If you are looking for a not-too-messy chocolate cookie for your cookie box, here's a classy recipe called Chocolate Almond Shortbread. Also known as Chocolate Snowballs, the recipe was given to me years ago by a friend with good taste. You can make a full batch for 48 cookies, or easily halve it for a smaller crowd.
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While these are also known as Chocolate Snowballs, they aren't completely spherical. They're more like mounds, but you can also bake them as circles or plain rounds.
Texture
One interesting thing about these cookies is that they are made without any leavening agents, so no baking soda or baking powder. They aren't crispy at all, but they fall apart in your mouth. They don't hold together well until they are completely cool, so give them a chance to cool down before you attempt to roll them in the sugar.
Slivered or Sliced Almonds
Slivered almonds, the kind that look like little white sticks, are ideal for chocolate almond shortbread. For the ones in the photo I used sliced almonds because I had some leftover from almond toffee. The sliced almonds work okay, but the texture of the slivered almonds goes a little better with the texture of the cookie.
Recipe
Chocolate Almond Shortbread
Ingredients
- 3 oz semisweet chocolate (84 grams)
- 1 oz unsweetened chocolate (28 grams)
- 2 sticks salted butter, softened** (240 grams)
- ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 grams)
- 1 cup lightly toasted slivered almonds, chopped
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (miniature if possible)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Place both chocolates in a microwave safe bowl and melt by heating on high (or 50% power if your microwave is a high wattage) and stirring every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool.
- With an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar, vanilla and almond extract.
- Blend in melted cooled chocolate, then add flour, almonds and chocolate chips. Stir to make a dough.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on parchment lined baking sheets. For round cookies, press the dough balls down gently to flatten tops. For slightly rounded cookies that look more like Snowballs, keep the dough as balls.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, then let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. They'll be delicate at this point, so carefully transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Roll cookies in powdered sugar.
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