Maple Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

 While on my weekly grocery shopping trip, I noticed a jar of maple almond butter in the peanut butter section of my local Safeway.  Yum!  When I found this recipe on Pinterest for "Peanut butter chocolate chip" shortbread cookies I immediately knew I wanted to substitute the maple almond butter and make a truly delicious and different shortbread cookie.


Maple Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
oven to 325
makes about 21 small cookies
1 stick, (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temp
1/3 cup creamy maple almond butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour 
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
scant 1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
  Cream almond butter and  butter together.   Beat in the vanilla.
Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the butter mixture.  Mix until the dough comes together. Stir in the chocolate chips.  Put the dough out on a piece of waxed paper.  Gently form the dough into a log.  If it is still crumbly, work it with your hands until it holds together smoothly. Roll it up in the paper.  Twist the ends and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
Slice the log with a sharp knife about 1/3 inch thick.  If a slice crumbles a bit,  just pat the dough back together.
Bake on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet at 325 for about 12-14 minutes.  The cookies will  not be browned, and they may look undone, but don't over bake.  One of the joys of shortbread cookies is that they fall apart and melt in your mouth. 

• Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.