Name: Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies from the kitchen
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 24 servings
Ingredients: 1 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour; 1/2 tsp Baking Powder; 1/4 tsp Salt; 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature; 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar; 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips; 2 tbsp Sea Salt Flakes

These melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies are unlike your familiar chocolate chip cookie! They're thick, buttery soft cookies loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips and topped with a sprinkling of sea salt flakes. They are a must-make this holiday season!

Why this bake works

No cookie dough chilling is needed!
Thick, buttery-soft chocolate chip shortbread cookies that melt in your mouth.
Zero eggs are needed to make this chocolate chip shortbread cookie recipe!
Makes two dozen cookies—the perfect amount!
A flavorful sweet-and-salty cookie combo if you add the flaky sea salt on top!
This shortbread cookie recipe can easily be doubled!
A strong match for a cookie swap or to share with your family during the holidays!

These salted chocolate chip shortbread cookies could not be any easier to make; your friends and family will love them!

Enjoy!

Flattening chocolate chip shortbread cookie dough on a natural parchment paper lined baking sheet with a small glass jar.

What goes in

The ingredients shown in the image below are used to make these buttery soft, chocolate chip shortbread cookies. Items noted in the bulleted list are key ingredients that need more explanation.

Ingredients in various size bowls labeled as semi sweet chocolate chips, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, all purpose flour, light brown sugar, unsalted butter, and sea salt flakes on a white marbled background.

All-Purpose Flour. A reliable brand of flour to use is always King Arthur.
Unsalted Butter. I've used the Kirkland brand, Plugra, and Kerrygold. Any will work well with this method.
Light Brown Sugar. ALDI has the best light brown sugar. Trader Joe's is a close second. Use whatever you have on hand!
Vanilla Extract. I also recommend trying vanilla paste! It's a more concentrated flavor, and you can see the vanilla beans in the cookie dough.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. The Ghirardelli brand is one of my favorites, which is what I used here, but use what you have on hand!
Sea Salt Flakes. Not to be confused with table salt! This is an optional ingredient you can add to the chocolate chip shortbread cookies just before baking! If you're looking for a good brand to try, Malden makes truly good sea salt flakes.

For quantities and instructions, please see the method card below.

Bringing Unsalted Butter to Room Temperature

Sometimes we forget to set out the butter 30-45 minutes before baking to let it soften. If this happens, pop the butter into the microwave. Heat it for 30-45 seconds at 50% power. This should do the trick!

If your butter is frozen, you might have to repeat this 2-3 times. Just don't forget it needs to be heated at 50% power! Full power, and you will find yourself with a pool of butter. That's not fun to clean up, trust me.

Substitutions

Here are a few substitutions to consider when making this chocolate chip shortbread cookie recipe.

Swap out the butter. You can replace the unsalted butter with salted butter. Make sure to omit the salt from the ingredients list, then.
Skip the light brown sugar. If you don't have light brown sugar, you can omit it from the method. Increase the amount of granulated sugar to 1/2 cup.
Try powdered sugar. For a slightly softer cookie, you can use 1/4 cup of powdered sugar instead of light brown sugar.
Use chocolate chunks. Instead of chocolate chips, you can chop up 7 ounces of dark chocolate and fold it into the cookie dough.

How it comes together

Below is a brief overview of how to make these easy chocolate chip shortbread cookies. For the full printable recipe, which can be made using US customary or metric measurements using the toggle switch, visit the method card below.

Whisked all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a small glass mixing bowl on a light grey background.

Step 1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Hold to the side.

Unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar blended together in a large glass mixing bowl with vanilla extract added to the top for mixing.

Step 2. Beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until well blended. Add in the vanilla extract.

Shortbread cookie dough blended together in a large glass mixing bowl on a light grey background.

Step 3. Reduce the mixer speed to low, gradually adding in the whisked dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Chocolate chip shortbread cookie dough in a large glass mixing bowl on a light grey background.

Step 4. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Step 5. Scoop out the dough with a 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop and place roughly 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass or jar.

Step 6. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 300ºF. Optionally, you can top the cookies with sea salt flakes before baking. When done, cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

Keeping and freezing

To store chocolate chip shortbread cookies, allow them to cool completely before transferring them to a well-sealed food storage container.

To freeze chocolate chip shortbread cookies, follow the same instructions as above. Try placing a sheet of wax paper in between each layer of cookies to prevent them from sticking to one another when frozen. Chocolate chip shortbread cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. When ready to eat, let them sit out at room temperature for 30-45 minutes. Or you can reheat them for 30 seconds in the microwave or toaster oven.

To freeze chocolate chip shortbread cookie dough, make the dough, then scoop into balls on a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet, and flatten with the bottom of a jar. Freeze until solid, then place in a well-sealed freezer bag or container. When ready, sprinkle the sea salt flakes on top (optional), then bake. You may need to add 1-2 minutes to your baking time.

Baker notes

Below are a few tips to make the best chocolate chip shortbread cookies!

Softened, room-temperature butter is best. Softening your unsalted butter to room temperature will help blend it well with the granulated and light brown sugars.
Use a 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop. To yield 24 cookies, Try using the 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop. You can use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to yield more, if you wish.
Fold in your chocolate chips. You can recommend folding chocolate chips into your dough with a spatula rather than using the mixer.
Sprinkle with sea salt. This is an optional step, but whoa, baby—adding sea salt flakes on top of each chocolate chip shortbread cookie—is THE BEST. I highly recommend it.
Use a small glass or jar. Use a small glass or jar to flatten the cookies slightly. No Hulk strength is needed; just a gentle press to flatten them out will do the trick.
Let the cookies cool. These are fairly soft cookies once they come out of the oven. Let them cool for about 5-10 minutes before you transfer them to a wire cooling rack.

Questions on this bake

Are there eggs in these chocolate chip shortbread cookies?

No eggs are needed in this method! Without the eggs, you get a nice, slightly crisp, and crumbly texture when you bite into these buttery chocolate chip shortbread cookies.

Do you need to refrigerate chocolate chip shortbread cookies?

Not this method! Just make, then bake!

Can you freeze chocolate chip shortbread cookie dough?

Yes! You can freeze chocolate chip shortbread cookie dough (scooped into balls, then slightly flattened with a small jar) or chocolate chip shortbread cookies. Make sure the cookies have cooled completely before freezing. They'll keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. If baking from frozen, you may need to add 1-2 minutes to your baking time.