Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Shortbread

I was really pleased to see a feature in the December issue of Canadian Living on different kinds of shortbread. While I really enjoy your regular old shortbread and the Two Tone ones I made the other week, I was intrigued by some of the combinations CL came up with. One of them was this recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Shortbread. Who doesn't love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies? Mixed with shortbread? Yum city!

This is pretty easy to throw together, and like the Pecan Dulce de Leche Cookies, you roll this dough into a log, refrigerate, slice, and bake. And these were pretty good, actually, though not terribly shortbready in the end, but nice nonetheless.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Shortbread

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp each granulated sugar and packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla until light. Stir in flour, oats, and cornstarch until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Divide dough in half; roll into 9" long log on waxed paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, or overnight.

Using a serrated knife (trust me, use an actual serrated knife, OK?), cut each roll into 18 pieces and place about 1/2" apart on a cookie sheet. Bake at 275F until firm and bottoms are lightly browned, 40 - 45 minutes (I baked them at 350F for 10 - 15 minutes as I couldn't be bothered waiting 40 minutes...). Cool.

Magazine Monday #57: Two-Tone Chocolate Shortbread

I know it's not Monday, but I am going to be away on the weekend, so I want to get this MM submission published before that.

OK, this isn't technically a magazine recipe, but it did come from a magazine. I've made these shortbread squares many times and I got the recipe way back in 1998 from the Bake Fest insert that comes in the December issue of Canadian Living. I always used to look forward to the Christmas issue of CL just because of this insert, but in recent years I think it's gone down quite a bit. The recipes aren't as interesting and it's more about advertising than it used to be.

But these shortbread squares are excellent and very, very simple! I encourage you to try them. I doubled the recipe this year so I got a huge whack!

Two-Tone Chocolate Shortbread

1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 squares (2 oz) semi-sweet chocolate, melted

1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, or in a stand mixer, beat butter & sugar until fluffy. Sift in flour & cornstarch and beat into butter mixture until just combined.

2. In a parchment lined or well-greased 9" square pan, drop 1/2 the dough in small portions, scattering randomly. Combine chocolate with remaining dough. Drop chocolate dough between the non-chocolate dough in the pan. Press to flatten.

3. Bake @ 3o0F for about 25 minutes or until firm to the touch in the centre. Let cool & slice into squares or bars.