Chocolate shortbread

Among the variety of polvorones that exist in the market we have chocolate polvorones .

I have to admit that, although I am a chocolate lover, until now they were not among my favorites, if we talk about commercial polvorones maybe I prefer those of lemon and cinnamon, always after some good almond polvorones , and if these are homemade , better than better.

I have to say that, from now on, my opinion has changed, today’s recipe for almond and chocolate polvorones has enchanted me.

These homemade polvorones do not have anything of that slightly artificial sweet aftertaste that, in my opinion, have the most commercial polvorones, the flavor of this sweet is impressive, especially for lovers of dark chocolate, that of a high degree of cocoa.

The elaboration process is the same as that of the traditional polvorones and the ingredients are practically the same, except for the pure cocoa without sugar that is added to the mass.

It’s about combining all the ingredients, compacting them, shaping each bite and baking. Although it is not strictly necessary to include almond in its preparation, I consider that in combination with cocoa it creates a perfect pairing.

I encourage you to try them and enjoy these little sweets, I am sure you will like them and they will begin to be part of your table on Christmas dates, or, why not, at any time of the year.

Preparation of the base of the chocolate polvorones

1. We start by toasting the flour in a wide skillet.
2. It is essential not to stop stirring during the process since it is very easy for the flour to get burned, so we could no longer use it. When we see that it has acquired a tan color, remove it and let it cool completely.
3. We beat the lard and sugar in a bowl until they form a cream.
4. The butter must have an ointment texture to be able to work it. We add the flour by sifting it to eliminate the hard lumps that may have formed during toasting.
5. We incorporate the rest of the ingredients, cocoa and ground almonds.
6. With a fork we mix well until the mixture has turned into loose sand.
7. With the hand we compact the sand until it forms a ball. This process reminds me of what we do on the beach when we want to make a ball of sand. The intention is not to knead the ingredients but to compact them so that they stay together.
8. We place our dough on a sulfurized paper and crush it until we get a surface of about 2 or 3 cm. of thickness.
9. We cut the polvorones with the chosen pasta cutter and leave them on a sulfurized paper in the fridge for 30 minutes, until they become hard due to the effect of the cold.
10. This step is essential, it is necessary that the polvorones are hard before putting them in the oven, so we will get them to deform as little as possible during their cooking.

Shape. Baking and final presentation of the chocolate polvorones

1. We collect the remains and cuttings of dough, make a ball again and repeat the operation.
2. With the oven previously heated to 180º C we place the polvorones directly from the fridge.
3. Although they will not grow during baking, it is better that we leave a separation of 3 or 4 cm between them. since when removing them from the tray, once cooked, their handling is complicated and the more space we have the better.
4. We bake the polvorones between 12 and 14 minutes, depending on their size and thickness.
5. We remove the tray from the oven and very carefully we place the polvorones on a rack where we will leave them until they cool completely. Fresh from the oven, the polvorones are very fragile and it is very easy to break them.
6. Sprinkle with ground sugar or icing sugar fresh from the oven.

If you are one of those who love dark chocolate , these are your polvorones, they are not excessively sweet and they have a texture and flavor that you will love, you will tell.

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album.