Chocolate Shortbread Bars

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Shortbread Bars are made with just six ingredients. With chocolate ganache in between tender shortbread layers, this is a perfect treat for any occasion yet especially nice during the holiday season!

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

set time30

Total Time1 50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: bars

Calories: 386kcal

Author: Tammi

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2½ cups dark chocolate chips
¼ cup heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Use an electric hand mixer to whisk together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl for about 2 minutes, or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the vanilla.
Gently whisk in the flour. Once there are no more pockets of dry flour in your cookie dough, spread about ¾ of it into an 8x8 inch baking dish. Bake your crust for 15 minutes.
While the crust is baking, make your chocolate ganache. Add the chocolate and cream to a mixing bowl and microwave for 40 seconds. Stir until smooth and creamy. If needed, you can microwave the mixture for another 20-30 seconds.
Pour the ganache over the shortbread crust and then let the ganache set for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, sprinkle the remaining shortbread dough over the ganache and bake for another 30-49 minutes.

Video

Notes

It is important to give your ganache a chance to set up a little bit. It does not need to be completely set, but ensuring it is not warm and runny helps prevent the cookie topping from sinking in and becoming submerged in chocolate.
In order to get clean, uniform cuts out of these bars I recommend waiting at least 30 minutes before slicing into them. The cookie base will continue to bake a little bit as the pan cools.

Storage - You can store your shortbread bars on the counter for up to 5 days. Make sure you keep them airtight to preserve their freshness. Enjoy these bars at room temperature or warm 1-2 in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

These bars can also be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Let them come to room temperature before serving or warm in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

Nutrition