Chocolate Chocolate Shortbread

You know that your life has changed when you are already in the middle of making a batch of shortbread cookies at six in the morning... I had declared today shortbread day and had intended to make a bunch of different shortbread recipes that I had found in the Canadian Living Special Cookbook Issue.  Unfortunately, starting before 6am still didn't leave me enough time to get more than one batch done today.  But there's still lots of time before Christmas.  I had made shortbread jam bars from this same magazine last year and they were fantastic, so I figured the other recipes must be pretty good too.

This recipe is a good one to make when you have kids at your feet.  I mixed the dough this morning and then stuck it in the fridge to harden.  We then went to the Marché de Noël in l'Assomption just for a little outing. 

In passing, there was a pork producer at the Marché who had a little stand there called Cochon Cent Façons.  They make and sell a huge variety of pork products, including some of my husbands favourites, such as rillettes and andouillette (yuck!).  They also sold lots of nitrate free meats, such as ham and bacon. We picked up a decent sized bag of various meats for only $30, so their prices are more than reasonable. I can't wait to make the bacon tomorrow morning, even though I'm typically not a huge bacon person.  In any case, I just wanted to mention their farm, in case anyone happens to be in their part of the woods (in St. Jacques, somewhere between(ish) Rawdon and Joliette).  We're thinking that we may go up sometime this summer to buy a huge order of pork, since it's so much more natural (and tastier - they had samples!) than what is sold in grocery stores.

We got home from the Marché around 5pm, leaving me just enough time to cut and bake the cookies, while at the same time, whipping up some chicken and rice for tonight's dinner.

My chef-in-training, looking on
as I sliced the cookie dough.

This is the first time that I've ever made refrigerator cookies, as I've always thought that they were more headache than they were worth.  But this was actually super easy, and comparably easy to drop cookies.  These cookies are intensely chocolatey.  A bit too much, for my taste. I have to admit that I still prefer classic shortbread cookies. But these are still good.  I thought I would blog them for people with an intense love of chocolate.

1 1/2 bars (150g) good-quality bittersweet chocolate (such as Lindt)
1 C unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C superfine sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 C all-purpose flour

1.  Chop 1 bar (100g) of the chocolate.  In heatproof bowl over saucepan of hot (not boiling) water, melt chopped chocolate; let cool to room temperature.

2.  In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until light; beat in cornstarch and salt.  Stir in melted chocolate until smooth.  Stir in flour to make smooth dough.

3.  Divide dough in half; form each into 12-inch (30 cm) log.  Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

4.  Cut remaining chocolate into generous 1/4-inch (5 mm) pieces.  Slice each log into 1/4-inch thick slices.  Place, 1 inch apart, on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.  Top each with piece of chocolate.

5.  Bake in 325 degree Farenheit oven until firm, about 16 minutes.  Let cool on pans for 10 minutes; transfer to racks and let cool completely.

Makes about 80 cookies (I have no idea how this is even possible... I only got maybe 30-40 out of the recipe... maybe my logs were too fat???).