Step 1

Place the butter and salt in the mixer bowl, and mix on medium speed until creamy (using a paddle beater) - about 2 to 4 minutes. You can use a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer.

Step 2

Add the sugar, and mix until the sugar and butter are creamed well, and the mix is fluffy and creamy - another 2 to 4 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the butter sugar mix is creamed evenly.

Step 3

Add the vanilla and mix for a few seconds to incorporate.

Step 4

In a separate bowl, sift the AP flour, rice flour / cornstarch, and cocoa powder together.

Step 5

Add the dry ingredients in two additions, and MIX ON LOW (or the stir setting), until the flour is mixed in with the butter-sugar mix, and the dough forms clumps. Do NOT over-mix, as this can make the shortbread cookies tough and chewy.

Step 6

Place a parchment paper on your work surface, and turn out the cookie dough onto the parchment paper.

Step 7

Fold the parchment paper to bring the dough together to form a cohesive dough (fold the dough over 2 - 3 times to help bring it together). Then flatten the dough into a disc shape. Make sure there are no flour streaks or butter streaks in the dough.

Step 8

Place the dough disc in a gallon-size ziploc bag, seal it, and let it rest for about 10 minutes at room temperature.

Step 9

Place the ziploc bag on a flat and smooth surface, and open the bag. Gently roll the dough using a rolling pin, maintaining an even thickness throughout the dough. Press / roll the dough into the bottom edge of the ziploc bag, and then roll it out to fill the ziploc bag. The dough should form a 10 x 10 inch square, that's about ½ inch thick. Keep the bag open while you do this to allow excess air to escape, so you can easily roll out the dough to an even thickness.

Step 10

When the dough has been rolled out, close the ziploc bag making sure there are no air bubbles. Carefully transfer the dough filled ziploc bag onto a sheet pan. Then transfer this to the fridge to chill for about 30 - 60 minutes, or until the dough is firm enough to cut through.

Step 11

Once the dough is chilled, carefully remove the dough disc from the ziploc bag. You may need to cut the bag open carefully. Place the dough on a parchment paper on a smooth surface, and using a sharp knife, trim just the edges to get sharp edges.

Step 12

Cookie shape 1 - Cut the dough into any shape you prefer. Make sure to use a sharp cutter, knife or crinkle cutter. Here, I cut the dough into 25 cookies (about 1.5 inch squares).

Step 13

Cookie shape 2 - You can also cut the dough in half, and then cut shortbread fingers that are about 1 inch in width for a total of 18 - 20 cookies.

Step 14

Using a fork or toothpick - pierce each cookie in a pattern on top (see pictures in the post). Transfer the parchment paper with the cookies onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for about another 30 - 60 minutes, until the cookies are chilled. You can also cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough overnight at this point as well.

Step 15

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C (conventional). When the cookies are ready to be baked, place the cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking tray, about 1 inch apart (you may need to use 2 half sheet pans for all the cookies).

Step 16

Bake the cookies in the center of the oven for about 15 - 20 minutes. The edges will only just turn slightly darker in color (it might actually be hard to see this visually if you use a darker cocoa powder. So check on the cookies after about 12 minutes, to make sure they are not burning).

Step 17

Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool slightly. Then transfer the cookies carefully onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 18

Repeat with the rest of the cookies.

Step 19

Once the cookies are cooled, decorate the cookies if you like with a drizzle of melted chocolate of your choice, or half dip each cookie in melted chocolate. You can also serve them as they are. Store the cookies in an air-tight container.