Alison Roman’s Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Some recipes earn their reputation. Alison Roman’s salted butter and chocolate chip shortbread cookies are one of those. They went viral when they first appeared on Bon Appétit, and it became almost impossible to spend time on the food internet without seeing them. I held out for a while, then made them, and understood immediately why everyone was so obsessed.
These are not a traditional chocolate chip cookie. They are a slice-and-bake shortbread with chocolate chunks pressed into the dough, rolled in demerara sugar for a crisp, caramelised crust, and finished with a pinch of flaky salt. The result is something altogether more interesting than your average cookie, and far easier to make than you might expect.
Why this recipe works so well
The genius of this recipe is the shortbread base. Instead of a soft, chewy cookie dough, you are working with a stiff, butter-heavy dough that gets sliced cold and baked until the edges just catch. That gives you a completely different texture: snappy at the edges, a little more tender in the centre, with pockets of chocolate throughout. The demerara crust adds crunch and a faint caramel sweetness that ties everything together.
The salted butter is not an afterthought. It is the whole point. Salt amplifies sweetness and deepens the butter flavour in a way that unsalted butter with a pinch of added salt simply cannot replicate. Then you finish with flaky sea salt on top, and the combination of salty, sweet, buttery, and chocolatey is what makes these so completely difficult to stop eating.
I grew up loving Angel biscuits in South Africa, those soft chocolate-covered biscuits shaped like wings that disappeared from shelves years ago and have never quite been replaced. These cookies took me straight back to that flavour. Butter, chocolate, that slightly caramelised edge. It is all there.
My one change to the original recipe
I follow this recipe faithfully with one addition: a tablespoon or two of toasted milk powder mixed into the dough. It is the same ingredient I use in my buttermilk rusks to get that distinctive, deeply biscuity flavour. In these cookies, it adds a malty, nutty depth that is hard to identify but makes the whole thing more moreish. You can read about how to make toasted milk powder and other ways to apply it . It is optional, but I would not skip it.
A note on the dough
The dough comes together easily in a stand mixer but it is quite stiff, which is exactly what you want for a slice-and-bake cookie. Roll it into logs while it is still pliable and brush with beaten egg before rolling in the demerara sugar. Do this while the dough is still soft rather than after chilling, since cold dough makes it harder for the sugar to adhere properly. Wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for at least two hours, or freeze at this stage if you want to bake them later.
When you cut the logs into rounds, use a sharp knife and a confident, clean motion. The chocolate chunks can make the dough crumble slightly as you slice, which is normal. Just press any stray pieces back into the round before baking.
FAQs for Alison Roman’s Chocolate Chip Shortbread
What makes Alison Roman’s chocolate chip cookies different?
These are a slice-and-bake shortbread cookie rather than a conventional dropped cookie. The dough is stiff and butter-heavy, the logs are rolled in demerara sugar before slicing, and the baked result has a crisp, caramelised edge with a more tender centre and chocolate chunks throughout. The texture is completely different from a standard chocolate chip cookie.
Do I have to use salted butter?
Yes, and it matters. The salted butter is a core part of what makes this recipe work. It deepens the flavour and adds a natural seasoning to the dough that you cannot replicate by using unsalted butter and adding salt separately. If salted butter is all you use in your kitchen anyway (as I do), you are already ahead.
Can I use chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate?
You can, but chopped chocolate gives you a better result. Roughly chopped dark chocolate creates uneven pockets of different sizes throughout the dough, which makes for a more interesting texture and flavour in each bite. Chips are more uniform and tend to hold their shape rather than melting into the dough. Use whichever you have, but go for chopped if you can.
Why is my shortbread cookie dough crumbly?
The dough for slice-and-bake shortbread is much stiffer than a standard cookie dough, so a small amount of crumbling when you cut is normal. If the dough is falling apart completely, it is most likely a measurement issue. Always weigh your butter and flour rather than using cup measures, since the difference in volume can be significant enough to affect the dough.
Can you freeze Alison Roman’s shortbread cookies?
Both the unbaked dough and the baked cookies freeze well. For the dough, freeze the wrapped logs and slice directly from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the bake time. For baked cookies, layer between sheets of baking paper in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. They are excellent eaten straight from frozen.
How long do chocolate chip shortbread cookies last?
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these keep well for up to one week. Do not refrigerate them as the fridge can affect the texture. For longer storage, freeze them as described above.
What chocolate works best in this recipe?
A semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate with around 60 to 70% cocoa works best. You want chocolate with enough bitterness to balance the sweetness of the dough and the demerara crust. Good quality couverture is ideal, but a standard supermarket dark chocolate works perfectly well too.
Serving and storing chocolate chunk cookies
These are excellent straight from the oven but they are just as good cold. They freeze beautifully and are, dangerously, completely worth eating straight from the freezer. I always keep a few in there for exactly this reason.
They make a lovely gift packed into a tin or a small box and they hold up well at room temperature for up to a week, which makes them a solid bake-ahead option.
For more biscuit and cookie recipes, head to my best biscuit recipes roundup, or try my classic shortbread biscuit recipe, my shortbread biscuit balls with chocolate middles, my whipped vanilla shortbread, or my ever-popular vanilla snap biscuits.
The recipe is slightly adapted (metric measurements and method) from Alison’s cookbook Dining In on the Bon Appetit site
*Pro Tip – Add toasted milk powder to the recipe to bring out a delicious nutty brown butter flavour. 1-2 Tablespoons will do the trick.
Alison Roman’s Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 260 grams / 9 oz cold salted butter cut into small cubes
- 100 grams / ½ cup white caster sugar
- 50 grams / ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 280 grams / 2¼ cups cake flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 to 2 Tbsp toasted milk powder optional but recommended
- 175 grams / 6 oz dark chocolate 60 to 70%, roughly chopped
- 1 large free-range egg beaten
- 80 grams / ⅓ cup demerara sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, caster sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the flour and toasted milk powder until just combined. Add the chopped chocolate and mix briefly until evenly distributed. The dough will be stiff.
- Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a log roughly 5.5 to 6 cm / 2¼ inches in diameter.
- While the dough is still soft and pliable, brush each log with beaten egg and roll firmly in the demerara sugar to form an even crust.
- Wrap each log tightly in cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm, or freeze at this stage for later use.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F and line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the logs into rounds about 1.2 cm / ½ inch thick. Place on the prepared tray with space between each cookie.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the edges are just beginning to turn golden brown. The centres will look slightly underdone, which is correct. They firm up as they cool.
- Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
My Best Biscuit Recipes: Easy Homemade Biscuits And Cookies
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I keep hearing about these incredible cookies and now you’ve convinced me that I really must try them! 🙂
OMG these cookies are terrific. I did not roll the edges in sugar or have any brown sugar but they still worked.
YUM YUM
I tried to make these but the dough was very crumbly. After placing them in the fridge for over 2 hours they totally fell apart when I cut them into rounds. I triple check that used all the ingredients with the right quantities so not sure what I did wrong. Please help!
HI Sea, I’m unsure what went t=wrog as this recipe is so famous and so well tested. I can only imagine you didn’t have enough butter or used too much flour?. Did you weigh everything? weight measurements are always more accurate than cups.