Cookies/ Dessert/ Recipes

fudge striped shortbread cookies

I’ve got a dirty little secret to share.

When I was little, my absolute favorite cookies in the whole entire world were those Keebler fudge striped cookies. They were perfect—buttery vanilla shortbread rounds with chocolate bottoms and rich fudge stripes.

You know exactly what I’m talking about.

For awhile now (the past 20 years), I’ve been wanting to recreate the beloved fudge striped cookies of my childhood. These cookies are those. Granted, they aren’t exactly like the Keebler kind, but they come pretty darn close.

The shortbread is traditional and very flaky and buttery, while the chocolate is rich and smooth. What else could you ask for?

If you want, you could dip these in melted chocolate so they have chocolate bottoms just like the Keebler kind, but I chose to just do the stripes this time. For no other reason other than I ran out of chocolate!

I know. I know.

I don’t even know who I am anymore.

I happen to think these heal just about anything. But then, I think that about anything with chocolate.

And pulled pork.

Fudge Striped Shortbread Cookies

shortbread recipe adapted from The Food Network

makes about 2 dozen cookies

Print this recipe!

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup good quality semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together the softened butter and sugar either using a mixer or a wooden spoon. Add the flour, salt and vanilla and mix until a soft dough comes together.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for thirty minutes.

After chilling, roll dough into a log and gently slice 1/2-inch cookies. Place cookies on a lined cookie tray and bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

To make the chocolate, pour the semisweet chips into a glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds intervals until creamy and smooth, mixing well after each interval. Scoop warm melted chocolate into a small plastic bag and cut the tip off the bag. Drizzle the chocolate over each cookie and let cool to harden.

Time:

1 hour

You Might Also Like

  • megan @ blackberries for jam
    February 24, 2011 at 5:03 am

    These look so amazing! My favorite childhood cookies were Pepperidge Farms Milano cookies and it seems like you could just sandwich some chocolate between two of these cookies and recreate Milanos too!

  • Christie {Nourishing Eats}
    February 24, 2011 at 5:03 am

    Oh my goodness, I used to love those cookies. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that first picture. Yum!

  • Katrina
    February 24, 2011 at 5:10 am

    These look so tasty. Anything with fudge in the title is bake-able. Yum!

  • Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin
    February 24, 2011 at 5:11 am

    Those were my favorite cookies when i was a kid, too! they turned out amazing Jenna!

  • Estela @ Weekly Bite
    February 24, 2011 at 5:24 am

    I LOVE those Keebler cookies!! I’m sure I’d eat the batch πŸ™‚

  • Nicole @ Making Good Choices
    February 24, 2011 at 5:30 am

    I DO know what you’re talking about…I used to be obsessed with those cookies when I was little too! yum!!

  • mary (sisters running the kitchen)
    February 24, 2011 at 5:31 am

    These look awesome Jenna! I always loved when my mom packed these in my lunch. I’d love to make these round with a whole in the middle to make them even more like the real thing!

  • Cait
    February 24, 2011 at 5:33 am

    wow those look amazing!!! i loved when i was able to get these in my lunch box! xoxo

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
    February 24, 2011 at 5:39 am

    WOW, you weren’t joking when you said today was going to be delicious! These look amazing!

  • Hannah (Culture Connoisseur)
    February 24, 2011 at 5:40 am

    Great shots of these. I LOVE the fifth one down, it’s very creative. πŸ™‚

  • kaila @ healthyhelper!
    February 24, 2011 at 5:42 am

    OMG ! Before I even started reading….when I first saw the cookie pic…..I immediately thought of the keebler cookies! They are definitely a childhood favorite and my mom would always pack me one or two for a little treat at lunch. I love how thin and flaky they are, so your version looks great!

  • Alayna @ Thyme Bombe
    February 24, 2011 at 5:49 am

    Mmmm! When I was a kid we used to put them in the fridge or freezer. I can’t remember why I thought they were better that way, maybe it kept the chocolate from melting all over myself?

  • Jenny
    February 24, 2011 at 5:53 am

    Oh my goodness, I used to be majorly in love with these things! I am now feeling forced to make them. Oi.

  • Kristen @ That Hoosier Girl
    February 24, 2011 at 5:53 am

    Awwww those remind me of being little again! My mom would have those as a snack waiting for us off of the bus.

  • VeggieGirl
    February 24, 2011 at 5:57 am

    That is one of my dirty little secrets as well πŸ˜€

  • Kelly
    February 24, 2011 at 5:59 am

    Yum! I remember my favorite were those Keebler cookies called Magic Middles…do you remember those? They were a cookie with chocolate piped into the middle. Those were mine and my brother’s favorites.

    • jenna
      February 24, 2011 at 9:16 am

      magic middles! Oh man, I was just taken straight back to 1995. Awesome.

  • Michele @ Healthy Cultivations
    February 24, 2011 at 6:04 am

    I LOVED those Keebler striped cookies too. There’s something so special about simple cookies like shortbread (love the Lorna Doone’s) and ginger snaps.

  • Justeen @ Blissful Baking
    February 24, 2011 at 6:16 am

    My friends and I were talking about how much we loved those Keebler fudge striped cookies growing up just the other day! What perfect timing – they are going to love these!

  • Melomeals: Vegan for $3.33 a Day
    February 24, 2011 at 6:17 am

    Wow! Those look amazing.

  • cathyb.@brightbakes
    February 24, 2011 at 6:29 am

    Yes, I DO know what you mean…these were absaloutely my favorite childhood cookie too! Poor Mom…here she was… a domestic goddess with all sorts of incredible baking skills and I would beg for……….Keebler. Since then, I’ve grown up a bit(thankfully) but I still love those cookies! Will be making these……today!?
    love,
    cathy b.
    P.S. I have plans for these cookies…big layered-dessert kinda plans

  • Amanda (Eating Up)
    February 24, 2011 at 6:31 am

    I used to love those cookies! I also couldn’t get enough of Chips Ahoy! Chips Deluxe cookies with M&Ms. It was the only non-soft cookie I lurved.

  • Sarah K. @ The Pajama Chef
    February 24, 2011 at 6:41 am

    oh goodness, i’m in love! those cookies were sooooo good. i can’t wait to try ’em!

  • Lida (Octopus Gourmet)
    February 24, 2011 at 6:43 am

    These look great!
    I would love you see some kind of homemade version of a Pepperidge Farm cookie like Milanos or even better, Brussels!

    • jenna
      February 24, 2011 at 9:15 am

      I have milanos on my mind…. πŸ˜‰

    • Leah
      January 23, 2012 at 2:35 pm

      I made these the other night and they are AMAZING!!! When I tasted them I thought they tasted more like milanos than the keebler fudge striped cookies. So try and this recipe and see what you think! They are really good!!!

  • Lauren at Keep It Sweet
    February 24, 2011 at 6:52 am

    I think I’d just eat the fudge off of the top!

  • Hilray
    February 24, 2011 at 6:55 am

    This post is awesome. We would always go to my Grandma’s house on Saturday evenings after church and she’d offer us these every time. Good memories, so thank you! πŸ™‚

  • Krystina (Organically Me)
    February 24, 2011 at 6:58 am

    These are adorable. I used to shove those cookies in my mouth whole, they were so good.

  • Amy
    February 24, 2011 at 6:59 am

    I’ve got to say that perhaps my all time favorite cookie is the shortbread cookie…. but drizzled in chocolate?! Be still my beating heart …. πŸ™‚

  • Meghan @ StruggleMuffins
    February 24, 2011 at 6:59 am

    Drool….those cookies look amazing. I could totally see myself using these cookies in a trifle of sorts. Its all about the multi-taste/ multi-texture/ multi-course desserts. Obviously πŸ™‚

  • Jaime
    February 24, 2011 at 7:00 am

    Oh, yum! When I was on my high school swim team, these were the late-night treats of choice when we were traveling for meets. These, and Oatmeal Cream Pies. YUM.

    Methinks it would be a grand idea if you could recreate Oatmeal Cream Pies next, Jenna! πŸ˜‰

    • jenna
      February 24, 2011 at 9:14 am

      oatmeal cream pies!!! yay

  • my little celebration
    February 24, 2011 at 7:05 am

    Keebler fudge striped cookies and the soft batch chocolate chip used to be my favorites, too! This recipe looks delicious!

  • Heather
    February 24, 2011 at 7:08 am

    Okay too funny! I love those little Keeblers & literally said to someone yesterday “hand over the fudge stripes!” haha Can’t wait to make these.

    Side bar…as I read your recipes, my head drifts to my baking basket to “see” if I have all the ingredients. CHECK πŸ™‚

  • Jil @ Big City, Lil Kitchen
    February 24, 2011 at 7:09 am

    Ohh – I loved these!! Must.make.now.

  • Beth @ DiningAndDishing
    February 24, 2011 at 7:21 am

    I love homemade takes on classic childhood/comfort foods. These are just beautiful and I’m sure taste even better than the cookie that inspired them :).

  • Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods
    February 24, 2011 at 7:22 am

    Wow! These take me back…

  • Becki @ Hike, Bike, Eat
    February 24, 2011 at 7:24 am

    What about the chocolate on the bottom of the cookie? WHAT ABOUT THE CHOCOLATE ON THE BOTTOM???

  • Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman
    February 24, 2011 at 7:27 am

    I loved those when I was growing up. My favorite part: My finger fit through the hole so I could wear the cookie like a ring as I ate it.

  • Amber K
    February 24, 2011 at 7:30 am

    Mmm thinking about childhood favorites makes me crave chewy chips a’hoy! The only storebought cookie I had found that had the perfect amount of softness and chew. Then again, now that I have to be gluten-free I can’t even eat them!

  • Camille
    February 24, 2011 at 7:34 am

    These are so gorgeous and wholesome looking! Love love love!

  • Ashley
    February 24, 2011 at 7:36 am

    I have a weakness for shortbread cookies. These look outstanding!

  • Chicago Cuisine Critique
    February 24, 2011 at 7:41 am

    Wow! These look super tasty.

  • Stacie @ Imperfectly Healthy
    February 24, 2011 at 7:51 am

    These are on my list to make this week! Yum!!

  • Annalise
    February 24, 2011 at 7:57 am

    I loved those cookies too! And these look amazing, a wonderful homemade version of the grocery store staple. Gonna have to try them for sure, thanks for sharing the recipe!

  • Running Betty
    February 24, 2011 at 8:01 am

    Looks awesome. My childhood favorite was little debbie swiss cake roll with 11 seconds in the microwave. But I think I am still burning them off 20 years later.

  • Rebeca
    February 24, 2011 at 8:08 am

    YUM, Jenna! These look amazing. I adore chocolate and shortbread together, thanks for the great recipe!

  • Katie @ peacebeme
    February 24, 2011 at 8:09 am

    My two favorite things are shortbread cookies and sugar cookies! I love to have shortbread with tea and pretend I am British.

  • megan @ whatmegansmaking
    February 24, 2011 at 8:11 am

    I’m a fan of anything with drizzled chocolate πŸ™‚ What a great idea! I think I’ll make these for my sister-in-law’s wedding next week!!

  • Michelle
    February 24, 2011 at 8:29 am

    The chocolate on the bottom is crucial! I guess that just means you’ll have to made another batch. Darn. πŸ˜‰

    • jenna
      February 24, 2011 at 9:12 am

      guess so! I have the extra dough sitting in my car right now (I’m at the yoga studio). Hehehe

  • Natalia - a side of simple
    February 24, 2011 at 9:11 am

    Keebler!! My brothers and sisters and I would beg my mom to get them every time we were in the grocery store! I know EXACTLY what you’re talking about πŸ™‚

  • Kim @ Imperfectly Perfect
    February 24, 2011 at 9:16 am

    Oh my…..thanks so much for sharing! Those Keebler cookies were my absolute favorite growing up. I still remember the commercial for them. πŸ™‚

  • Mary (What's Cookin' with Mary)
    February 24, 2011 at 9:19 am

    I love shortbread cookies!!! Add a chocolate stripe and I am totally 100% sold πŸ˜€ BRILLIANT Jenna.

  • chelsey @ clean eating chelsey
    February 24, 2011 at 9:54 am

    After girl scout cookies, my favorites were the EL Fudge double stuffed cookies – so stinking delicious!

  • allie @ sweetpotatobites
    February 24, 2011 at 9:55 am

    I remember loving the Keebler shortbread cookies as a kid too – but these look 100x better! Must make ASAP.

  • Brooke @ bittersweetb
    February 24, 2011 at 9:57 am

    These look so good! The keebler fudge cookies were my favorite as a kid too, I use to wear them as rings and eat them off each finger… yup it means I ate quite a few of these gems in my day haha.

  • Moni'sMeals
    February 24, 2011 at 10:06 am

    i love you for this post! I too could eat an entire box of the Keiblers kind growing up. These look so darn good. πŸ™‚

  • amy walters, aDESIGNdock
    February 24, 2011 at 10:28 am

    I love shortbread…add chocolate and oh no! I am in trouble πŸ™‚

  • Maria
    February 24, 2011 at 10:35 am

    Your cookies look much better than the store bought cookies! Great photos too!

  • Jessica @ How Sweet
    February 24, 2011 at 10:46 am

    I adored those cookies as a kid too!

  • Katie
    February 24, 2011 at 11:17 am

    You had me at Keebler, total childhood staple! I can’t wait to try these! Jenna, what’s the status of your book? I hope things are progressing, I can’t wait to see it on stands πŸ™‚

  • Anne P
    February 24, 2011 at 11:42 am

    OMG I used to be obsessed with those Keibler striped fudge cookies!!!! SO good.

  • Amanda
    February 24, 2011 at 11:52 am

    I loved those Keebler cookies too! So good – yours look even better than Keebler’s. My favorite cookies growing up were Milanos from Pepperidge Farm though. Well, those and Girl Scout Cookies…caramel delights!

  • Stephanie Rose
    February 24, 2011 at 12:03 pm

    I love recreating favorite cookies. My roommates attempted to make the samoa girl scout cookies. Oi, I’ve never seen what a microwave can really do until we blew up the caramel…

  • Rachel @ The Avid Appetite
    February 24, 2011 at 12:25 pm

    These look fantastic! There is nothing like a good, buttery shortbread!!

  • Sabrina @ Radioactive Runner
    February 24, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    I totally agree with you.. chocolate can do wonders and fix just about anything.
    These look awesome and I love that hardly any ingredients are needed.
    YUM!!

  • Nicole (the other one)
    February 24, 2011 at 2:06 pm

    Um…excuse me, but why aren’t these cookies completely covered on one side with chocolate? I call Keebler FRAUD! I think they can still be saved. Quick…go start a double boiler…I’ll get the chocolate!

  • Lisa (Dishes of Mrs. Fish)
    February 24, 2011 at 3:41 pm

    One of my favorite memories growing up was eating those E.L. Fudge cookies with my dad. They were so good dipped in tea, so soggy and full of melted chocolate deliciousness. I know what his next birthday treat will be!

  • Carpensm @ A Life Without Ice Cream
    February 24, 2011 at 5:42 pm

    OMG those look so good! I’ve been looking for something to drizzle my chocolate peanut butter spread over πŸ˜› Sounds perfect!

  • Amanda
    February 24, 2011 at 8:02 pm

    Jenna!
    These look & sound amazing πŸ™‚

  • Rachel @ Healthy Teacher
    February 24, 2011 at 10:32 pm

    Agreed. These look fabulous.

  • Rebekah
    February 25, 2011 at 7:05 pm

    I really, really wanted to love this recipe…and I may try it again, but honestly, either the directions aren’t clear or the ingredient proportions aren’t right. I suppose my obvious mistake would have been chilling my dough in a lump instead of a log. I would personally recommend a tweak to the directions, because rolling it into a log afterwards really starts to get things softened up, and the cookies just don’t end up as lovely and uniform as they should be. Sorry! Thanks for the inspiration, though. πŸ™‚

  • Joanne
    February 26, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    I just made these and they came out so delicious. They tast like the Pepperidge Farm cookies. I will definitely be making these again. Thanks for posting πŸ™‚

  • Beth
    February 28, 2011 at 7:31 am

    These were so good! I made them over the weekend and there are none left. Family devoured the entire batch over the course of 2 days. Winner.

  • Ami
    March 9, 2011 at 6:29 am

    I made this the minute I found this recipe! From the pics they looked a lot crispier, but these were so buttery fall apart in your mouth. Heavenly! I originally planned on making milanos out of them, but instead I dipped in chocolate like you suggested, and actually spreak strawberry jam on a few in the last 10 mins of baking and they turned out amazingly! I’ll be making more this weekend for sure. πŸ˜€

    • jenna
      March 9, 2011 at 7:36 am

      so glad you liked them! πŸ™‚

  • megan @ whatmegansmaking
    March 10, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    I made these and they tasted great. Unfortunately mine spread a lot. I chilled, rolled into a log, then chilled again. Then chilled the cut cookies that weren’t in the first baking batch. And still they spread and the edges got flat. Any idea what went wrong? They still tasted great, and the chocolate on top made them pretty again πŸ™‚

  • Katie
    March 18, 2011 at 4:35 pm

    I just made these and they turned out very well! Due to an impatient audience, I completely left out the chilling bit, and cut my cookies rather too large in the first place, but they still tasted great! We ended up dipping them in the melted chocolate too, rather than waiting for them to cool. Thank you, they were delicious!

  • Eats eats and more eats | MegaCravings
    April 22, 2011 at 10:34 am

    […] site I love is Eat Live Run. These are Jenna’s Fudge Striped Shortbread Cookies. I was a little worried as I was making them, I am not a baker. I felt like I was setting myself up […]

  • Girl Scout Cookie Recipes | Yeastconfection.com
    January 27, 2012 at 2:58 am

    […] Homemade Thanks-A-Lot recipe β€” a shortbread with a chocolate bottom. […]

  • SherryBohrmue
    December 16, 2012 at 11:47 am

    This has to be the best shortbread I have ever made! They are delicious!