In my house, you can’t say “cookie” without two giant Labrador Retrievers coming to get one. No matter how quietly you say it, they somehow hear the word and come running, with slobbery, happy faces ready for a treat.
It’s impossible to turn them down.
Cookies are a form of payment for everything with these two dogs, no matter how small the task. Want me outside? Give me a cookie. Are we going for a walk? Cookies, please. Rub my ears and pat my head? You guessed it.
They are such sophisticated hustlers they’ve even trained me to give them a cookie after I go potty 🙂
I have baked at least a million cookies in my life so far, and unfortunately, eaten many of them myself.
Cookies make you happy, so I totally get why my dogs take such extreme measures to get one.
Here’s a fun fact: I have read People magazine faithfully since I was 14 years old. I don’t know that I’ve ever missed an issue, even the editions with the Dugger’s and the latest news of their 20 kids.
In between stories about the Kardashian’s (who is their publicist?) I stumbled on this world-class recipe for butterscotch shortbread bar cookies dipped in chocolate.
I made them, and as Khloe might say they were like seriously? I’m not even totally kidding? These are like the totally best, best ever.
Close your eyes for a minute and remember the best shortbread you’ve ever had. I’ll wait.
Now imagine that delightfully crumbly shortbread with a butterscotch-y taste too, that makes you so crazy with delight you can’t stand it.
I wish I could see your face with the first bite.
Better take a small plate of them with you back to the couch, so you’ll have them handy.
My final thought on these is do not even consider skipping the chocolate- dipping part. It takes the cookies to a whole different level and will have everyone in your house coming back for more.
Source: Studio Delicious, barely adapted from Gail Simmons
Ingredients
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
- 4 ounces dark chocolate
- 4 ounces milk chocolate
Instructions
- PREPARE THE OVEN AND PAN
- Pre-heat the oven to 300, with the rack placed in the lower third of the oven.
- Grease a 9 x 9 inch non-stick baking pan with butter or cooking spray. (note: I spray the bottom and sides with a natural cooking spray, then place a fitted piece of parchment paper inside with a flap hanging over two sides, then spray again. The extra spray holds the parchment in place, and the whole thing can be easily pulled from the tray by lifting the flaps of the parchment. This is the technique I use for any bar cookie using a square pan)
- MAKE THE SHORTBREAD
- In a medium bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Alternatively, you
- can use a stand mixer using the paddle attachment.
- Add the vanilla, reduce speed to low, and carefully add the flour and salt until just combined.
- Mix in the butterscotch chips with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed,, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Press the dough lightly into the prepared pan using a rubber spatula and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Score the dough with a knife of bench (pastry) scraper into eighths one direction and quarters in the other to make 32 rectangular cookies. Alternatively, I scored my pan into 24, 2 inch bars and trimmed the nibs on the side to make them even.
- Before placing in the oven, lightly pierce the dough all over the top with a fork.
- BAKE THE BARS
- Bake until firm and slightly golden brown on the edges, about 50-60 minutes (in my oven it was 55 minutes.)
- Immediately cut through the scoring with a sharp knife or bench (pastry) scraper to separate the bars. Leave them in the pan to cool completely.
- DIP THE BARS IN CHOCOLATE
- Melt the chocolate either in small sauce pan with shallow water and a bowl fitted on top (shallow enough not to let the bowl touch the water)..use a medium heat and stir until melted and combined. You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each 30 seconds until all the chocolate is melted.
- Remove the cookies from the pan and place on a cookie rack lined sheet pan or a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate, scraping any excess lightly with the side of the bowl, and place back on the baking sheet. refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
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