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11.22.2022
Mushroom Chili Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
As the blooming season was coming to an end, I was searching for a cookie that felt like Autumn. Something dark, spicy and earthy.
Many evenings I enjoy a square of chili dark chocolate as a post dinner treat. This seemed like a perfect flavour to recreate in a cookie. And when decorated with a thinly sliced mushroom - it became just what I was looking for.
Mushroom Chili Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Makes 40 Cookies
Ingredients:
3 sticks (339 g.) unsalted butter at room temperature
300 g. cane sugar
1.5 tsp salt
3 egg yolks at room temperature
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper (this level of spice creates a medium spice cookie - feel free to add or subtract to your taste)
600 g. all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa nibs
100 g. chili dark chocolate (I use Lindt Excellence Chili Dark Chocolate Bar)
Handful of mushrooms for decoration (king oyster and enoki work well)
Cream butter, salt and sugar using the paddle attachment on a mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Melt 50 g. of chili dark chocolate and let cool to 60° C, then mix together with the creamed butter, salt and sugar. Add the egg yolks and mix until just combined. Next add your dry ingredients of flour, cocoa powder and cayenne pepper and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Chop 50 g. of the dark chili chocolate. Add the chopped chocolate and cocoa nibs into the batter and mix at low speed until dough forms a ball.
Roll out dough to 1/4" thick and use a 3" round cookie cutter to stamp out your cookies. Thinly slice the mushrooms and place them on top of the cookies to decorate. Place another piece of parchment on top of the cookies and gently roll to press the mushrooms into the cookies. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to a sheet of parchment. Use the leftover dough to roll out and stamp additional cookies until all dough is used.
Place the prepared cookies in the freezer overnight. When ready to bake, cook at 360 ° F in the middle rack for a total of 15 minutes, turning once in the middle of baking.
Transfer to cooling rack until room temperature. Cookies will stay fresh in an airtight glass container for up to a week. Cookies also freeze well and can be placed directly in freezer, thawing on counter for 2 hours before serving.