Spiced Chocolate Marble Shortbread

Spiced Chocolate Marble Shortbread
Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi.
Total Time
1 hour, plus chilling
Rating
4(362)
Notes
Read community notes

Chocolate, toasted sesame, candied ginger and citrus! These cookies are a wonderful combination of intense flavors that pair really well together. The alternating layers of a chocolate dough and one spiked with warming spices are reminiscent of marble swirls, zebra stripes, rock strata layers — take your pick. They are as pleasant to look at as they are to eat, and they will add some flair to your holiday cookie tin. (This cookie is one of six cookies that you can make with this Butter Shortbread Dough recipe. If you make that dough, you can make a double batch of the Marble Shortbread or try any of the other five recipes.)

Featured in: One Dough, Six Cookies

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Ingredients

Yield:2 dozen cookies

    Dough (or Use Half-batch of Butter Shortbread Dough)

    • 1cup/230 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 1cup/205 grams granulated sugar
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
    • 1 to 2large egg yolks
    • cups/320 grams all-purpose flour (see Tip)

    For Finishing

    • 3tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
    • 1tablespoon toasted sesame oil
    • 1tablespoon finely grated citrus zest (such as lemon, orange or lime)
    • teaspoons ground ginger
    • 2tablespoons candied ginger, chopped (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)

165 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 82 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Beat on low speed until incorporated and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. (Do not beat until fluffy, you don’t need to incorporate air into the dough.) Add the yolk and mix until just combined. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Add the flour to the bowl all at once and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer speed to low and beat until flour is fully incorporated, scraping the bowl again if needed, about 30 seconds. The dough will be in large crumbles.

  3. Step 3

    (If you’re starting with a half batch of Butter Shortbread Dough, start here.) Divide the crumbled dough into two portions (if the dough feels too crumbly to come together, mix in an additional egg yolk before dividing). To one half, add the cocoa powder and mix into the dough until evenly incorporated using a rubber spatula or your fingers. Use your hands to spread the chocolate dough on a sheet of parchment paper into a 7- by 10-inch rectangle. To the second portion of the dough, add the toasted sesame oil, citrus zest, ground ginger and candied ginger, if using, and mix until evenly distributed. Place the spiced dough on top of the chocolate dough and use your hands to spread in an even layer until it reaches all sides of the bottom dough.

  4. Step 4

    Fold the dough in thirds similar to how you might trifold a letter: With the short edge running parallel to you, lift the right long side and fold it over until the right edge of the dough aligns with the center of the dough. Fold the left side over the top. Press down lightly on the dough to adhere the fold. Slice the dough lengthwise, down the middle, and stack the two halves on top of each other with the cut sides facing opposite directions. Press down again lightly to adhere. You should have what looks like a log at this point. Wrap the log in the sheet of parchment and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes and up to 3 days.

  5. Step 5

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Trim the edges of the chilled log by shaving off any rounded sides. Slice the log in half lengthwise to make two strips. Further slice each strip crosswise into ½-inch rectangles. Lay the pieces on the prepared baking sheet, spacing at least ½ inch apart. Bake until the cookies are golden at the bottom edges, rotating once halfway through baking, about 22 minutes. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The baked cookies can also be stored frozen in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Tip
  • If using volume measurements, using a spoon, fluff and scoop the flour into a measuring cup, then scrape with a straight edge to level the surface. This will help prevent adding too much flour which can yield overly crumbly dough.

Ratings

4 out of 5
362 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

The folding method. 7"x10" - like a sheet of paper short side 7" parallel to your body - facing you long side 10" perpendicular to your body - the sides Fold right 10" side over to the middle (result: 3.5" no fold + 1.75" folded over) Fold left 10" side over to the middle (result: 1.75" folded over + 1.75" folded over) total size left after the 2 long folds = 1.75" + 1.75" = 3.5" x 10" Cut in half lengthwise and stack. DONE. Final measurement 1.75" x 10". Wrap and continue.

I'm rather suspicious of the whole group of recipes posted today. This one gives vague folding directions, the strawberry jam crumble recipe doesn't give oven temperature, the salted caramel one references an egg white but doesn't say what to do with it. The "savory" one includes a cup of sugar. I can't help wondering what else was overlooked. I'm steering clear of all of them.

I didn't find the folding directions confusing. If you visualize a letter, you could fold the bottom third up, crease it, and fold the top third down so the top edge of the letter meets the first fold. Now it can go into an envelope-- or, if it's cookie dough, it can move on to the next step.

Given the combination of flavors, I think you could leave out the sesame with no replacement. The chocolate, ginger and citrus seem like more than enough to me.

I used a roller to get a nice 10x7 rectangle. The cutting directions after the chilling leave me with squares, not rectangles and not the nice swirls of the picture because that pressed together edge is in the middle of it all. A video would really help these confusing directions.

This is a 7x10 rectangle, but which sides are folded over in thirds? It certainly matters to the ultimate cur.

I am continuing a previous comment, more to the procedure than the actually recipe . When there are so many issues I really want the developer of the recipe to address them. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that Deb Perlman whose recipes are not usually as flavorful or adventurous as this cookie has always replied on her blog to issues people have with recipes. If you make the recipe years after it was published and have a question or comment she will still address it.

It looks to me like the dough is folded in thirds lengthwise, not crosswise like a business letter. Pat the folds into place, then cut the whole thing in half lengthwise, and place one half on top of the other, cut sides parallel, but facing in opposite directions. Wrap and chill this. When you're ready to bake, slice this log lengthwise again. Then slice each half into individual cookies, which should yield tall rectangles with crosswise stripes.

Had success just cutting the layered dough into three parts and lifting to place one on top of the other. Refrigerated, then sliced. Came out beautifully.

Step 4 is very confusing. I am good through the first 2 sentences and then you've lost me. "Fold the left side over the top" ?? you mean over the right side that you just folded into the center? all the way to the other side???? and then press down and adhere the fold -?? the one I just made on the left side??? Please help

To Lin from Madison: As prep for making these, I just read the dough-folding directions twice. i agree it’s folded in thirds, same method as a business letter. But I think she says to make the folds parallel to the long edge (not parallelto the short edge as you would fold an actual letter.) A diagram would be super helpful in a case like this.

The recipe says to, after chilling the log, cut it in half again lengthwise--and then slice half-inch cookies off the two halves. But when you do this, you get small square cookies, not the longer rectangular ones shown in the photograph. Too late for me, but next time I will skip the final lengthwise cut so I get a more impressive result.

While n.’s folding instructions are clear, they can’t be accurate. The resulting color stack going into the refrigerator would be only 5 layers high, not the 9 shown in the photo. Remember that when the same color is stacked against itself, even though it technically is 2 layers, it reads as one. From the long side, fold the right 1/3 over to the left, and cover it with the left 1/3. You now have a stack of 5 layers. Slice lengthwise and stack; now you have 9 layers. I’ve made these 3 times.

I had the problem with a very crumbly dough as well. I added a bit of water and that helped to get it to stick together for shaping.

I don't "cook" often so I don't have all the proper/helpful tools or the real understanding of the process and reasoning in all the steps. After having made these wonderful cookies I understand from the experience how to do a better job next time. Thank you for stretching my knowledge.

If I made one I would say instead of shortbread, I would make a cake because I think it taste better. My Pawpaw had it one time but he liked the cake better because it was his birthday so he had cake.

Sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them to because I’m a raspberry ripple ice cream and it was frozen cold it wasn’t how it was supposed to be it was definitely not and I did not get mad. I just did what I wanted to do and I liked it I loved it. I loved it.

Eggs might make it puffy

If you pick what flavor you want for your marble bread, it might make it better for you

The flavors were fabulous. The cookie itself was problematic - far too sticky, a bit too sweet, and required much more time than specified for baking (32 minutes) and still came out a bit greasy-looking. Also, the ginger part of the cookie expanded more than the chocolate part, making it look quite odd. Overall, I'd make another shortbread recipe but use this amazing flavor combination.

Follow j’s folding instructions.

Here's how to fix this wonderful recipe: 1. Use 300 gr flour (recipe is wrong here; 2 1/2 c flour = 300 gr) 2. Use Dutch process cocoa. Also use butter with a higher fat content (15% vs. 11%) 3. Use your hands to work the cocoa and spices into the 2 doughs. Both doughs should be slightly malleable, not crumbly. 4. Placing the two doughs on waxed paper can help with folding and shaping before refrigerating. By the time you are done you will have a 12" rectangular log (1/2" slices=24 cookies)

This was my second year making these. They're a big hit! I skipped the sesame oil and instead added 1.5 tsp of cardamom to the light dough. I didn't manage to successfully follow the folding instructions, but both times they came out beautiful with a somewhat haphazard folding method (I think the goal is to get some well-defined swirls). I cut small squares instead of longer rectangles in order to get more cookies.

Don't sleep on the sesame oil. It adds a depth of flavor that is so good. These were a hit at my cookie exchange. To ease in the folding method I put the dough on to a piece of cling wrap and smashed the two flavors together and pulled the plastic up and over to assist in the folding. Worked like a charm!

I made the dough, shaped it into the log, and chilled it in the fridge for two days before baking. I personally think there was a huge difference in the flavor after chilling for so long — the aging really helped it come together. These were so delicious!

It makes no sense to me that you can only freeze these cookies for 5 days. I think it must mean five weeks. And even not frozen shortbread usually keeps way longer than 3 days - unless eaten of course.

These are delicious made as directed. Really special cookie.

Use three egg yokes.

Big hit. These will be part of my regular cookie rotation. Second time I made it, I added a pinch of cayenne. Gave it a nice bite.

Love this. It will be part of my holiday cookie repertoire.

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