Servings: 24-48 pieces, depending on size of pieces
Ingredients
¾cupbutterroom temperature
¾cuplight brown sugar
1egg
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1½cupsall-purpose flour*
1teaspoonespresso powderregular or decaf is fine
¼teaspoonbaking soda
¼teaspoonkosher salt
1cupdark chocolate chipsor semi-sweet or milk
*Gluten-Free Alternative
1cupbrown rice flour
¾cuptapioca starch
½teaspoonxanthan gum
Instructions
Combine the butter and the brown sugar and beat until smooth. Add the egg and the vanilla and beat again. Stir together the dry ingredients and then add to the wet ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough for at least half an hour and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line a 9x13 pan or a large baking sheet with parchment. Scoop the dough onto the parchment and then place another sheet of parchment on top. The dough will be very sticky, so you will need that second sheet on top to spread the dough across the pan with your hands. Spread it out thinly, less than 1/2" thick, or approximately the thickness of the chocolate chips.
Remove the top sheet of parchment and place the pan in the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean with crumbs. Let the shortbread rest in the pan for 5-10 minutes before using the parchment to carefully lift it out of the pan. Let it cool on the counter or on a cooling rack for another 10 minutes before slicing it into bite size pieces. Do not let it cool for too long if you want it to cut smoothly. I used a pizza cutter to slice it cleanly into 1" pieces.
Store in an airtight container for soft bites of shortbread and in a not quite airtight container if you prefer the shortbread to be more crisp. Enjoy!