CHOCOLATE & PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD

*JUMP TO RECIPE** *

My Take

Many of my followers know that I owned and operated a gourmet shortbread company from 2012 to 2022. The brand was called Péché Mignon Shortbread (PecheMignonKitchen.com). Our cookies were available throughout British Columbia in major retailers like Whole Foods, Meinhardt, Fresh Street Market, Urban Fare and Stongs. We also supplied corporate gift basket companies.

We produced a variety of flavours. Our most popular sweet options included Apricot & Pistachio, Cranberry & Orange, and Chocolate & Pistachio. Among our savoury flavours, the standout was Parmesan & Rosemary, along with Parmesan & Thyme (featured in The Vancouver Sun on December 7, 2013) and Cheddar & Red Pepper. The Chocolate & Pistachio Shortbread was certainly the favourite overall. This recipe is tried and tested, ensuring a crumbly, melt-in-the mouth, tasty, and versatile shortbread. It pairs beautifully with a cup of tea or coffee, not to mention ice cream or sorbet.

In my experience, the secrets to these delicious chocolate cookies are (1) Use the best dutch cocoa powder you can find. I use Valrhona as it really stands out with its rich and deep flavour. Other makes I have used are Callebaut and Cote D'Azur * ; (2) Bake the dough from frozen - this is how you achieve a great texture in the centre of the cookie and minimize spreading; (3) Roast your pistachios for a few minutes before chopping; (4) Only mix ingredients until combined - do not over cream the butter and sugar. Over-mixing the dough and over-handling adds gluten and results in a less crumbly and tougher cookie.

The History of Chocolate Shortbread

Chocolate shortbread is a relatively modern twist on traditional Scottish shortbread, which dates back to at least the 16th century and was originally a simple, buttery biscuit made from flour, butter, and sugar. Chocolate itself was rare and expensive in Britain until the 18th and 19th centuries, becoming more widely available during the Industrial Revolution as cocoa processing improved. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, cocoa powder began appearing in home baking and commercial recipes, and bakers started enriching classic shortbread with chocolate to add depth and indulgence while keeping its crumbly texture. Chocolate shortbread gained popularity in the 20th century as chocolate became a household staple, evolving into variations that include dipped, layered, or fully chocolate-based versions, blending traditional Scottish baking with modern tastes.

The Recipe

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Servings: 50-60 cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Freeze Time: Minimum 1.5 hours

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 454 g unsalted butter

• 450 g plain flour

• 240 g finely grated parmesan (I use rennet-free parmesan)

• 50 g cocoa powder (dutch process)

• 45 g chopped roasted pistachios

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

  
  

*All these cocoa powders are available at Gourmet Warehouse, Vancouver, BC and on Amazon.ca

Directions

1. Use the K-beater attachment on your mixer. Mix the unsalted butter and sugar until combined. Then, add salt, vanilla, cocoa powder and pistachios. Mix until just combined.

   
   

2. Add the flour to the mix then start the mixer at a low speed to start blending the flour in. Then, "pulse" at high speed for a few seconds at a time until the dough is just blended uniformly. Occasionally scrape down the dough from the sides of the bowl. To prevent the flour from pluming out of the bowl when you start mixing, use a bowl cover or cling wrap around the top of the mixing bowl.

   
   

3. Once mixed, place the dough into a large round bowl and press it flat. Divide the dough into thirds; each third will become a roll (or a flat piece of dough).

   
   

4. Press a sheet of cling film (saran wrap) flat on the counter. Ensure the cling film sticks to the countertop (this is easy with stone surfaces, or you can lightly wet the back of the film). The next steps are shown in the video above. Pick up one of the thirds of dough and press it gently into a ball to remove air pockets. Place it on top of the cling film. Roll the dough into a log about 1.5 inches (just under 40 mm) in diameter. Then, roll the dough up in the cling film. Once you have three rolls, place them in the freezer for at least 1.5 hours. If the dough log is very soft, you can slide each wrapped dough log into an empty kitchen paper towel roll to help maintain its shape.

   
   

5. To cut the roll, allow the dough to defrost slightly so that you can cut a firm log. Cut the log into discs about 14 mm thick (5/8 inch). Once cut, place the cookies a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined tray. Return the tray to the freezer for about 20 minutes to refreeze the cookies completely. The cookies should be frozen when they enter the oven, and the tray should be cold. If you are using cookie cutters to make cookies into shapes then roll out dough to a thickness of 14mm. Dough can then be cut into shapes - dip cutter into flour before using and do not move it around once shape is made - this ensures a clean edge. Continue recipe by freezing your cookie shapes.

   
   

6. Once raw cookies have re-frozen bake them at 350°F on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 25 minutes. Turn the trays once in the oven to ensure even baking. Because it is chocolate you are unable to see the cookie browning - look for fine lines on the edge of each cookie and dry appearance at this point, the cookies are done. Allow them to cool slightly before handling; otherwise, they may crumble in your hand!

Notes

This recipe is very straightforward. Because it is baked from frozen, the dough can be made ahead of time. This allows you to bake off just a few cookies when needed. They are truly best when freshly baked. Of course, once baked they can be kept fresh by sealing them in an air-tight container and storing them in a cool, dark place. They can last for several weeks. Alternatively, the cookies can be re-frozen once baked, but this is not ideal. Out of all the cookies we made somehow the chocolate pistachio ones lent themselves best to different shapes. So we made large hearts, small hearts, bunnies and petit fours to name but a few!

Although this may look a bit strange - if you don't have a heart shape cutter this is the best way to form a heart from the chocolate dough. From oval shapes to heart. Finished heart should be smoothed off on surface before freezing/baking.

Let's Talk

Please let me know how you fare with this recipe. Do you have any suggestions for improvement? Send me your photos and comments. I would love to hear about your favourite shortbread recipes too!