Chocolate Espresso Shortbread
Rich chocolate butter shortbread paired with ground espresso, garnished with chocolate coffee beans: a classic afternoon tea treat.
Ingredients
all-purpose flour
⅔cup
cake flour (non-self-rising)
⅓cup
Dutch-processed cocoa powder
⅓cup
unsalted butter (softened)
9 tbsp
granulated sugar
½cup
finely ground espresso beans
1 tbsp
salt
¼tsp
coarse sugar (for sprinkling)
to taste
bittersweet chocolate (roughly chopped, for garnish)
½oz
chocolate-covered espresso beans
12
Instructions
1
Preheat and Prepare
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 300°F. Prepare a 9-inch round cake pan.
2
Mix the Dry Ingredients
Sift the flour, cake flour, and cocoa powder together into a medium bowl; whisk gently to combine. Set aside.
3
Make the Shortbread Dough
In an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter, sugar, espresso, and salt on medium-low speed until blended (do not overbeat; there is no need to incorporate too much air). Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, beating until the dough just begins to come together and is no longer crumbly.
4
Press and Bake
Press the dough evenly and firmly into the cake pan. Use the back of a fork to press a decorative pattern around the edges. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until no longer shiny and set. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes.
5
Cut
While still warm, cut the round shortbread into 12 wedges using a sharp knife.
6
Decorate
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spoon a small dollop of chocolate onto the center of each shortbread wedge and top with a chocolate-covered espresso bean. Repeat with the remaining wedges. Let stand until the chocolate is fully set before serving.
