Last Updated on December 16, 2023 by HodgePodgeDays
Shortbread is one of my favourite things to make. I love plain shortbread, but I also love slightly fancier shortbread, like my Cranachan shortbread. This month, after seeing some in a shop, I decided to try my hand at making a batch of Black Forest shortbread. Chocolate and cherries are a classic combination at any time of the year and I had a feeling they’d turn out pretty well.
Shortbread is a fairly simple thing to make, best made by hand rather than in a food mixer, and it’s softer and crumblier the less you handle it, so it’s great if you are short on time.
Black Forest Shortbread Biscuits
Ingredients:
225g butter
130g caster sugar
300g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract
100g chopped glacé or cocktail cherries
100g milk chocolate chips or chunks
To decorate:
100g milk chocolate
Sprinkles, I used decorative shimmer sugar crystals
How to make Black Forest Shortbread Biscuits:
Pre-heat your oven to 180°. You’ll need to have a couple of baking trays covered with greaseproof paper ready.
In a mixing bowl, thoroughly beat the butter and sugar together. Once fluffy, add the vanilla extract and your chopped cherries and chocolate chunks. Then, little by little add the plain flour and the cocoa powder. Mix with a wooden spoon as best you can. Try not to overwork it too much or the dough will go gluey.
I find the following method tidier and it stops you manhandling the dough too much. Once the shortbread dough is almost mixed, tip it out onto a large sheet of greaseproof paper; bring the dough together with your hands and then fold the paper in half with the mixture sandwiched in between.
With a rolling-pin, roll it out so it’s about 5mm thick and cut into rounds. I used a glass for this and carefully lifted each shortbread biscuit onto the baking tray. You should get around 18 shortbread biscuits out of the dough.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on the shortbread, with the cocoa powder it’s harder to see when they’re done. If you can, lift one gently and check it’s cooked underneath. Once they’re baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool on a rack.
Whilst the shortbread biscuits are cooling, melt the chocolate. I usually ping it in the microwave in short bursts, stirring every 30 seconds until it’s the right consistency, it takes less than two minutes, but go carefully! Once melted, dip each shortbread into the chocolate and half coat it, put your biscuit back on the greaseproof paper and sprinkle with your chosen sprinkles. I had some shimmer sugar crystals, so I used them. Try to resist eating your shortbread until the chocolate has set. Pop them in the fridge to set if you’re in a hurry.
These are a really delicious treat. They’re lovely even before they’re dipped in chocolate, but that really does take it to the next level.
