When I was visiting my friend in North Carolina we made the most INSANE shortbread.
by we I really mean her but I was there and helped by doing things like talking and drinking wine and eating her insane cheese plate and throwing away the butter wrappers……..
My friend is an amazing hostess and cook and she has a true love: Cookbooks. She hoards them and reads them cover to cover like real books. I knew these would be good before she even told me that they apparently had a cult following from a famous New York Times food writer Alison Roman…. who now I take it is has turned into a full time cookbook author connoisseur. Apparently her cookbooks are literally sold out all the time.
AND DAMN. MAKE ‘EM.
I don’t think I had ever had shortbread prior to this.
(I keep calling them shortbread cookies but they are just shortbread….. but it’s like a biscuit cookie!)
I was immediately intrigued by the fact that you use cold sticks of butter.
I also love this because it takes me 97 hours to soften a stick of butter and that is AFTER I have remembered to take the butter out of the fridge which is usually the only free moment I have to actually bake.
Seriously. Make these.
They are so different from a chocolate chip cookie. We devoured the entire plate.
And don’t forget the salt. Salt with chocolate is the greatest combination in the world.
we used coarse sea salt instead of sea salt flakes and it was just as superbly delicious.
ALSO. I have been told by some of you that her Carmelized Onion Pasta is the newest addiction sweeping the country….. so I am going to get my hands on that recipe and MAKE IT because I LOVE PASTA AND I LOVE ONIONS.
:: SALTED BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP SHORTBREAD COOKIES ::
recipe via Alison Roman
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2¼ sticks) cold salted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped (but not too fine, you want chunks, not thin shards of chocolate)
- 1 large egg, beaten to blend
- Demerara sugar (for rolling)
- Flaky sea salt
- Using an electric mixer and a medium bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until super light and fluffy, 3–5 minutes.
- Using a spatula, scrape down sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour, followed by chocolate chunks, and beat just to blend.
- Divide dough in half, then place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold plastic over to cover dough and protect your hands from getting all sticky. Using your hands (just like you’re playing with clay), form dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help you smooth it out, but don’t worry about getting it totally perfect. Each half should form logs that are 2–2¼" in diameter. Chill until firm, about 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet (two, if you’ve got 'em) with parchment paper. Brush outside of logs with egg wash. Roll logs in demerara sugar (this is for those really delicious crispy edges).
- Slice each log into ½"-thick rounds. Arrange on prepared baking sheet about 1" apart (they won’t spread much). Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake cookies until edges are just beginning to brown, 12–15 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.
- Do Ahead: Cookie dough can be made 1 week ahead. Tightly wrap in plastic and chill, or freeze up to 1 month. Cookies can be baked 5 days ahead. Store in plastic wrap or an airtight container.
and I took notes on how to do a kick ass charcuterie.
I will now ALWAYS cut up the cheese. ALL of it. Not just a few pieces like I normally do.
Makes it so much easier when you’re trying to socialize and have a cocktail in your hand to just grab and nibble (and keep nibbling…. and keep nibbling…..)
