Chinese New Year is going to be on Jan 31st this year. It is 3 weeks away. It is time to get things ready. But you may ask what shortbread cookies and Chinese New Year have anything to do with each other.
During Chinese New Year, people go around to visit relatives and friends. It is the perfect opportunity to spend time together. When you go to visit someone, you can’t go empty handed. You always need to bring a gift with you. Most common gifts are fruits, chocolates, and cookies. The popular gifts in Hong Kong are Ferreo Rocher and Kjeldsens Butter Cookies (I am not sure whether this is still true nowadays, but at least it was when I was living in HK.) And of course, homemade cookies would be even better.
This year, Bryan and I will be in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year. It has been 10 years since I celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong. I am looking forward to seeing all my families and friends and showing Bryan everything about Chinese New Year.
I will be bringing these espresso-chocolate shortbread to my relatives. These cookies are buttery and crumbly. The espresso flavors definitely come through, but not overpowering. The espresso and chocolate make great balance and they make the traditional cookies more unique. Did I mention that these cookies are addicting? You really can’t just eat one! Enjoy! Wish you luck in the year of Horse!
Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
60 – 64 cookies
Ingredients:
– 1½ tablespoon instant espresso powder
– 1½ tablespoon boiling water
– 3 sticks unsalted butter (at room temperature)
– 1 cup powdered sugar
– ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
– 3 cups all purpose flour
– 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
- In a small heatproof bowl, add the espresso powder. Pour the boiling water and mix well with a spoon. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar at low speed for 30 seconds. Turn the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is very smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and espresso and beat to combine. With the mixer at low speed, add the flour and mix until just combine. Fold in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 2-inch-diameter long log. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hour, or for up to 2 days.
- Preheat oven to 325˚F (165˚C). Arrange racks in lower and upper thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment papers.
- Unwrap 1 dough log. Cut log into ¼-inch rounds with a sharp knife. Transfer to prepared sheets, spacing 1-inch apart.
- Bake until cookies are slightly golden brown at the bottom and can be easily removed from the baking sheet, about 19 – 22 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks and let cool completely. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Tips:
- If you can’t find mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can use chopped semi-sweet chocolate.
- For storage, put the cookies in a tightly sealed container. They can be store up to 3 days.
Source: Read
How exciting! I hope you share your adventure with us on your blog! I’d love to see pictures of Chinese New Year in Hong Kong!
I know!!! I can’t wait! And yes, I will share some stories and pictures from my HK visit with you all. 😀
Wow! Chinese New Year in Hong Kong…you are so lucky!! The cookies look so delicious and like they will travel well…I bet they will love them! And yes, like miss mochi said, try to post pics! =)
Heehee…. Thank you, Bonnie. I will have my husband takes more pictures and I will post them here when I am back. 🙂
These cookies definitely travel well. But I will be baking them at my parents’ place. Fresher is better. Oh small oven, hope you will work ok. Fingers crossed.
Sounds so fun, looking forward to the pics! =)
That’s awesome that you are going to be spending CNY in HK this year, can’t wait to hear all about it 🙂 These cookies look wonderful, I love shortbread cookies and I bet they taste fantastic with the chocolate chips and espresso!
Thanks! Yes, I am getting really excited. It has been too long since I am back to my hometown. I would love to see my grandmas and families.
Love your short cakes. They look crunchy and buttery!
How exciting you’ll be in HK for the Chinese New Year this year. My wife and I planned to do the same this year (she’s from HK) but we had to cancelled it due to work. I hope you have a lot of fun!!
Oh, that sucks! Hopefully, you guys can go soon or next CNY. Thank you. We will definitely enjoy our times and eat more! 🙂
Mmm with espresso! Looks so good!
Thank you, Charisma! Yes, coffee lovers would love this. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!
Yum, these look delicious! Espresso and chocolate shortbread sounds amazing! 🙂
Jess
Thank you very much, Jess! They were absolutely amazing and addicting. Hope you will give it a try! Thanks for stopping by.
Lucky you and Bryan that you will be at Hong Kong during CNY!!! Hope that you both have a great time! I reckon CNY at Melbourne or any non Chinese places is never as nice as being at our hometown…
Your chocolate shortbread must be nice treats to munch and count down to your CNY trip… Exciting!
Thank you, Zoe. I agree that CNY in hometown is special and it is not the same to celebrate it elsewhere. I am very excited about the trip! I wish it can come sooner.
Your shortbread cookies looks wonderful. I love eating shortbread and espresso is one of my favourite flavours in bakes. Thanks for linking with Bake-Along!
Wish you a wonderful trip to Hong Kong and a joyous Chinese New Year with your family!
Thank you very much, Joyce! Happy Chinese New Year to you too! Thanks for hosting the Bake-Along event. I can’t wait to try a few recipes. I had a wonderful time in Hong Kong and ate many delicious food. I wish I could stay for a few more days. 😛
hi lokness, spending cny in hkg i think will make one really get into cny mood, afterall it’s a chinese living community there. You already sound excited about the trip and probably bryian is even more excited. thx for sharing with us this addictive shorbread cookies. What a coincidence that the other day i was looking at your baked pork chop rice on the internet and now talking to you , i hope to attempt the pork chop rice one day , sound super delicious with fried rice, tomato and cheese.
It was definitely very nice to celebrate CNY in HK. That festive atmosphere just can’t be found in the US. We had an amazing time.
Thank you for hosting the Bake-Along event. It was nice to see all the different cookie recipes. I would love to try a few of them.
It is pretty funny that you bumped into my blog two times in a short period of time. I am also glad that you enjoyed the baked pork chop rice. Thanks for trying it out. 🙂