Chocolate Dipped Churro Shortbread Cookies

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F.

Step 2

In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. It doesn't need to get to the "light and fluffy" stage for this recipe, just well combined.

Step 3

Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt, and continue to mix until the dough comes together.

Step 4

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into a flat disk. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Step 5

Remove the dough from the fridge and allow a few minutes for it to begin to soften. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until its about 3/8-1/2 inch thick.

Step 6

Cut the dough into rectangles (I used a pizza cutter) roughly 3 inches by 1.5 inches, or whatever size you prefer.

Step 7

Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over one half of each unbaked cookie on the diagonal (see photo above of cookies before they are dipped into chocolate), very lightly pressing the sugar into the dough. Reserve a little extra sugar for sprinkling along the chocolate at the very end.

Step 8

Bake for about 12 minutes. The cookies will still be pale and soft, but will firm up as they cool. Allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack. (If your cookies come out of the oven a little misshapen, they are really easy to nudge back into shape while they are still hot. Use the side of a butter knife or some other flat edge to gently press the sides of the dough back into a neat rectangle.)

Step 9

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for the cookies to rest on after they've been dipped in chocolate.

Step 10

Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or in a microwave safe container like a Pyrex glass measuring cup, using short (10-15 second) bursts. You'll want a relatively small and deep container to make dipping the cookies easier. My 2 cup glass measuring cup worked well.

Step 11

Gently tap off any excess sugar from the cooled cookies, and dip the un-sugared half into the melted chocolate at an angle, covering the area that isn't coated in sugar. Place them on the lined baking sheet.

Step 12

Allow the chocolate coating to partially harden before adding the final sprinkling of raw sugar along the edge of the dipped portion of the cookie. If you sprinkle it on too early, it will just sink into the wet chocolate. When the chocolate is still a bit tacky and not fully hardened, it should stay on top and adhere. Sprinkle a little more than you think you want, press it in very very lightly, and tap off any excess once the chocolate is completely cooled and hardened.