Growing Chefs! Ontario Stracciatella Shortbread

Stracciatella Shortbread

“Inspired by stracciatella gelato, these tender, buttery shortbread cookies are filled with tiny pieces of chocolate. Their simple dough makes them an excellent introduction to careful measuring, mixing, and shaping.”
Difficulty
Beginner
Yield
Approx. 36 small cookies
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened1/2 cup icing sugar2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour1/4 cup potato starch1/4 teaspoon fine salt1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips Additional all-purpose flour, for shaping
Equipment
Measuring cupsMeasuring spoonsBowls, various sizesElectric mixer or stand mixerRubber spatulaSmall cookie scoopFork2 baking sheetsParchment paperCooling racksClean dish towel

Directions

Get Organized!

Gather your mise en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

Get Prepped!

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Measure the butter, icing sugar, and vanilla separately.

In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, potato starch, and salt.

Measure the miniature chocolate chips and set aside.

Place a small amount of additional flour in a shallow bowl for dipping the fork.

Get Cooking!

Place the softened butter in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.

Add the icing sugar. Begin mixing on low speed, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 to 3 minutes, until very light and fluffy.

Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Add the flour mixture. Mix on low speed just until the dough comes together.

Fold in the miniature chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.

Use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough. Roll each portion gently into a ball and arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving approximately 4 centimetres between them.

Dip a fork lightly in flour and use it to gently flatten each cookie.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes. The bottoms should be very lightly golden, but the tops of the cookies should remain pale.

Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets before serving or packing them.