chocolate dipped shortbread cookies

i know i said i was taking a break and, for the most part, the only exciting thing that's been coming out of my kitchen lately is the giant salad we've been having for dinner nearly every night. but... i just made these shortbread cookies that i can't not share.

yesterday i went to visit my brother and sister-in-law and their new baby. it's my personal policy to never visit new babies without yummy treats for mom and dad, so i whipped these up the night before and wrapped them in some pretty paper without even tasting them. this morning i pulled the leftover dough out of the fridge and baked the rest.
baking these delicious shortbread cookies this morning was no small feat... i have a 6 month old baby who gets into everything, a very poorly behaved cat i'd like to strangle, and a house that desperately needs cleaning, and for some reason, i decided to throw baking these delicate cookies into the mix.
was it worth it?
.....
i just sat down with my half cup of cold coffee from this morning and finally ate one, and i have to say that i could die a buttery, flakey, delicious death.

i used Ina Garten's (Barefoot Contessa) recipe which I found on the food network's website. i love her show, but have never tried any of her recipes. i did make a few alterations due to the ingredients i had on hand. i used salted butter instead of unsalted, and i omitted the 1/4 tsp salt the recipe calls for. i also used sparkling sugar on top, for a coarser texture. i used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but had to thin them down with a little vegetable oil so they'd coat the cookies well.

can't wait for my nerd to get home from work to taste them!