Chocolate Chunk Shortbread

The secret to these best-ever, melt in your mouth shortbread cookies is toasting the flour and baking the cookies in a slow oven. Mmmm... Original recipe adapted from Desserts By Phipps in Toronto. Prep time includes refrigerating dough.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Yields: 72 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2  cups butter, softened
• 1  cup  fruit sugar (instant dissolving)
• 1  cup  rice flour
• 8  semi-sweet chocolate baking squares, chopped

Directions

1. Place 1 1/2 cups of the all purpose flour in a 12-inch frying pan and cook (yes, cook!) over medium heat, stirring constantly, until flour is medium brown in color (about 8 minutes).
2. Let cool.
3. In bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Sift together rice flour, cooked all purpose flour and remaining all purpose flour.
5. Stir until well blended.
6. Stir in chocolate chunks (I've also used mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and the cookies taste just as good).
7. Refrigerate until dough is stiff enough to handle (about 1 hour).
8. Roll into 1 1/4" balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets about 2" apart.
9. Bake in preheated 275 degree oven for about 50 minutes or until slightly golden on the bottom.
10. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from baking sheet.