Chocolate Coconut Scottish Shortbread
Using my Traditional Scottish Shortbread recipe, I developed this chocolate and coconut version, with just a hint of anise! Still with the same melt in the mouth texture, I have been told my shortbread is so much better than a certain popular brand you can buy!
Equipment
- Scales or measuring cups
- Large spoon
- Stand or Hand Mixer, (or Medium-Large Mixing bowl & spoon)
- Pastry Cutter/pastry blender (optional)
- Baking/parchment paper
- Baking Sheet/Tray x 2
- Cookie cutter, round - I used one about 2"/5cm in diameter
- Palette knife or sharp kitchen spatula
- Timer or Phone Timer
- Cooling rack
- Bowl for melting chocolate
- Bowl for coconut
Ingredients
For The Biscuit Dough
- 225 grams Butter unsalted, cubed & softened (1 cup/2 sticks or 8 oz)
- 110 grams Caster Sugar (3¾ oz, ½ cup Extra/super fine sugar, see above notes)
- 225 grams Plain Flour (1 ¾ cups All Purpose or 8 oz)
- 110 grams Corn Flour (3¾ oz, 1 cup less 1 tbsp Corn Starch *see above)
- 1¾ - 2 tsp Anise, powdered (optional)
- Pinch of Salt
For The Coating
- Granulated Sugar for topping
- 200 grams Chocolate (50/50 Milk & Dark) (7 oz, half bitter, half semi-sweet)
- 100 grams Desiccated Coconut (1 cup, unsweetened shredded coconut, see above & notes)
Instructions
Prepare The Dough
- Weigh, cube the butter & leave to soften. Cut about 1cm (less than ½ inch) pieces & the smaller surface area will soften & come to room temperature quicker. If you forget to take the butter out, here’s a video hack I reviewed to soften butter in about 10 minutes.
- Add the sugar to the butter in your mixing bowl, give a light mix together & then 'Cream' together with a stand/hand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Line baking sheets/trays with baking/parchment paper & grease in place if the trays do not have a lip, (or you could lose your biscuits).
- Sieve the flour, cornflour/corn starch, pinch of salt & anise, into the sugar/butter mixture & briefly mix in by hand, don’t use a mixer.
- Using a pastry cutter/pastry blender, work the flour into the mixture, until it resembles large breadcrumbs. Alternatively do this ‘cutting in’ process, using 2 butter knives, or by rubbing through your fingertips. The dough should be a very crumbly mixture at this stage. Using the sides of the bowl or on top of baking/parchment paper, gently knead the dough just until it comes together.
- Place between 2 sheets of floured paper & roll out to at least ½cm (5mm or ⅕ ") thick. Use a flour dipped cutter & cut out as many biscuits as you can.
- Transfer with a palette knife to prepared tray, (not need for a gap in-between at this stage, so you have less trays to fit in the fridge). Make holes with a fork all over the surface of the dough, going about ⅓ to ½ way through.
Chill The Dough
- Place in the fridge (or somewhere extra cold) for 60 minutes. This should never be omitted & you can leave in the fridge overnight.
Bake The Shortbread
- Heat up the oven to 180°c/160°c Fan/350°f/Gas Mark 4, to coincide with the chilling time ending.
- Ensure there is a gap of about 2½ cm/1" in-between each shortbread biscuit, before popping in the oven to bake for approximately 15 minutes. Remove when the edges are just starting to turn a very pale golden colour. (Similar to sugar cookie colour). They will be very soft, so carefully leave to cool as they are, for 5 - 7 minutes on a cooling rack. As soon as out the oven, sprinkle plenty granulated sugar on top of all the shortbread.
- After the 5-7 minutes, transfer (very carefully) to a cooling rack by lifting/sliding the baking/parchment paper & leave to cool completely.
Decorating The Biscuits
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave, by breaking up chocolate & microwave in 30 second bursts, mixing well in-between each burst. Never heat longer than 30 seconds or it can burn. Alternatively, melt the broken chocolate, in a bowl on top of a pan of barely simmering water.
- Leave the melted chocolate to cool a few minutes, before dipping half of a biscuit into it. Dip & use a small spoon to scrape the excess from the underside of the shortbread.
- Immediately hold the chocolate end of the biscuit, over the bowl of coconut, and gently dip down. Use your opposite hand or a small spoon to sprinkle more coconut on the wet chocolate till covered.
- Shake excess & place down on some paper & allow to set while you coat some more. These will set quickly but you can pop in the fridge to speed it up.
Serving & Storing
- Serve with a cup of tea or coffee & store in an airtight container (I recommend cake or cookie tins), and they will last up to 1 week.
Video
Notes
Caster Sugar - equivalent is Extra/Super Fine sugar, or grind your own from granulated. Read more before this Recipe Card.
Cornflour - is just another name for Corn Starch.
Ground Anise - optional & gives a subtle taste. Grind Star Anise pods as an alternative.
Desiccated Coconut - alternative is unsweetened shredded coconut after lightly chopping or processing. (See comparison photo be Recipe Card).
Chilling The Dough - do not skip this stage as very important for most biscuit/cookie recipes.
Freezing - I am told Shortbread can be frozen, but I have never tried myself, so can’t say for sure how these will compare to freshly baked ones.
Reader Favourite - see my Readers’ Pics & Feedback page to hear why others rave about my Scottish shortbread. (Original Scottish Shortbread version in the photo above).
Seasonal Cookie Cutters - use seasonal cutters, just not really intricate ones because of the soft nature of the biscuits.
Go to my flavoured Shortbread – Cranberry, Orange & Pecan Shortbread above.
See my Biscuit & Cookie page for more ideas, or go to the Christmas & New Year recipe page.
Please take a few seconds to rate this recipe – click the 'RATE' button, or scroll down to the very bottom of the main recipe post & leave your feedback, thanks Caro xx
Ground Anise - optional & gives a subtle taste. Grind Star Anise pods as an alternative.
Desiccated Coconut - alternative is unsweetened shredded coconut after lightly chopping or processing. (See comparison photo be Recipe Card).
Chilling The Dough - do not skip this stage as very important for most biscuit/cookie recipes.
Freezing - I am told Shortbread can be frozen, but I have never tried myself, so can’t say for sure how these will compare to freshly baked ones.
Reader Favourite - see my Readers’ Pics & Feedback page to hear why others rave about my Scottish shortbread. (Original Scottish Shortbread version in the photo above).
Seasonal Cookie Cutters - use seasonal cutters, just not really intricate ones because of the soft nature of the biscuits.
Go to my flavoured Shortbread – Cranberry, Orange & Pecan Shortbread above.
See my Biscuit & Cookie page for more ideas, or go to the Christmas & New Year recipe page.
Please take a few seconds to rate this recipe – click the 'RATE' button, or scroll down to the very bottom of the main recipe post & leave your feedback, thanks Caro xx