Chocolate Chip Shortbread

In 'The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion'

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Yields: 24 shortbread wedges

Ingredients

• 1  cup unsalted butter
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1⁄3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1  cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°; lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, salt, sugar, and vanilla.
3. Combine 1 cup of the flour and the chocolate chips in the workbowl of a food processor and process until the chocolate is chopped (you want the chocolate pieces to be small enough that they don't poke out of the dough, but large enough that you can still discern them as individual bits).
4. Beat the remaining 1 1/3 cup flour and the flour/chocolate mixture into the butter/sugar mixture until well combined.
5. Divide the dough in half and press it into the prepared pans, smoothing the surface with your fingers.
6. Prick the dough with a fork in an attractive pattern.
7. Bake the shortbread for 35-40 minutes, until it is golden brown around the edges.
8. Remove it from the oven and loosen the edges with a heat-resistant plastic knife or table knife.
9. Wait 5 minutes, then carefully turn the shortbread out onto a clean work surface, all in one piece.
10. Using a pizza wheel, baker's bench knife, or sharp knife, cut each round into 12 wedges (do this while the shortbread is still warm).
11. Transfer the wedges to a rack to cool.