With their buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread and delicious centre of nougat-y milk chocolate, these Toblerone Shortbread Cookies are sure to become a holiday favourite. Perfect for gift giving, cookie exchanges and devouring in front of the fireplace, these cookies get rave reviews every time. Fair warning: you may want to make more than one batch as these shortbread cookies disappear quickly! (Also, buy extra Toblerone. No one walks by a bowl of Toblerone triangles without stealing at least one.)
TOBLERONE
Toblerone bars are everywhere, especially during the holidays, so chances are you’re quite familiar with this chocolate confection, and chances are it’s easily available where you live. In case you’ve never tried one before, Toblerone is a Swiss chocolate bar made with honey and almond nougat that gives it a texture that is all at once creamy, chewy and crunchy. Said to be inspired by the Swiss Mountains, it has a distinctive triangular shape that is easily broken into pieces. It’s also said that the shape is in fact not inspired by the mountains but rather by the human pyramid made by the dancers at the French cabaret Les Folies Bergères that were so admired by the chocolatier who created the Toblerone bar – but who really knows? What I do know is that it’s delicious and that the addition of a big chunk of nougat-y chocolate is the perfect way to dress up shortbread cookies for the holidays.
Toblerone bars come in several sizes and flavours. This shortbead recipe calls for the 100gr bar, as the individual triangles can be broken apart into perfectly sized pieces. The original milk chocolate flavour (yellow box) is used here, but feel free to try the dark chocolate, white chocolate or any limited addition flavours – they’re all delicious! Make a couple of different batches of these cookies, each with a different flavour of Toblerone, and find your own favourite. Toblerone bars of all kinds make their way into our house at the holidays, so I often make these cookies with the Toblerone bars from gift baskets and Christmas stockings to enjoy at New Years.
BERRY SUGAR
This recipe calls for berry sugar, which is also known as fruit sugar, superfine and instant dissolving sugar. What exactly is this sugar by so many names? It’s simply white sugar with a smaller crystal structure, that dissolves easily. It’s called “berry sugar” or “fruit sugar” because it’s often used to sweeten fresh fruit without leaving behind the grit of granulated sugar or the pasty coating of powdered sugar. It is both “superfine” in consistency and “instant dissolving” when you mix it with liquids. All the names make sense now, right?
Many recipes for shortbread cookies call for icing sugar because its powdery consistency makes a tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookie. Berry sugar provides a little more structure in this dough, which is perfect for wrapping around the Toblerone, while still delivering all the tender shortbread texture. Berry/Fruit/Superfine/Instant sugar can usually be found in the baking section of larger grocery stores or at bulk food stores.
Pro Tip: If you can’t find berry sugar, you can make your own by whizzing regular granulated sugar in a food processor for a minute to grind the sugar into smaller crystals.
MAKING THE SHORTBREAD COOKIE DOUGH
This recipe contains a short list of ingredients and comes together quickly. In a bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the ingredients on low speed until a crumbly dough forms. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer and a mixing bowl instead. The finished dough will be crumbly in texture, but will come together nicely when you shape it into cookies in your hands.
Toblerone Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, very soft
- 1/2 cup berry sugar (sometimes called fruit sugar or instant dissolving sugar)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3 100g bars of Toblerone chocolate, broken into individual triangles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Gradually add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until fully combined. Don't over mix. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use the rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all the flour has been incorporated.
- Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the dough into the palm of your hand. Using your other hand, flatten the dough into a disc between your palms. Pat around the edges if necessary to bring the dough together into a smooth disc. Press one piece of Toblerone into the centre of the disc and fold up the dough to tightly wrap around the Toblerone, almost enclosing it, but leaving a little of the Toblerone exposed. Pinch the dough to seal it so it doesn't unfold during baking. Place the cookie the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the cookie shaping process with remaining dough and Toblerone, placing assembled cookies about 1 1/2" apart on the cookie sheet.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 25-28 minutes, until dough is set and bottoms are very lightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled and chocolate is firm. Store in an airtight container in a cool place (or place in the fridge) for up to 2 weeks. Allow the cookies to come to room temperature before serving.
RECIPE NOTES
- Toblerone bars come in many sizes. This recipe calls for the 100gr bars, as the individual triangles are the perfect size for these cookies. If you can’t find the 100gr bars, buy a larger bar and chop the Toblerone into 1″ size chunks.
- Measure flour carefully by spooning it into the measuring cup and levelling the top with a knife. Too much flour in this shortbread dough will make it difficult to work with and will result in dry cookies.
- Part of the beauty of shortbread is its pure creamy colour. Watch the cookies for early signs of browning, and pull them from the oven just as the lightest golden colour is appearing on the bottom or around the edges.
- There’s a long held belief that shortbread “ripens” and develops more flavour with age. I can’t say I’ve personally noticed a dramatic improvement in flavour over time, but these cookies do keep well in an airtight container, stored in a cool location, for up to 2 weeks, making them a great “make ahead” cookie. For longer storage, wrap the cookies tightly to seal out any air, and freeze for up to 2 months. Take them out of the freezer several hours before you plan to serve them so the whole cookie, including the chocolate Toblerone centre, can come to room temperature.
