar (this is for those really delicious crispy edges).

6. Slice each log into ½-inch-thick rounds, place them on the prepared baking sheet(s) about 1 inch apart (they won’t spread much), and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.

*Demerara sugar is raw, light brown sugar. It’s a large grain sugar that has a golden brown color and a subtle molasses flavor. Substitute with light brown sugar. 

* I made only 2 logs but maybe it meant to make 4???? Well my two were long and 2 inches in diameter!

I also substituted GHIRARDELLI semi-sweet premium baking chips as my store was out of semi-sweet baking chocolate bars and I do not like bittersweet chocolate at all. (No chunk chopping) There is a nice recipe for "regular" chocolate chip cookies on the back of the bag.

One of the most difficult parts for me was dividing and rolling the dough.

The next difficult procedure for me was to cut through the hard dough.

They baked very well for 17 minutes; lovely brown bottoms.

All in all they are absolutely the most delicious cookies I have made in a long while, BUT...I'll never do this recipe again. They are the devil's cookies for being labor intensive. I don't need to work so hard.

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...and now I DOUBLE DARE YOU to make these!