Chocolate-dipped Almond Shortbread Cookies

I made these cookies as part of our family's "dessert spread" for Thanksgiving.  Nope, we can't just have pumpkin pie; we need pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, chocolate hazelnut biscotti, flour-less chocolate cake and SHORTBREAD cookies.  I found the recipe on Cooking Channel and just tweaked it a little bit for my own taste.  These are really simple to make since there are only a few ingredients, and you are able to "slice and bake" the dough.  How lovely.  

Ingredients:

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups roasted almonds, ground in a food processor
• 1 tsp orange zest
• For glaze: 1 cup chocolate chips + 1 tsp shortening

First, mix the flour and ground almonds together and set aside.  NOTE:  If your almonds are salted, you do not need additional salt in the dough.  However, if your nuts are unsalted, add 1/4 tsp of salt to the flour mixture.  Using a mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar together for 3 - 4 minutes on a medium speed until it looks light and airy.  Reduce the speed on the mixer and add the egg, orange zest and vanilla extract.  Slowly add the flour and almonds into the mixing bowl on a low speed.  Scrape the sides every so often to make sure the flour is all incorporated.  When the dough is all mixed, spread a large sheet of plastic wrap onto your counter.  In big spoonfuls, line the dough up on the plastic wrap so it is easier to form into a log.  Use your hands to pat and roll the dough into a log that spans about 2 inches in diameter.  Roll the plastic wrap tightly around the log and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.  

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking liners.  Remove the plastic wrap from your log of dough and use a butter knife to slice 1/4 inch thick rounds.  Place each round a few inches apart from each other on the cookie sheet.  Bake for 13 - 15 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.  Let cool on the cookie sheet for 2 - 3  minutes before removing to a cooling rack.  

To dress these up a little, dip them in chocolate.  Do it.  

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in the microwave with 1 tsp of shortening (microwave tip:  only use half power and stir the chocolate frequently).  When the chocolate is fully melted, but not piping hot, carefully dip each cookie into the chocolate and place back onto wax paper or parchment paper.  These will need to cool for 15 - 20 minutes before they harden.  I used Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you could use milk chocolate if you prefer.  Enjoy!