RECIPE 11: Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread

Ummm... Have I mentioned lately that my bestie Paulo is brilliant?! Well if I haven't, let's set the record now - he's a genius! There are countless reasons but top of the list this week is because he lobbied for us to dive into the sweets section of Alison Roman's Dining In. So send your thanks to Paulo and get ready for Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread.

You guys! The first run at this recipe ended in D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R, which was particularly frustrating for me because I am a baker. I have successfully baked through most of Christina Tosi's Momofuku Milk Bar and that's complicated, time-consuming stuff. But regardless of the fail, the cookie itself still tasted good and I refuse to be defeated by any recipe, so let's go!

For the second attempt, I dove into research and asked bakers who've baked the shortbread before. I also discovered a step-by-step walk through on Alison's Instagram highlight reel which proved to be very helpful because in the end I got results!

It was VERY important to be patient and spend the time to cream the butter, sugar and vanilla for the consistency of frosting out of the can. Don't rush it, y'all! This step alone took over 10 minutes. But it was worth it and the key to success. Taking the time to cream the butter was also literally the only thing I did differently from the first round of these delightful cookies - so do it slow.

And boy was this cookie a game changer! I'm obsessed and likely won't spend the more intensive time to make the New York Times' Chocolate Chip Cookies again anytime soon... I mean they require 72 hours of chilling -- eep! If you have a cookie hankering- who has time for that?!

So think of a salty and shortbready version of a Chips Ahoy, and bake with Alison. You can find the recipe here.