Shortbread Chocolate Hearts

Ingredients: 

Cookies:

• 2 cups flour (260 gms  )
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (225 gms)
• ½ cup icing sugar (60 gms)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt

Chocolate Dip:

• 1 batch of shortbread cookies
• 6 oz. dark chocolate, melted (180 gms )

Directions:

Cookies:

1. Put the butter and icing sugar in the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment and beat them on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is very smooth.  Add the vanilla extract.  Then reduce the speed to low and add the salt and flour, mixing only until just incorporated.  Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
   
2. Roll out the dough into a (0.5 cm – ¼ inch thick) sheet. Cut into rounds or other shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter.
   
3. Place the cookies on a tray lined with baking paper and place in the fridge for 15 minutes (this will help the cookies to retain their shape when baked).
    
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C – 340°F on the middle rack for 13 to 15 minutes.  The cookies should remain pale. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Dip:

1. Once the cookies have cooled down, melt the chocolate over a double boiler.
   
2. Dip one end of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place it on a tray lined with baking paper.
   
3. When you have done that for all the cookies, put the tray in the fridge for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.