Rice Cracker and Chocolate Shortbread
I’ve been wanting to incorporate rice crackers into a cookie ever since my friend Lauren brought me a bag of arare (rice cracker) chocolate chip cookies from Hawaii a few years ago. They actually looked like an unimpressive bag of dry chips ahoy cookies, and at first I didn’t realize there were rice crackers in the cookies and I was so boggled by the complex flavors I was getting with each bite. They were salty, extra toasty, with a hint of soy sauce. I was hooked and have been playing around rice cracker cookies ever since.
Shortbread is one of those cookies that can really take on a heavy load of savoriness. It’s really just butter, flour, salt, and maybe a hint of sugar so your brain recognizes it as a dessert. I prefer my shortbread on the saltier side and for them to look like Ted Lasso’s.
This shortbread is mixed with crushed tamari glazed rice crackers (avoid any seafood flavored ones for obvious reasons) and chocolate chunks. I added a little soy sauce to the shortbread dough to strengthen the flavor connection and brown sugar creates a slightly chewier cookie to balance the crunch of the rice crackers. The flavor is very much like a chocolate covered pretzel, with a great dance between sweet and salty.
Rice Cracker and Chocolate Shortbread
makes 24 bars
227g (2 stickss) unsalted butter, softened
65g (1/4 cup) brown sugar
65g (1/2 cup) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp soy sauce
250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
70g (1 cup) Tamari Rice Crackers, crushed or roughly chopped
100g (3/4 cup) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, making sure the paper extends past the edge of the pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla, and soy sauce on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add flour and salt and mix on low speed until a crumbly dough forms. Add 75% of the rice crackers and chocolate and mix on low speed until incorporated.
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and press down with your hands or the back of a measuring cup so that the dough spreads to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle the remaining rice crackers and chocolate over the surface and gently press them into the cookie dough. Loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap or a plate and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 325-degrees. Bake the shortbread until golden brown around the edges, 38 to 42 minutes. Allow the shortbread to fully cool in the pan. Lift the shortbread out the pan with the help of the parchment paper. Cut the shortbread into bars and serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.