Fill the Cookie Jar with Chocolate Almond Shortbread

Diamond, Flowers and Chocolate are the perfect gift for Valentine's Day.  Although I can't give you diamonds.... I will give you some chocolate with maybe a decorated flower or two to fill your cookie jar this Valentine's Day... The catch is that you have to make them yourself but they are worth it if you like a chocolate cookie with a crunch that melt in your mouth.

This month's theme for Fill the Cookie Jar is Valentine's and Hearts.  The first thing that came into my mind is a shortbread cookie.  A chocolate shortbread cookie shaped into a heart, dipped in white chocolate with a flower decoration ~  Two out of three of my favorite Valentine's gifts I will give you.  Seeing I will probably not get any diamonds this year, maybe not even flowers, I will even settle on these for the chocolate. Probably for the best because I ate way too many of them, testing them out.  They were even good plain...

Chocolate Almond Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp almond flavouring

1/2 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup cocoa (I used Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa)

1 tsp salt *

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

white chocolate for melting ~ about  1 cup wafers (I use Wilton Candy Melts)

Pink chocolate for melting ~ about 1/3 cup wafers

Red coloured sugar

Directions:

In large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy.

Add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy.

Add almond flavouring and vanilla, then beat in cocoa at a low speed, scraping down sides frequently.

Beat in flour and salt.  Dough will be soft.

Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and place in refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour until firm. Can be left in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. 

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Remove dough from fridge.  If dough has been chilled for longer then 30 minutes, let sit on counter until dough is soft enough to be worked but still chilled.

Unwrap dough slightly and dough slightly in hands, flattening. 

Place on hard surface with plastic wrap underneath.  I used a second piece of plastic wrap over the dough and rolled the dough flat to 1/8-1/4 inch thick. **

Using cookie cutter cut into shape.  Place on cookie sheet that has been covered with baking mat or parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12- 14 minutes. (mine took 14 minutes)

Cool on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes and then transfer to cooling rack to completely cool.

Once cookies are cool:

Melt white chocolate over double boiler.

Dip cookie either half way or the tops in chocolate.  Sprinkle with coloured sugar.  Let chocolate harden.

Melt pink chocolate wafers.  Place in ziplok bag.  Cut tip and drizzle over white chocolate.

Cooks Notes:

I made the pink flowers by mixing a couple of drops of red food colouring in the melted pink chocolate that had slightly hardened.  This made the chocolate harden but was still warm.  I rolled the chocolate into cylinders and place 3 or 4 small cylinders onto cookie.

* I used salted butter so omitted the salt.

**I use a glass bowl on top of pot full of enough water that the water touches the bottom of the glass bowl as my double boiler.  Bring water to a boil and turn down the heat, place in chocolate and stir until melted.

Diamonds, flowers and Chocolate for Valentine's 

Fill the Cookie Jar is a facebook group that was started by Cynthia from Feeding Big.  Each month we are given a theme for the cookies.  We then post our cookies on the first Thursday.  For more information or if you want to join our group click on the button below.
Last Month for Fill the Cookie Jar I made Granola Cookies.

    

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