Everyone loves the melt-in-your-mouth buttery crispness of shortbread. Adding some finely chopped pecan nuts and a dark chocolate coating turns this classic recipe into a nutty and not too sweet homemade shortbread that is positively decadent.
These pecan chocolate shortbread biscuits are perfect to serve up as a tea time treat and elegant enough to present as a fabulous sweet gift to family and friends.
The dough comes together very quickly in a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer. This recipe shows you how to make round shortbread biscuits. However, if you want to put in some extra effort and make shortbread “fingers” or bars, here’s what to do:
When you’re ready to form the cookies, place the dough on a flour-dusted piece of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to get the dough to about 1/2-inch thick and then use a pizza cutter or a ruler to trim the sides of the dough into straight edges.
You should have two rectangles about 3-inch wide and 12-inch long. Refrigerate one rectangle of dough. Cut the shortbread into “fingers”. Refrigerate while you do the same with the remaining shortbread dough.
You can transfer the shortbread “as is” on the parchment paper to a baking sheet to prevent the dough from spreading while baking.
Use a good quality dark chocolate for these cookies. Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it in a double boiler if you have one or in the microwave in 15 second bursts, stirring after each.
CHEF’S TIP:
- We’ve used pecans for this recipe, but you can substitute almonds, cashews, or walnuts. Add a bit of a taste twist by toasting and salting them for a salty sweet combination.
Pecan Chocolate Shortbread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Maizena
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 500 grams butter (soft)
- 200 grams dark melting chocolate
- 150 grams crushed pecan nuts
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together.
- Make balls the size of a walnut.
- Place on a greased baking tray, 2 inches apart.
- With a fork, press gently on each ball and flatten it slightly.
- Bake in the oven for 18-25 minutes at 170°C until golden brown.
- In a double boiler or microwave melt the chocolate.
- Drizzle the chocolate over the cooled biscuits, and sprinkle the nuts over the wet chocolate.
- Bake for a further 5 minutes.