With John’s pending visit, I enjoyed baking up a few new treats in addition to some old favorites. These were a tremendous hit!

Early in the week before his arrival I made a batch of these shortbread cookies. Well, they spread out and didn’t look at all like the photo. I was so disappointed that I didn’t dip them to finish them out. But, Whit, Honey and I all agreed that the shortbread itself was divine. This bolstered me to try the recipe again. I did all the right things – bought the pricey butter, did not over stir, used my kitchen scale to measure out 1 oz pieces of dough, chilled the dough before baking, etc. And, the same result. They spread out. However, this second time I went ahead and did the chocolate dip with nuts. All photo results aside, they were delicious – like a homemade Milano cookie! So, while they don’t look exactly like they should, I still think this one is worth sharing and will remain a keeper over here.


Chocolate-Dipped Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies
For the cookies:
- 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the coating:
- 1 cup milk chocolate morsels, such as Hershey’s (6 ounces)
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup toasted pecans, minced and lightly salted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange two racks evenly spaced in the oven.
Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed just until the butter and sugar are combined so you don’t whip a lot of air into it. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix just until the dough comes together.
Scoop out 1-ounce pieces of dough (about a tablespoon), roll each one into a ball, then roll it into a 2 1/2-inch-long log. Place the logs 2 inches apart on two sheet pans lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until the cookies start to brown around the edges and spring back when lightly touched. Set aside to cool on the pans.
For the coating, place the chocolate and the butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture vigorously and continue to microwave in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted.
Drag half of the rounded top of each cookie through the chocolate and place it, chocolate side up, on a piece of parchment paper. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle on the pecans. Repeat with all the cookies. Set aside for at least 30 minutes for the chocolate to firm.
We have a busier Sunday than I generally like, but all good things – driving class, volunteer meeting and a birthday dinner. It’s time to hop to it. Hope you enjoy your day!

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I think they’re beautiful and remind me of my favorite dipped, macadamia nut ones at The Honolulu Cookie Company! 😍🍪🍫 Jane 🌴
Hey Amanda,
I noticed a different recipe for the same cookies on the Food Network.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/shortbread-cookies-recipe-1945855
The recipe advises to chill the dough and then bake.
This site https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2023/12/19/why-are-my-cookies-spreading
gives other tips that might help and explains why chilling the dough prior to baking helps.
Hope this helps,
Kim
I think I will give these a try. I was wondering if you used a shortbread cookie cutter and they still spread. I saw the one Ina used in her video on Amazon.
Thanks!
I didn’t use a cookie cutter!