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The February 2006 Recipe of the Month Shortbread Cookies with a Touch of Chocolate This is a wonderful shortbread, easy to make, and nicely crumbly, so you will want to drizzle the chocolate over the tops of these cookies, instead of dipping the cookies into the chocolate. Just right for tea with friends. We thank Elizabeth Finlayson for this rich treat.
Ingredients 1 1/2 cups flour 3 Tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 cup butter (butter is best for this recipe --Ed.) Additional 1 Tablespoon sugar Additional 2 teaspoons butter 4-6 ounces good-quality dark chocolate chips, or broken-up bittersweet chocolate. Optional very tiny dash of orange liqueur or orange extract Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place first 4 ingredients into a bowl, and either using your hands or a pastry cutter, mix all ingredients until combined, and no large lumps remain, note the dough will be crumbly to work with. Pat together into a ball, and flatten the ball. If the kitchen is too warm, you may want to put the flattened ball on waxed paper in the refrigerator for several minutes to firm up a bit. Otherwise, proceed. Using an 8-inch round cake pan with a removeable bottom (or a tart pan) pat the dough into the bottom of the pan, pressing it until it is flat and even. (Or use a foil-lined cake pan, being sure to leave enough foil so you can remove the cooled cookie without breaking it.) Prepare the flattened dough for baking by pricking it all over with the tines of a fork. (The fork is also used to give a distinctive edge to the shortbread...using the flat of the tines to mark the lines all the way around the outer edge of the dough, as in a pie crust.) Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes. It should be a pale golden brown, not too light and certainly not too brown, or the delicate flavor will be lost. Remove from oven, and use a knife to cut the shortbread, while still warm in the pan, into wedges (eight to twelve wedges) for serving. Dust with the additional 1 Tablespoon sugar. Let cool in the pan. Remove from pan (carefully, as they are breakable) and place cookies on waxed paper or on a large cookie sheet. Melt the chocolate and the butter over low heat, mixing well, to form a drizzling topping. (Add optional liqueur at this point.) Drizzle the chocolate lightly over the cooled shortbread wedges. Let the drizzled chocolate firm up a bit before serving.   Invite your friends for tea and chocolate drizzled short bread cookies!