Cardamom & Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
“The Occupation has created generations without a place whose colors, smells, and sounds they can remember; a first place that belongs to them, that they can return to in their memories in their cobbled-together exiles”
from “I Saw Ramallah”, by Mourid Barghouti
These cardamom, chocolate and rose shortbread cookies are my favorite and the most requested by my friends and family. This recipe is adapted from Alison Roman’s Salted Shortbread Chocolate Chunk cookies, but I switched it up (elevated them, actually) by adding ground cardamom to the dough, then dipping the cookies in melted dark chocolate, and sprinkling with dried roses.
Cardamom is often used in Palestinian and Arab kitchens — in coffee, desserts, and even when cooking meat.
Recipe
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons salted butter (2¼ sticks), cold (room temperature if you're using a handheld mixer), cut into ½-inch pieces
½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar
¼ cup/55 grams light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups/325 grams all-purpose flour
6 ounces/170 grams semi-sweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped
2 tsp ground cardamom (to really elevate the flavor, use freshly ground cardamom!)
8 oz semisweet (60-70%), melted
Dried roses, for sprinkling
Method
Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed using a bowl with an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until super light and fluffy, for 3-5 minutes,
Combine the flour and cardamom in a medium bowl
With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour mixture, followed by chocolate chunks, and mix just to blend.
Divide dough in half, then place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold plastic over to cover dough and protect your hands from getting sticky. Using your hands, form dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help you smooth it out, but don’t worry about getting it totally perfect. Each half should form logs that are 2–2¼" in diameter. Chill until firm, about 2 hours.
Alternatively, cover with plastic and roll into two large bowls. When it is time to bake, you can roll out the dough and use a round cookie cutter or cookie cutter of your choice. Note: this is more time consuming BUT makes perfect circles if that’s what you prefer ;)!
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (using aluminum foil will cause the cookies to brown faster - I don’t recommend that here). For crispy edges, brush outside of logs or edges of cookies with egg wash. Roll in demerara sugar
Slice each log into ½"-thick rounds. If you are using a cookie cutter, roll out the dough to the same thickness, then cut the cookies out. Arrange on prepared baking sheet about 1" apart (they won’t spread much). Bake cookies until edges are just beginning to brown, 12–15 minutes. Let cookies cool.
In the meantime, melt chocolate over a water bath or in the microwave in 30 second bursts. Once almost melted, stir the chocolate until smooth. Dip half of the cooled cookie into the melted chocolate. Place on parchment paper and let chocolate dry before enjoying!