Description
Buttery four-ingredient shortbread cookies dipped in dark chocolate and topped with festive sprinkles—perfectly mimicking Trader Joe’s seasonal Dark Chocolate Stars.
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup powdered (confectioners’) sugar + extra for rolling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips (e.g., Ghirardelli)
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil (optional, to thin the chocolate)
Instructions
- Cream together butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Add vanilla extract and mix.
- Gradually add flour and stir until just combined.
- Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Dust a clean surface with powdered sugar. Cut chilled dough in half; keep one half refrigerated.
- Roll out dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Use lightly sugared cookie cutters to cut star shapes; re-roll scraps as needed.
- Place cookies on prepared sheets. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until edges are just golden.
- Cool cookies completely on a wire rack.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips (and coconut oil, if using) in 30-second intervals, stirring between, until smooth.
- Dip cooled cookies into melted chocolate, let excess drip off on wire rack over parchment, then sprinkle with nonpareils.
- Let chocolate set (optionally refrigerate to speed up).
Notes
- If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the dough.
- Shortening or vegetable oil may be used instead of coconut oil to thin chocolate.
- Cookie yield depends on cutter size—this version yields ~44 mini cookies.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 74 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 38 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 11 mg
