These delicious melt-in-your-mouth chocolate dipped shortbread biscuits are so munchable and totally irresistible! Made with only six ingredients, these delightful biscuits are dipped in melted Belgian chocolate before finishing with some colourful sprinkles. A perfect teatime treat!
What is the difference between butter cookies and shortbread?
As with the difference between the meaning of biscuits in different parts of the world, so is there with shortbread, butter cookies and sugar cookies! Here is my definition of them:
Shortbread: a traditional Scottish bake, made with basic ingredients of flour, butter and sugar using the proportions of 3-2-1. That is, three parts flour, two parts butter and one part sugar combined make a basic shortbread recipe. A traditional shortbread is a totally egg free bake, such as this, my best Scottish shortbread recipe. My lemon shortbread is one of my most popular recipes and another delicious way to enjoy shortbread!
Sugar cookies: this is similar to shortbread but with the addition of eggs and normally a little more sugar in the recipe. Here in the UK, we would call these biscuits. This dough can be rolled, cut and shaped more easily, and can make biscuits (or cookies) that have a firmer texture and more of a snap than chewy cookies. My Easter cookies are a great example of a sugar cookie.
Butter cookies: these are firm and brittle when baked, in other words they snap and do not bend. But the key thing with butter cookies is that the dough is much softer and is piped rather than rolled and stamped out like the other two. My Viennese whirls are a perfect example of this kind of bake.
Reasons why you’ll love this easy chocolate dipped shortbread cookie recipe
- Basic ingredients only. You only need butter, sugar, flour and cornflour to make this easy Viennese whirls recipe, along with the chocolate and sprinkles to decorate. Since these are staple pantry ingredients in most homes, you can probably make this any time the craving hits!
- No fancy gadgets required. These biscuit swirls can be made entirely by hand. However I do find beating the butter and sugar to pale and fluffy to begin with makes piping the cookies so much easier.
- Wonderfully fun to make! For me, there is something incredibly satisfying about piping the biscuits, but also dipping in chocolate and decorating with sprinkles once baked. It makes for a really fun activity to do with the kids too!
- Perfect for a tea time treat or popping into lunchboxes. Since they are perfect little morsels of joy, these chocolate dipped shortbread cookies are excellent to have on hand to enjoy with a brew or just because!
Chocolate dipped shortbread ingredients
- Unsalted butter: I like to use unsalted butter so I can control how much salt is in my bakes. To make life easier, use butter at room temperature for easier mixing when making this chocolate dipped shortbread cookies recipe
- Icing (powdered) sugar: gives sweetness to the shortbread chocolate dipped.
- Flour: I use plain (all purpose) flour to make these chocolate dipped shortbread biscuits. Do not use self raising flour, as you want the shortbread not to rise and puff up.
- Cornflour/cornstarch: used in the butter whirls biscuits to give them a soft and delicate texture.
- Vanilla: for a subtle and delicious flavour in the piped biscuits.
- Chocolate: I used dark chocolate to dip these shortbread swirls into, but you could use white or milk too, depending on your preference.
- Sprinkles: any sprinkles you like will work here: colourful, chocolate, nuts, freeze dried fruit… the choice is yours!
What do you need to make chocolate dipped shortbread
- Baking tray*: to chill and then bake the shortbread whirl biscuits on. I would recommend at least couple of baking trays so you can chill the piped dough and bake on the same trays.
- Digital kitchen scales*: I provide all my measurements in cups too, however I would encourage all bakers to weigh out ingredients using weighing scales when baking. A set of digital kitchen scales is so useful and an essential baking tool for me.
- Measuring spoons*: a set of measuring spoons is essential for any baker. This is because these are more accurate than using everyday teaspoons and tablespoons, which can vary greatly in size.
- Mixing bowl*: used to make the shortbread dipped in chocolate dough in.
- Handheld electric mixer*: a useful tool to make life easier in the kitchen! You can, of course, make this whole recipe entirely by hand. But it will be quite the workout for your arm!
- Sieve*: useful to remove any lumps from the dry ingredients before blending everything together.
- Spatula*: to help with scraping down the mixing bowl and transferring the shortbread dough into a piping bag.
- Piping bag*: used for piping the biscuits into swirls before chilling.
- Piping nozzle*: I used a 1M nozzle here, to create the pretty swirl of the biscuits in these shortbread chocolate dipped cookies.
- Cooling rack*: to cool the baked biscuits on and to place the chocolate dipped shortbread cookie after dipping in melty chocolate.
How to make the perfect shortbread cookies
This chocolate dipped shortbread cookies recipes is so so easy to make, just mix together the ingredients to form the dough before piping into swirls, then chill before baking. Once baked, simply dip in melted chocolate and top with your sprinkles of choice before digging in!
For the biscuits
Step 1: Draw circles about 2″ in diameter on two pieces of parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches gap between the circles. Then flip the paper over (so the drawn side is face down) and place them on the baking trays. Set aside.
Step 2: Cream the butter and icing (powdered) sugar together for a few minutes until paler and really soft. Beat in the vanilla then gradually mix in the flour and cornflour (cornstarch) until everything is combined. Do not over mix (see notes). Transfer to a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle.
Step 3: Pipe swirls of dough using the circles drawn earlier as a guide. Keep the piping a little smaller than the drawn circles to allow for the biscuits to spread slightly during baking. Pop the baking trays in the freezer to chill for half an hour.
Step 4: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Bake the biscuits for 9-10 minutes one tray at a time, turning the tray halfway through baking if needed for even browning of the edges. Allow the whirls to cool and firm up on the tray before transferring to a wire rack.
For the chocolate dip and decoration
Step 1: Once the whirls are cool, its time to decorate! First, melt the chocolate: I prefer doing this in the microwave for convenience and speed. Heat the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in short bursts, stirring in between, until fully melted and smooth.
Step 2: Grab one of the cooled biscuits and dip one side into the melted chocolate, about a third of the biscuit. Place the biscuit back onto the cooling rack.
Step 3: Before the chocolate cools and sets, decorate with sprinkles, nuts or freeze dried fruit. Leave to set before digging in. Enjoy!
Why is my dough too crumbly? How can I fix it?
If you find the recipe results in a dry dough, no need to fret! Simply add a few drops of milk to the cookie dough and mix to bring it together. Then continue to pipe and shape as before.
A word of warning here: you want the dough to be pipeable but still fairly stiff. If too much milk is added, the shortbread roses will not hold their shape as they bake and you will have a collapsed (but still delicious!) biscuit instead.
How to pipe shortbread whirls
There are a few tips that will make it easier to pipe the biscuits. For a start, be sure not to overfill your bag: I find half full at most is best, so you can twist the top tightly to be able to squeeze the dough out more easily. Hold the bag upright and pipe a circle from the inside out, twisting slightly and lifting to separate the dough. I like to use a lightly dampened finger to tuck in the end tip of the piped whirl to prevent it catching during baking.
How can you tell when the Viennese whirls are cooked?
If you are wondering what these biscuits should look like when they are done baking, it will go from looking a little wet on top when baking to looking dry. The edges of the biscuits will be just beginning to turn golden too. They will firm up as they cool, to a wonderful buttery melt-in-your-mouth biscuit, so do not try to move them as soon as they are out of the oven!
Why do my shortbread whirls go flat?
There are a few reasons why they went flat. It could be that the ingredients were not correctly measured out, so there was less flour in the mixture. It could also be that the dough required more time to chill and firm up before baking, as this will help hold the piped shape of each biscuit better.
How do I store chocolate dipped shortbread cookies?
Store these chocolate shortbread biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze chocolate dipped shortbread cookies?
Freeze the biscuits before decorating (so without the chocolate or sprinkles) for up to three months. Make sure they are completely cool before placing in a freezer safe container.
Chocolate dipped shortbread biscuits variations
- Chocolate shortbread biscuits. Substitute 30g of flour for the same weight of cocoa powder. Dip in any of your preferred white, milk or dark chocolates before adding chocolate flavoured sprinkles.
- Lemon shortbread whirls. Add the zest of a lemon into the biscuit dough. Dip in white chocolate and decorate with some lemon rind or yellow sprinkles.
- Coffee and chocolate shortbread biscuits. Add 1 tbsp instant coffee to the dough. Use dark chocolate for the dip and finish with gold sprinkles.
- Christmas ginger shortbread biscuits. Add ½-1 tsp ginger powder to the dough. Dip in white chocolate and finish with green and red sprinkles.
Tips for perfect chocolate dipped shortbread cookies
- I would highly recommend using weighing scales to make this type of biscuit, as they can be temperamental and tricky to pipe or hold their shape when baked if the quantities are not accurate.
- Use butter at room temperature when making the biscuits. This will make it a lot easier to mix the ingredients resulting in a better finished bake.
- Always use icing (powdered) sugar in the cookies. Icing sugar dissolves more easily into the mixture, giving smoother finished results without the ‘crunch’ of sugar crystals.
- When making biscuit, beat the butter and sugar on high until much paler and really soft and spreadable. Doing this will make piping the mixture much easier.
- Once the flours have been added to the mixture, you do not want to beat it any more than required to mix it all together. Overmixing the dough will result in tougher baked biscuits as it will overwork the gluten in the flour.
- Always use a strong piping bag to ensure it does not burst during piping when preparing the biscuits. Ensure you use an open nozzle too (I used a star tip for the extra decoration it gives) to make it easier to pipe the dough.
- Freezing, or at least chilling, the dough piped biscuits before baking will help them hold their shape better as it gives the butter chance to firm up again once softened during mixing.
- When dipping the biscuits, make sure to add the sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet to ensure it sticks well to the biscuits.
Troubleshooting
If you have any other questions about this chocolate dipped shortbread recipe, please leave me a comment below, I would love to help. And if you do make this recipe for shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate, please do consider leaving a rating and review below. I would really appreciate your feedback to grow my website and it really helps others looking for a similar recipe too. Additionally, you could also post a picture on Instagram and tag me when you share it with the world. You already know I would love to see!
More recipes from my blog for you to enjoy
Do check out these other delicious recipes on my blog too:
Viennese whirls: These delicious melt-in-your-mouth Viennese whirls are so moreish and totally irresistible! Made with only six ingredients, these delectable biscuits are made sandwiched together with a light vanilla buttercream and smooth raspberry jam. A perfect teatime treat!
Custard cream biscuits: For all in the know, these are the perfect British tea time treat! Melt in your mouth custard biscuits sandwiched with simple vanilla buttercream in this nostalgic and homely bake. A perfect biscuit to enjoy with a cup of tea!
Mini cherry bakewell tarts: This recipe is the only one you will ever need for the perfect mini cherry bakewell tarts. Beautiful buttery pastry, rich cherry jam, scrumptious almond frangipane. All topped with a layer of icing and, of course, the obligatory cherry on top!
Happy baking, my friends! x
Recommended equipment I used *
| Baking tray | Digital kitchen scales |
| Measuring spoons | Mixing bowl |
| Handheld electric mixer | Sieve |
| Spatula | Piping bag |
| Piping nozzle | Cooling rack |
Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Biscuits
30
servings30
minutes10
minutes300
kcal30
minutes1
hour10
minutesMy delicious melt-in-your-mouth chocolate dipped shortbread biscuits are completely irresistible! A perfect teatime treat!
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- For the biscuits
250 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
90 g (½ cup + 3 tbsp) icing (powdered) sugar
1 tsp vanilla
230 g (1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour
70 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) cornflour (cornstarch)
- For the chocolate dip and decoration
100 g chocolate (I used dark, but milk and white work too!)
sprinkles, nuts, etc (your topping of choice!)
Directions
- For the biscuits
- Step 1: Draw circles about 2″ in diameter on two pieces of parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches gap between the circles. Then flip the paper over (so the drawn side is face down) and place them on the baking trays. Set aside.
- Step 2: Cream the butter and icing (powdered) sugar together for a few minutes until paler and really soft. Beat in the vanilla then gradually mix in the flour and cornflour (cornstarch) until everything is combined. Do not over mix (see notes). Transfer to a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle.
- Step 3: Pipe swirls of dough using the circles drawn earlier as a guide. Keep the piping a little smaller than the drawn circles to allow for the biscuits to spread slightly during baking. Pop the baking trays in the freezer to chill for half an hour.
- Step 4: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Bake the biscuits for 9-10 minutes one tray at a time, turning the tray halfway through baking if needed for even browning of the edges. Allow the whirls to cool and firm up on the tray before transferring to a wire rack.
- For the chocolate dip and decoration
- Step 1: Once the whirls are cool, its time to decorate! First, melt the chocolate: I prefer doing this in the microwave for convenience and speed. Heat the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in short bursts, stirring in between, until fully melted and smooth.
- Step 2: Grab one of the cooled biscuits and dip one side into the melted chocolate, about a third of the biscuit. Place the biscuit back onto the cooling rack.
- Step 3: Before the chocolate cools and sets, decorate with sprinkles, nuts or freeze dried fruit. Leave to set before digging in. Enjoy!
Notes
- I would highly recommend using weighing scales to make this type of biscuit, as they can be temperamental and tricky to pipe or hold their shape when baked if the quantities are not accurate.
- Use butter at room temperature when making the biscuits. This will make it a lot easier to mix the ingredients resulting in a better finished bake.
- Always use icing (powdered) sugar in the cookies. Icing sugar dissolves more easily into the mixture, giving smoother finished results without the ‘crunch’ of sugar crystals.
- When making biscuit, beat the butter and sugar on high until much paler and really soft and spreadable. Doing this will make piping the mixture much easier.
- Once the flours have been added to the mixture, you do not want to beat it any more than required to mix it all together. Overmixing the dough will result in tougher baked biscuits as it will overwork the gluten in the flour.
- Always use a strong piping bag to ensure it does not burst during piping when preparing the biscuits. Ensure you use an open nozzle too (I used a star tip for the extra decoration it gives) to make it easier to pipe the dough.
- Freezing, or at least chilling, the dough piped biscuits before baking will help them hold their shape better as it gives the butter chance to firm up again once softened during mixing.
- When dipping the biscuits, make sure to add the sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet to ensure it sticks well to the biscuits.
