Shortbread Sandwich Cookies – Chocolate filling is sandwiched between two buttery shortbread cookies before the cookies are dipped in sweet white chocolate and festively decorated! EASY enough for novice bakers and PERFECT for holiday entertaining, gifting, and cookie exchanges!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time12 minutesmins
Additional Time2 hourshrs
Total Time2 hourshrs42 minutesmins
Course: Christmas
Cuisine: Cookies
Servings: 42cookies (21 sandwiches)
Calories: 466kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
Cookies
¾cupunsalted buttersoftened to room temperature
¾cupconfectioners’ sugarsifted
2large eggs
1teaspoonvanilla extract
3cupsall-purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking powder
¼teaspoonsalt
Filling
¾cupsemi-sweet chocolate chips (milk chocolate chips may be substituted
1teaspoonunsalted butter
White Chocolate Coating
two 10-ounce bags white chocolate melting wafers
OR
2 ½cupswhite chocolate bar or white chocolate chips + 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Decorating, optional
Food coloringred and green, or as desired
Holiday sprinklesor as desired
Instructions
Cookies - To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl and handheld electric mixer, add the butter and beat on high speed until light, fluffy, and creamy. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the confectioners' sugar, and beat on low speed to begin so sugar doesn't fly, increasing to high speed, and beat to incorporate.
Add the eggs, vanilla, and beat on high speed until smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt little by little, beating on low speed as you add it, until the dry ingredients are just incorporated, don't overmix.
Turn out the dough into a flattened mound, wrap it well in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
Rolling Out - After the dough has chilled and you plan to roll it out, preheat the oven to 350F.
Generously flour your clean kitchen countertop or work surface, and roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thick. Tips - If you've chilled the dough overnight or for a longer duration, allow the dough to sit at room temp for about 10 to 15 minutes before you attempt to roll it out since it'll be very hard and stiff. However, if you've only chilled 1 hour or a bit more, get going right away with rolling it out and don't wait.
Using a 2-inch fluted biscuit cutter (or your favorite circular cutter or other shaped cookie cutter such as trees or stars) cut out the cookies as close together as possible.
Place the cut cookies on Silpat or parchment lined baking sheets, evenly spaced and with some room to spread a bit while baking.
Mound up the unused dough scraps into a ball, roll out the dough once more, cut out as many cookies as you can, and place those on baking sheets as well.
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies are very lighlly golden browned around the edges, taking care not to overbake because the cookies will continue to firm up and darken a bit as they cool. Tips - Baking times will vary dramatically based on oven and climate variance, and the exact sizes/shapes you make your cookies, so watch your cookies and not the clock when determining doneness and bake as long as necessary given your set of variables. Finally, I find that baking one sheet of cookies at a time, in the center oven rack, and rotating the baking sheet midway through gives the most optimal results.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until they're firm enough to transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Don't start the next step until they're fully cooled.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Filling - To a large microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate chips, butter, and heat on high power to melt for 30 seconds. Stop to check and stir. Heat in 15-second bursts, stopping to check and stir after each burst, until the chocolate can be stirred smooth.
Assembly - Using a butter knife, spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on the underside of one cookie, pair it with another cookie, sandwiching the two undersides together like a sandwich.
Repeat with all remanning cookies. Allow the chocolate to fully set up before moving on to the next step.
White Chocolate Coating (optional but recommended for both appearance and flavor) - Melt the white chocolate melting wafers* (See Notes) according to package directions.
Using a fork, place one sandwich cookie on it, dip into the white chocolate quickly but enough to fully coat the cookie, and allow the excess chocolate to drip off through the tines of the fork back into the bowl. Set dipped cookies on a wire rack to fully set up and repeat with all remaining cookies.
Decorating (optional) - If you'd like to add holiday sprinkles or whatever kind you'd like, add them before the white chocolate sets so they adhere. I strongly recommend you do this for a festive look.
If you'd like to make colored drizzles of red and green as shown in the photos, do so by placing extra melted white chocolate in two small bowls, add green gel food color to one, and red gel food color to the other (regular food color is fine but gel is nicer in that it doesn't water down the chocolate and the color is richer), transfer to two small ziptop bags, seal, snip the tiniest tip off the corners of each, and drizzle as desired. Repeat as desired.
Storage - Allow cookies to fully set before serving. Cookies will keep airtight at room temp for 5 to 7 days (fresher is always better) or in the freezer for up to 3 months, noting that any time cookies thaw, condensation will form. It's totally normal but the appearance may not be quite as pristine as had they never been frozen although the taste will be fine.
Notes
*I highly recommend the Ghirardelli brand of white chocolate melting wafers for this rather than using white chocolate chips or a white chocolate bar because the wafers melt more smoothly, easily, and the chocolate won't set up prematurely while you're trying to get through dipping 20-ish sandwich cookies. However, if you do use white chocolate chips or a white chocolate bar (chop it finely), add 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or shortening such as Crisco) along with the white chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl, and heat on high power for 15 seconds. Stop to check and stir. Heat in 15-second bursts, stopping to check and stir after each burst, until the chocolate can be stirred smooth. Don't overheat because white chocolate is notorious for seizing and you'll have to start over if it does that. Again, this is why the melting wafers are worth the money!