Cardamom Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies
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Cardamom chocolate chunk shortbread cookies are crisp, flaky, buttery, and chocolatey! And, they have a lovely floral note thanks to a dose of freshly-ground cardamom. Ahhh, they’re the best! These are one of my favorites to make for the holidays, cookie boxes, or just casual snacking.

We got home from our honeymoon in Curaçao last week and I was the most sad until I remembered that I had Bertie the greyhound, a decorated tree, and frozen shortbread cookies just waiting for me in the freezer.
If you get bad post-vacation blues like I do, might I recommend that you schedule any and all vacations right after Thanksgiving so you can come home to some holiday cheer? (A little worried that the post-holiday blues are going to be doubly bad this year but that’s a problem for future Sara).
Anywho. I sure do hope you have some softened butter and a bar of chocolate sitting around, because you must make these cookies immediately! Along with chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies and stamped cardamom gingerbread cookies, they are honestly one of my all-time favorite Christmas desserts I’ve ever made. Truly, I thought about them during my entire honeymoon and desperately wished I had packed a batch for a little plane snack.
Wow, chocolate + cardamom is a dream
As a pastry chef, I’ve made many, many desserts. But cross my heart, these might just be my perfect cookie. For starters, there’s a ton of cardamom and I know I don’t need to explain my love of cardamom here. Secondly, they’re flaky, dense, uber buttery, and have a nice salty touch. Borderline more like pie dough than cookies, and I mean that in the best way possible.
- This recipe is super quick & easy thanks to a traditional slice-and-bake method.
- This is a one-bowl cookie recipe. A.k.a. less dishes!
- You need just a handful of pantry staple ingredients.
- They’re a huge crowd-pleaser for holiday parties & cookie boxes.
Just a head’s up, if you’re looking for a traditional chocolate chip cookie, this recipe is not it. This version, popularized by Alison Roman a few years ago, is crisp, buttery, and crunchy like a traditional shortbread. I love both equally and make classic CCCs and this version depending on my mood!
Everything you need
While the ingredient list is pretty simple, I recommend going with high-quality ingredients for this recipe. Since the cookies only have a handful of ingredients, the flavors really shine through and good stuff makes a difference.
- Unsalted butter – make sure to let it soften for at least 30-60 minutes.
- Sugar – the sugar doesn’t just sweeten the dough but also helps the cookies brown and crisp up.
- Dark brown sugar – light brown sugar also works!
- Vanilla bean paste – or extract. I use paste cause I already have it on hand but extract is great too!
- Flour – regular all-purpose flour will act as the base and firm up the dough.
- Cardamom pods – you need freshly-ground cardamom in these cookies! Just shell the pods and grind the seeds with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
- Kosher salt – I like Morton’s Kosher salt to offset the sweetness in the cookies.
- Semisweet chocolate – I highly recommend chopping up a bar of chocolate for the best texture. In a pinch, high-quality chocolate chips (roughly chopped) will also work.
- Eggs – you’ll need an egg to make egg wash.
- Raw sugar – for those crunchy edges! Turbinado and Demerara both work.
Make this easy holiday cookie
- First, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until it’s light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla bean paste or extract.
- Next, mix in the all-purpose flour, freshly-ground cardamom, and Kosher salt until you have a thick dough.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate chunks into the dough.
- Divide the dough into 2 logs and wrap each in parchment paper. Roll until the logs are round and smooth. They don’t have to be perfect! Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 4 days.
- Once the dough is chilled, brush each log with egg wash.
- Then, roll the logs in the Turbinado sugar.
- Slice each cookie log into 1/2” cookies. Place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Lastly, bake the cookies at 350°F for 14-16 minutes, or until they’re golden-brown. Cool completely and enjoy!
A few more notes
- Make sure to properly measure the flour. Fluff it with a whisk or spoon, spoon the fluffed flour into a measuring cup, and level without packing it in. If you just scoop it, you’ll end up with dry, flavorless cookies.
- Don’t pack too much sugar on the outside of the cookies. Otherwise, the sugar will melt to the pan instead of baking into the cookies.
- Use a serrated bread knife to slice the cookies. Then, if you hit a large chocolate chunk, you can gently saw through it. If the dough crumbles apart anyways, no worries. Just press it back together. It’s very unfussy!
- Refrigerate the sliced cookies for 10 minutes before baking. This is optional but will help prevent the cookies from spreading as much. (If that matters to you. It doesn’t matter to me tbh!)
Fresh cardamom
I tried this recipe with both pre-ground and freshly-ground cardamom and I would not recommend using pre-ground cardamom. With pre-ground, the flavor was too subtle and most of my taste-testers didn’t even know it was there. With freshly-ground cardamom, there’s a balanced, floral spice in these cookies.
Store & freeze the cookies
- Store the cookies – place the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Since shortbread cookies are already crisp, they don’t go stale as quickly as other cookies!
- Freeze the cookies – you’ll first want to freeze them for 1-2 hours on a tray to keep them from crumbling. Then, just pop the frozen cookies into a freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Freeze the dough – tightly wrap the logs of dough with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough in the fridge for 1-2 hours before rolling in sugar, slicing, and baking.
Make-ahead instructions
If you, too, are making a million cookies this holiday season, it’s pretty nice to have a make-ahead option! Luckily, the dough can be made up to 3 days in advance. Just wrap the dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper and store in the fridge until you’re ready to roll the cookies in sugar and bake!
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Cardamom Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 c unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/3 c dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
- 2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cardamom, freshly-ground, divided
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 egg
- 1/3 c Turbinado sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream the softened butter, sugar, dark brown sugar, and the vanilla bean paste until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
- Next, mix in the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the freshly-ground cardamom, and Kosher salt until you have a thick dough. The dough should not be crumbly or too sticky. It will resemble Play Dough.
- Fold the semisweet chocolate chunks into the dough until it's evenly incorporated. Divide the dough into 2 loose discs.
- Lay 2 long pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap on the counter. Place 1 disc of dough onto each sheet of parchment or plastic wrap. Using your hands, roughly pat each disc of dough into a 12-inch log (they will be about 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter). Wrap the logs tightly in the parchment paper or plastic wrap, and roll until you have smooth, round logs (it doesn't have to be perfect). Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
- Once the dough is chilled and you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the egg with 1 Tablespoon of water until it's smooth. Toss the remaining cardamom and Turbinado sugar together, and evenly pour the mixture onto a plate or shallow dish. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap. Brush both logs with the egg wash and roll in the Turbinado sugar to evenly coat the outside of the dough (don't pack too much on or the sugar will bake into the pan instead of the cookies). Cut the logs in half, if necessary.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into 1/2-inch cookies (you should get about 48 cookies). If you hit a chocolate chunk, gently saw the knife back and forth to cut through it. If it still crumbles apart, just push the cookie back together, the dough is very unfussy!
- Line the sliced cookies 1-inch apart on the prepared sheet pans. Refrigerate the cookies for 10 minutes to prevent them from puffing up as much (totally optional – just if you want prettier cookies). Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are set and golden-brown on the edges.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the sheet pans and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Enjoy!