All hail cookie season! # 373: Neapolitan Shortbread & Deep Dish Mint Chocolate Cookies

There’s no such thing as only one baking season… it’s an all-year-round kind of thing! But December is definitely when I go into baking hyperdrive. (Wonder what kind of desserts they’d have in Star Wars… something with blue milk?)

No I will not divulge how much butter I go through during the holidays (a girl’s gotta have some secrets) but let’s just say it’s more than two pounds a week and leave it at that.

There are just too many fun cookie designs and flavors to try so I’m doubling up for the next post or two. The more the merrier!

These lil guys are a one-dough-three-ways magic trick. You make a vanilla shortbread dough, and flavor one third of it with cocoa powder and melted chocolate and another third with almond extract and strawberry jam. Or if you’re me, pomegranate juice because that’s what you have on hand!

These glorious cookie bites leveled up by curling up in a muffin tin instead of spreading out on a baking sheet. Whoever came up with this style is a genius.

Deep dish bbs up first.

Basically a chocolate chip cookie that I waved a holiday spatula over and they transformed into festive treats. Christmas magic is alive and well (and fueled by sprinkles and Andes mints.)

Room temperature butter made both of these recipes 12 times easier. It feels like part of my morning routine now to pull butter and eggs out of the fridge to hang out on my marble board and lose their chill. (It’s less chaotic than it sounds, I promise.)

Boom! Festive.

Another benefit to using atrocious amounts of butter is using the wrappers as premade buttering papers.

Ready, set, bake!

I decided to underbake them a bit to have more of a gooey center. It also makes them sink a little in the middle, giving you the perfect spot to put a scoop of ice cream or chocolate ganache. *chef’s kiss*

How cute are you? Excuse me while I baby talk to my cookies.

Crispy golden edges, a cookie dream.

Time for batch #2! I actually made this dough first since it wanted to chill in the fridge for awhile. Cookie efficiency.

Butter tornado.

The pink dough gets a little extra flour to help offset the liquid for the flavoring. We all need a little help sometimes.

Melted chocolate AND cocoa powder? Double whammy.

Getting a craving for a Neapolitan ice cream sandwich.

Layer one all tucked into a loaf pan for a fridge nap.

I tried using the bottom of a glass to spread the dough evenly but it was more effort it seemed. Finger divots are a worthy trade-off for sanity.

Sweet dreams, lil dough loaf.

The playdoh of the baking world.

So satisfying!

Fingers crossed that they don’t sploot in the oven.

Huzzah! Minimal splooting.

Nom nom nom.

Happy munching!

Deep dish cookie proportions from: https://www.hummingbirdhigh.com/2019/12/brown-butter-chocolate-chip-cookie-cups.html

Neapolitan recipe from: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/neapolitan-cookies/