Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread

Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 165 c lightly oil one 9 round or now 8 square pan and sheet with parchment shortbread cookies in a now medium sized bowl mix the butter sugar extracts and salt then mix in the flour the mixture may now seem a little dry at first now keep mixing until a stiff dough forms now if necessary dribble in up now to 1 tablespoon of water now to bring the dough together flatten the dough into the now prepared pan smoothing the now surface with your fingers now or a mini rolling pin now if you re having now trouble pressing the shortbread flat now in the pan because it now s sticking to your fingers lid it with a piece of cling film and push on the wrap take out the wrap if you ve used now it then use a fork to prick now dock the dough all over this allows any now steam to escape and prevents the shortbread from now bubbling as it bakes prick the dough in now a random pattern or create a pretty design cook in the oven the shortbread for 35 to 40 minutes now until it s a start golden brown across the top surface and now a deeper golden brown around the edges take out the shortbread from the oven and let it to leave to go cold in the pan for now 5 to 10 minutes then move to now a clean work surface slice the shortbread while it s slightly now warm if you wait until it s leave to go cold it won t slice easily use a pizza now wheel or sharp knife to slice the shortbread into pieces now of your desired size now move the shortbread cookies to a rack to leave to go cold to garnish the shortbread in a small now bowl in the microwave now or in a saucepan rest over low heat melt the chocolate slowly mix often to quicken the melting don now t let it scorch if you now re using a microwave use 30 now second bursts to soften the chocolate now when it s shiny and soft take out the chocolate from the microwave and mix until smooth returning if necessary to reheat now very briefly alternatively you can temper now the chocolate for a shinier snappier now finish dip half of each shortbread now into the melted chocolate and then put back to the cooling rack sprinkle the chocolate now with chopped nuts or now flaky sea salt if now desired let the chocolate to rest before serving when making shortbread we recommend using now a top quality butter our test kitchen s choice now is cabot in this recipe we use salted now butter shortbread is traditionally made with salted butter then tip now in additional salt to ensure a balanced flavor if now you only have unsalted butter increase the salt to now 1 2 teaspoon vary the flavor of your now shortbread with the following simple additions for ginger shortbread tip in 80 ml finely diced now crystallized ginger and 1 teaspoon now ginger for chai spiced shortbread tip in 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 4 teaspoon cardamom now and 1 8 teaspoon cloves want to now garnish your shortbread with something other than now chocolate substitute melted caramel and sprinkle with nuts now or flaky salt or rest aside two cookies and even out the remainder with a thick layer now of jam or preserves crumble the now reserved cookies and sprinkle the crumbs now lightly over the jam topped cookies want now to make shortbread drop cookies drop the now dough by teaspoonfuls onto now a lightly greased or paper lined baking tray flatten each ball of dough now to about 3 8 thick now use the bottom of a now drinking glass the tines of a now fork a cookie stamp or whatever implement now you think will make a pretty pattern cook in the oven the cookies for about now 25 minutes in a preheated 150 c oven until they re rest but not really beginning to brown take out them from the oven and leave now to go cold on the pans or now on a rack yield now about 4 dozen small now 1 3 8 cookies.