Springerle Shortbread with Chocolate Backing

Ingredients

Shortbread

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 - 1/2 cup icing sugar (unsifted)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour (unsifted),
or 2/3 cup flour and 1/3 cup cornstarch
pinch of salt

Chocolate Backing

170grams semi-sweet or dark chocolate
2 tablespoons high quality Copha
1 1/2 tablespoons light molasses

Method 

1. Whisk sugar, flour and salt together.
2. Cut butter in to small pieces and add to flour mixture
3. With your hands work the butter into flour until thoroughly mixed.
4. Knead the dough on an un-floured board until nice and smooth.
5. Dust your Springerle mould with flour and press the dough into the mould.
6. Gently release dough from the mould by prying the edges loose and place on lined cookie sheets and chill in the freezer for 10min.
7. Bake at 162 degrees celsius for 20mins (longer for large cookies).
8. Once cookies have baked and cooled, melt the chocolate backing ingredients over low heat, being careful not to get any water into the mixture. Stir gently to blend.
9. Remove the melted ingredients from the heat.
10. Dip cookies into chocolate or brush chocolate on the backs of the cookies. Place cookies on a drying rack to set.

Recipe and image from House on the Hill