Chai-Spiced Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

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We are in the dead of winter where I live, though thankfully I don't live in poor Boston!  Nonetheless, temperatures are expected to dip into the single digits in the next few days and the skies have been gloomy and gray.  If for no other reason than to give me something to be excited about in the middle of dreary winter, I enjoy "celebrating" Valentine's Day.  Truthfully, I never do much planning for it; since the very beginning, Hubs has been the one to surprise me with plans that always involve relaxation and a fun activity, like chocolate-making or spending time at a botanical garden.  My usual way of reciprocating is by making Hubs his favorite food:  cookies.

Yes, Hubs' favorite food is actually cookies.  His go-to cookie is a chocolate chip cookie with pecans or walnuts, but he is not discriminating and will eat any cookie that comes his way.  This year I wanted to change it up and thought about making shortbread cookies instead of some chocolate chip variation.

Shortbread cookies require very few ingredients--just flour, butter, and sugar.  No eggs, no baking soda, etc.  The dough ends up being more firm than that of other cookies, and the cookies end up crispier than most other types of cookies--which makes them ideal for dipping into chocolate.  I also decided to use ghee instead of regular butter in these cookies because it has a slightly nutty flavor that I thought would pair well with the chai spices.

First, combine the ghee and sugar and stir to combine thoroughly.  If you don't have ghee, you can use melted unsalted butter (I recommend high-quality grass-fed Irish butter such as Kerrygold brand).

Add the salt and ground spices--cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon--and stir to combine.  Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine.

If you have a sifter, use it to add the flour to the mixture 1/4th cup at a time.  If you don't have a sifter, you can just add the flour directly to the bowl.

Begin mixing the flour into the ghee/sugar mixture with your hands until a stiff dough forms.  If you are using ghee, you may find that your mixture is crumbly and not forming a dough--this is because ghee does not contain any water.  So you may want to add water 1 teaspoon at a time to help create a dough.  I added 10-1/2 teaspoons water to form my dough (I was making enough cookie dough for 20 to 24 cookies).  If you end up using regular butter, you probably will not need to add any wate.

Eventually, you will form a cookie dough!  Cover the dough in the mixing bowl and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill it.

After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and remove the dough.  Break the dough apart into smaller balls of dough which are easy to manage--I broke mine into 4 small balls.  Using a clean surface (a clean kitchen counter would work just fine) and a rolling pin, roll out one ball of dough.

You may notice that the edges begin to crack as you roll it out--you can fix this by using your fingers and the side of the rolling pin to patch up the cracks.  The dough should be about 1/8-inch in thickness; if you roll it out too thin, the cookies will crack as you move them to the baking pan. 

Press a cookie cutter into the rolled-out dough and cut as many cookies as you can in one layer.  Remove those cookies onto a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper if you have it).  Take the remaining cookie dough scraps and combine them with one of the other balls--then complete the rolling out and cutting process again until there is no dough left.

Note:  If you don't have a cookie cutter, you can always use a knife and cut the dough into squares or rectangles, or use the rim of wine or champagne glass to make circular shapes!

Once the cookies are on the baking pan, place the plan in the oven for 12 minutes.  Check the cookies and cook for another 3-5 minutes if necessary, watching to make sure they do not become too brown.

Once the cookies are done, take them out and move them to a wire rack to help them cool faster.

Once the cookies have cooled, prepare the chocolate for dipping.  Add the chocolate to a microwave-proof glass container.  Melt the chocolate for 10 seconds in the microwave and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.  Place the chocolate back in the microwave for another 10 seconds, and stir again.  Keep doing this until the chocolate has melted completely and is smooth.  I recommend 10-second increments so that you don't burn the chocolate.

Dip the corner of each cookie into the melted chocolate and place back on the wire rack to cool.  Once the chocolate has cooled somewhat, you can put the cookies on a plate and stick them in the freezer for 10 minutes to help the chocolate harden.

Now comes the hardest part:  eating the cookies.  Just kidding, obviously!  These cookies pair perfectly with a glass of milk or a warm cup of ginger chai.  I know you'll love these  cookies as much as I do!  Happy baking and happy eating!

iNGREDIENTS (MAKES 20 - 24):

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter) or melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

iNGREDIENTS (MAKES 40 - 48):

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup ghee (clarified butter) or melted unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tbsp tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

kITCHEN tOOLS:

• Large bowl
• Whisk or fork
• Rolling pin
• Cookie cutter, knife (to cut into squares), or wine/champagne glass (to cut circles)
• Baking sheet
• Microwave-safe glass container, such as a glass measuring cup
• Flour sifter (optional)
• Parchment paper (optional)
• Wire rack (optional)
• Wooden spoon or rubber spatula (optional)

Recipe:

Adapted from Ina Garten

1. Put the ghee (or melted butter) and sugar into a bowl and use a whisk or fork to combine thoroughly.
2. Add the salt, ground cardamom, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon to the mixture and combine.  Add the vanilla extract and combine.
3. If using a sifter, add the flour into the sifter 1/4th a cup at a time and sift into the bowl.  If not using a sifter, just add the flour directly into the bowl.
4. Using your hands, combine the flour and ghee/sugar mixture to create a dough.  (Note:  if you are using ghee, your mixture may feel crumbly and may not combine into a dough immediately.  If this is the case, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until a dough forms.  If making 20-24 cookies, this will be roughly 10 teaspoons; if making 40-48 cookies, this will be roughly 20 teaspoons).
5. Once the dough forms, cover it and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Break the dough into several smaller balls (4 balls if making 20-24 cookies, 8 balls if making 40-48 cookies). 
7. On a clean, flat surface (a clean kitchen countertop would be fine), roll each ball of dough out until it is 1/8-inch thick.  If the dough appears to crack at the edges as you are rolling it out, use your fingers and the edge of your rolling pin to repair the cracks.
8. Using a cookie cutter (or knife or glass rim) to cut out the cookies from the dough.  Place each cookie on a baking sheet (parchment paper-lined if possible).  Roll up the scraps of cookie dough into one of the other dough balls and repeat the process of rolling the dough out and cutting the cookies.  Repeat this process until there is no dough left.
9. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes.  Check the cookies at that point and bake for another 3-5 minutes if necessary, making sure they do not turn too brown.
10. Once the cookies are done, remove them to a wire rack to help them cool faster.
11. Once the cookies have cooled enough to handle them with your hands, place the chocolate chips in a glass container and heat for 10 seconds.  Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir the chips, and then place back in the microwave for another 10 seconds.  Again stir the chips and repeat this process of microwaving-and-stirring until the chocolate is smooth and shiny.  Be careful not to over-microwave the chocolate chips or they will burn!
12. Dip one end of each cookie into the melted chocolate and place back on the wire rack to cool. Once the chocolate has cooled somewhat, place the cookies on a plate and freeze for 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.
    

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