Chocolate-Chunk Shortbread Cookies

Submitted by: Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Living
This makes a wonderful gift when presented in a little cellopane bad, tied with a ribbon and a couple of tea bags.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preparation

For shortbread:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 
• Sift to­gether flour and salt into a medium bowl. 
• Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. 
• Add sugar gradually, beating between additions; continue to beat until mixture is very pale, about 2 minutes total. 
• Reduce speed to low, and add flour mix­ture; beat until just combined.

For chocolate-chunk shortbread:

• After beating in the flour, beat in 4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (3/4 cup). 
• Press dough evenly into a parchment-lined 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet; 
• refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. 
• Cut dough in eighths length­wise, then quarters crosswise, making 32 rectangles. Evenly pierce all over with a skewer.
• Bake until shortbread is firm in center and golden brown, 50 minutes to 1 hour. 
• Transfer pan to a wire rack; immediately recut rectangles with a paring knife. Let shortbread cool completely in pan.
• Melt 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate. Dip bars into choco­late, place on parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 10 minutes.

Makes 32 bars