First of all, sorry, sorry, sorry. A recipe printed here Jan. 9 for Chocolate Shortbread Cookies from Aikahi Elementary School proved popular with those who fondly recall their school cafeteria cookies or who just liked the idea of chocolate in their shortbread. That was the good news.

The bad news was that many bakers struggled with the recipe. The dough was too crumbly to handle, the cookie baked up hard, the cookie was fine but turned to stone the next day. "What did I do wrong?" was a cry that showed up a few times in my email inbox.

I did test this recipe, and although the dough was dry, I was able to form it into cookie-size balls by hand. The cookies were good, but did turn hard, a problem I addressed with a shorter baking time. I made those notes in the recipe, but it still did not work out for many people — enough of them to warrant a retest.

The problem seems to be the combination of flour and dry cocoa powder. Measure with too heavy a hand or overmix and the dough will be impossible to work with. Different types of cocoa powder could also be more gritty, contributing to the dryness.

I had tested a half-recipe, my usual approach (if the recipe fails, I don’t end up with a huge quantity wasted). It turns out that a full recipe, given the dryness of the dough, can overtax a standard mixer.

And so, I’ve made adjustments to make the recipe less finicky, more foolproof. I baked three batches and ate way more cookies than someone of my BMI should ever do. I tasted them right out of the oven, again several hours later and again days later to be sure they didn’t harden up. It was a dangerous job but someone had to do it.

Here is the new recipe. It makes half the original amount and calls for dissolving the cocoa powder in hot water rather than just sifting it with the flour. The result is a dough much easier to handle and a cookie that’s chewy. If you prefer a crunchier cookie, follow the note at the end.

AIKAHI CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES, REVISITED

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup hot water
2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter
1-1/3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour, sifted 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with baking parchment.

Dissolve cocoa in hot water, stirring until smooth.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla. Gradually mix in half the flour. Add cocoa, then gradually add remaining flour. Dough should be firm but not so dry that it becomes difficult to mix. You may not need all the flour.

Form dough into 1-1/2-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake about 20 minutes (cookies should barely hold an indentation when you press them with a finger). Cool on rack. Makes about 3 dozen.
Notes: For a crunchier cookie, do not dissolve cocoa powder in water. Reduce the amount of flour by 1/4 to 1/2 cup, adding it gradually, according to the instructions. Be careful not to overbake. This recipe can be doubled but, again, be very careful about the flour.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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