Chocolate Chestnut Shortbread Cookies – A Luxurious Christmas Bake

These festive Chocolate Chestnut Shortbread Cookies are rich, buttery, and deeply nutty with the irresistible flavour of roasted chestnuts and cocoa. A touch of nutmeg and cinnamon brings cozy holiday warmth, making them an easy and elegant Christmas cookie for your festive baking lineup.

Hello, everyone! How are you doing? Any holiday baking fun?

Not too much for me (yet). My camera broke a few weeks ago, and since that I am taking a break from holiday cooking (because what’s the point if you cannot photograph? LOL) I baked some cookies last weekend for my work, and I am planning to repeat this weekend for Andrew’s work. But that’s all (I am still hopeful to get my camera soon, so I could shoot a few recipes for next year. A couple of cocktails and cookies are on my list.)

Long story short, this season I have shared with you only one cookie recipe for Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze. And it was actually made and photographed last winter, along with these festive chocolate chestnut cookies.

Why You’ll Love These Festive Chocolate Chestnut Shortbread Cookies

• Festive: Seasonal and cozy, these cookies capture the essence of holiday baking with roasted chestnuts, warm spices, and rich chocolate.
• Easy: The dough comes together quickly with simple ingredients and no complicated steps, perfect for stress-free holiday baking.
• Refined: With their subtle sweetness and buttery texture, they offer a more sophisticated twist compared to overly sugary cookies.
• Versatile: Use dark, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate to tailor the flavour, or dust the baked cookies with icing sugar for extra sweetness and charm.

Flavour and Texture Profile

These Chocolate Chestnut Shortbread Cookies are super easy to make, yet the flavour is nothing short of spectacular. It’s a classic buttery shortbread base infused with festive touches of roasted chestnuts, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I used dark chocolate to make them extra decadent, but you can easily swap it for semi-sweet or even milk chocolate.

We don’t like our cookies overly sweet, and if you share that preference, you’ll love this recipe. If you prefer the American-style cookies that are quite sweet, you can simply add a bit more sugar to the dough or sprinkle the baked cookies with icing sugar for a touch of extra indulgence.

Ingredients You’ll Need for These Festive Chocolate Chestnut Cookies

To make these decadent Chocolate Chestnut Shortbread Cookies, you will need the following ingredients:

• Butter: The base of any great shortbread, butter provides richness and that signature melt-in-your-mouth texture. Make sure it’s softened for easy mixing and even distribution.
• All-purpose flour: The structure of the dough. Combined with butter, it creates a tender, crumbly cookie that still holds its shape beautifully.
• Corn starch: Adds an extra level of lightness and tenderness. If you prefer, you can simply replace it with more flour for a slightly firmer texture.
• Light brown sugar: Brings a subtle caramel flavour and just enough sweetness to balance the chocolate and chestnuts. Golden or light muscovado sugar works well, too.
• Salt: A small but essential addition that enhances the buttery flavour and balances the sweetness.
• Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and depth, rounding out the overall flavour profile.
• Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg: These festive spices infuse the shortbread with cozy holiday notes. Adjust to your preference or experiment with cardamom or allspice for a different twist.
• Roasted chestnuts: Crumbled roasted chestnuts add a rich, nutty texture and a subtle sweetness that pairs beautifully with chocolate. You can use pre-roasted, vacuum-packed chestnuts for convenience.
• Dark chocolate: Deep, slightly bitter chocolate perfectly complements the chestnuts and butter. Feel free to substitute semi-sweet or milk chocolate for a milder, sweeter version.

More Shortbread Cookie Recipes

Di you like these festive chocolate chestnut cookies? Be sure to check more recipes:

• Orange Clove Christmas Cookies – Festive Spiced Shortbread
• Orange Rosemary Shortbread Cookies (With Cointreau Glaze)
• Cranberry Pecan Shortbread Cookies
• Spiced Shortbread Cookies
• Cranberry Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

I’d love for you to try these Chocolate Chestnut Shortbread Cookies – A Luxurious Christmas Bake. If you give the recipe a go, please share your results in the comments, message me on Instagram, or post your photos with the hashtag #havocinthekitchen. I look forward to seeing your creations and hearing your thoughts!

Cheers!

Chocolate Chestnut Shortbread Cookies – A Luxurious Christmas Bake

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

These Chocolate Chestnut Shortbread Cookies are decadent, rich, nutty and delicious. And the addition of nutmeg and cinnamon adds something extra special making them a perfect festive treat.

Course: Cookies, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Chestnut RecipesDifficulty: Easy

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Servings

25-35

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Chilling time

30-60

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 170 g (3/4 cup) butter

• 170 g (1 and 1/3 cup) all-purpose flour

• 30 g (3 tbsp.) corn starch (if don’t want to use it, substitute for 30 gr. of flour)

• 2 tbsp. light-brown / golden sugar

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and ginger, each (or more, to taste)

• a few generous gratings of nutmeg

• 150 g roasted and peeled chestnuts, crumbled

• 150 g (3/4 cup) dark chocolate baking chips

Directions

• First Method (Requires Mixer and Chilling):
• For this method, you will need softened butter; just remove it from the fridge 1-2 hours prior baking. In a bowl, with a mixer cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, spices, and salt on medium speed, about 2 minutes.
• Gradually stir in the flour and mix until the mixture starts to remain dough.
• Stir in the chestnuts and chocolate chips; do not overmix. Wrap up in plastic and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. After chilling the dough should be pliable, moist, and slightly crumbly (yet easily coming together). You may need to dust it with some flour when rolling. If the dough is too firm and crumbly after chilling, let it stay 5-10 minutes at room temp.
• Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (350 F). Line a baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
• Roll the dough out with a rolling-pin (if the dough feels too moist . Cut cookies using cookie cutters and arrange them on the baking sheet(s) making sure you leave some space between them.
• Bake for about 10-14 minutes (depending on size and your preference) or until edges are slightly golden. If you prefer delicate, moist, and soft cookies, bake them less, depending on their size, thickness, and your oven. If you prefer them crisp and more browned, bake them for extra 2-3 minutes or so. Either way, they will be delicious!
• Cool the cookies for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer on a plate or cookie rack and cool completely. If desired, sprinkle cooled cookies with some icing powder.
• Second Method (No Mixer and Chilling Required):
• Cut the butter into few large pieces, place in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat for about 25-40 seconds or until very soft (partly melted); or melt a small saucepan over stovetop heat.
• Combine the soften/melted butter with sugar, sugar, spices, vanilla, and salt. Beat with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds until well-incorporated.
• Stir in the flour and starch and mix until remains dough. Stir in the chestnuts and chocolate chips; do not overmix.
• If the dough feels too sticky, dust with a little of flour. If it feels to crumbly / dry (that happens as density of ingredients could wary), you can fix it by stirring in a little more of melted butter or a splash of milk.
• You do not need to refrigerate the dough, but if you have time, giving it 5-10 minutes of resting will improve the texture even more. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (~175 degrees C). Repeat steps 4 to 6 from the 1st method. Enjoy!