Spiced Chocolate Marble Shortbread | 12 Days of Holiday Baking

Name: Spiced Chocolate Marble Shortbread
Yield: two dozens
Ingredients: MASTER BUTTER SHORTBREAD DOUGH:; 1 cup/ 2 stick/ 226 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Cystal); 1/2 cup/ 100 grams granulated sugar; 1 large egg yolks; 2 1/2 cups/ 320 grams all purpose flour; SPICED CHOCOLATE MARBLE SHORTBREAD DOUGH:; 1 batch of Butter Shortbread Dough (see above); 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 1 tablespoon finely grated citrus zest (such as lemon, orange or lime); 1½ teaspoons ground ginger; 2 tablespoons candied ginger, chopped (optional)

If you want to make good-tasting cookies, there are plenty of recipes able to deliver that. If you are attracted to the beauty of the spiced chocolate marble shortbread cookies featured on the New York Times and think it’d be fun to do, think twice! Honesty, I baked these marble shortbread cookies twice and they turned out to be nothing but exercises of frustration. The master shortbread dough works; we took a test drive (see blog) and the recipe is fine.

Among the two partner doughs, the chocolate dough and the spice dough, I’m partial to the spice dough. Check out all the spices that go into it: toasted sesame oil (make sure you don’t overdo it), citrus zest, ground ginger and candied ginger. No wonder the flavor is outstanding, especially with the chewy candied ginger in the mix.

However, it’s the process of folding the two doughs, then shaping and slicing the dough build, which is problematic. Read and reread the recipe multiple times. Make sketches on the folding steps. Finally, I surrender (something I rarely do). What bothers me is I can’t fix it! Well, it’s time to move on.

I wish there is a video showing how the process works. I resort to just rolling and cutting the dough in the best way I know how. Then just bake and forget about it!

If you want a recipe that involves mixing and shaping two shortbread doughs, here is one I’d recommend: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/salted-tahini-chocolate-shortbread. There is no rolling of the dough. Press the dough in a pan, bake and then use a knife and cut the shortbreads into rectangular bars. That’s a foolproof method!

Print Recipe

Spiced Chocolate Marble Shortbread

By The New York Times – Serves: two dozens

The master shortbread dough is the key to a trove of holiday treats. Combine the chocolate and the spiced dough by adding a few extra ingredients to the master dough. Then roll, fold and shape the dough. The process has some issues. But the flavor is winsome!

Ingredients

MASTER BUTTER SHORTBREAD DOUGH:
1 cup/ 2 stick/ 226 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Cystal)
1/2 cup/ 100 grams granulated sugar
1 large egg yolks
2 1/2 cups/ 320 grams all purpose flour
SPICED CHOCOLATE MARBLE SHORTBREAD DOUGH:
1 batch of Butter Shortbread Dough (see above)
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon finely grated citrus zest (such as lemon, orange or lime)
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons candied ginger, chopped (optional)

Instructions

FOR THE MASTER DOUGH:

TO MAKE THE MASTER DOUGH: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Beat on low speed until incorporated and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. (Do not beat until fluffy, you don’t need to incorporate air into the dough.) Add the egg yolk and mix until just combined. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

ADD FLOUR: Add the flour to the bowl all at once and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer speed to low and beat until flour is fully incorporated, scraping the bowl again if needed, about 30 seconds. The dough will be in large crumbles.

FOR THE SPICED CHOCOLATE MARBLE SHORTBREAD:

DIVIDE THE DOUGH INTO TWO: Divide the crumbled shortbread dough into two portions.

TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE DOUGH: Add the cocoa powder and mix into the dough, until evenly incorporated using a rubber spatula or your fingers. Use your hands to spread the chocolate dough on a sheet of parchment paper into a 7-by-10-inch rectangle.

TO MAKE THE SPICED DOUGH: To the second portion of the dough, add the toasted sesame oil, citrus zest, ground ginger and candied ginger, if using, and mix until evenly distributed. Place the spiced dough on top of the chocolate dough and use your hands to spread in an even layer until it reaches all sides of the bottom dough.

FOLD THE DOUGH: (Fold the dough in thirds similar to how you might trifold a letter: With the short edge running parallel to you, lift the right long side and fold it over until the right edge of the dough aligns with the center of the dough. Fold the left side over the top. Press down lightly on the dough to adhere the fold)???. Slice the dough lengthwise, down the middle, and stack the two halves on top of each other with the cut sides facing opposite directions. Press down again lightly to adhere. You should have what looks like a log at this point.

CHILL THE DOUGH: Wrap the log in the sheet of parchment and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes and up to 3 days.

Heat the oven to 350°F.

SLICE THE LOG: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Trim the edges of the chilled log by shaving off any rounded sides. Slice the log in half lengthwise to make two strips. Further slice each strip crosswise into ½-inch rectangles. Lay the pieces on the prepared baking sheet, spacing at least ½ inch apart.

BAKE: Bake until the cookies are golden at the bottom edges, rotating once halfway through baking, about 20 minutes. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The baked cookies can also be stored frozen in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Thaw at room temperature before serving.