6 ingredient chocolate chip shortbread cookies

These cookies could not be easier to make, and they have an incredible taste and texture. I'm all about a chewy chocolate chip cookie, but there is something special about shortbread. It is buttery and salty with the perfect crisp bite. This recipe, similar to my strawberry crumb bars, is inspired by a recipe from my other half's mom (and soon to be mother in law) who owned a bakery named Rosie's that I went to growing up. That chocolate chip shortbread cookie recipe is one of my favorites, and this recipe is inspired by the flavor and crunch of that cookie.

As you can tell from the name, this cookie is made with six ingredients, and if you bake often they are ones you will likely have on hand. Butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, flour, salt, and semisweet chocolate chips. This dough comes together with no fancy equipment, and the only patience required is to allow your butter time to come to room temperature. This is a really important step. Normally it's okay to use the microwave to speed up this process a bit, but because there is no chill time for this recipe it's important to let your butter sit out as using the microwave could soften your butter too much. If you do need to use the microwave for a bit of assistance, you can always chill your dough for a bit to make sure it's firm enough to hold its shape. Another option in a pinch is to use a stand or hand mixture to start for the butter and sugar as this will help to more quickly soften your butter.

Because the ingredient list is so short, it's a great opportunity to splurge chocolate or even butter. My favorite chocolate chips for this recipe are the Guittard semisweet chocolate chips. I also bought a European style unsalted butter (I chose Plugra this time, but often I buy any unsalted cultured butter that's available). In order of importance, I'd have to say the chocolate would be my pick if you're looking for where to splurge.

I made these cookies with my smallest scoop, the medium OXO scooper, which holds about a tablespoon and a half of dough. You could also make these in a larger size. If you do choose to make them larger, about three tablespoons each to make 6 cookies, I would recommend increasing the cook time. These cook slow at a low temperature, 275 degrees, so if you make them in a larger size I would add about 10-15 minutes to the overall cook time.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup (3 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Total time: About an hour

Prep time: Less than 10 minutes

Bake time: 40-43 minutes

Cooking instructions: Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine your room temperature butter and granulated sugar using a spatula or large spoon. Continue mixing until the sugar is completely incorporated into your butter. Add in your vanilla extract, and mix until fully combined into your butter and sugar mixture.

Next, add in your flour and salt. Move slowly to avoid over mixing your dough. Once a dough has formed, which means your flour and salt are both just mixed into your butter mixture, add in your chocolate chips. If you'd like, you can reserve some to top your cookies with. Continue using your spatula or large spoon to fold in your chocolate chips until they are evenly dispersed.

Line one to two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a medium sized scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons) to portion out your cookie dough onto the baking sheet or sheets. This size scoop will create about a dozen cookies. They will not spread much at all when baking and are a naturally thicker cookie so don't worry too much about spacing your dough out. If you did reserve some chocolate chips, you can gently press the extras on top of your cookie dough scoops.

Bake for 40-43 minutes. These cook low and slow, and should be ever so lightly golden around the edges at the end. Once fully baked, remove your cookies to cool until completely firm. This should only take about 10 to 15 minutes.

You can enjoy them while warm, or once fully cooled you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for about a week. These will also freeze really well since the cookie itself is meant to be crunchy!

Carb and serving info:

Servings: 12

Carbs per serving: 16

Carbs for full recipe: 192

Carbs for full recipe without chocolate: 142

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.