Furniss Belgian Choc Chunk Shortbread: Serving and Pairing

Furniss Cornish Shortbread with Belgian Choc Chunks: chunks, not chips, in summary: Cornish shortbread with Belgian dark chocolate chunks folded through the dough, so the chocolate arrives in bursts. Clean to hold, no good for dunking, and happiest beside a black coffee or a strong black tea.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

Chunks behave differently from chips or a coating: they are bigger, fewer and scattered unevenly, so every bite is a little different. The published label also settles the question most people ask first, because the chunks are Belgian dark chocolate, at 12% of the biscuit.

What is in the dough

Behind the chocolate sits a Cornish-style shortbread made with wheat flour, cornflour, sugar and a margarine of palm and rapeseed oils, with clotted cream at 5% and Cornish sea salt. The clotted cream is the Cornish signature, the same ingredient that gives its sister biscuit in the New Wave range its name. The published ingredient list names wheat (gluten), milk and soya.

The crumb is rich and yielding rather than sandy, and the chocolate pieces act as firm interruptions in it. Because the chunks sit inside the biscuit rather than across the top, they do not mark your fingers until the biscuit is properly warm, which makes this a tidier choice than a coated biscuit for a picnic, a desk or a car journey.

Why no two bites taste the same

Mixing a dough scatters the chunks at random, so one biscuit may carry several large pieces and the next hardly any. A typical bite runs crumb first, then a swell of chocolate as a chunk gives way, then crumb again. Anyone expecting the even hit of a coated biscuit will notice the gaps; we think the plainer mouthfuls earn their place, because the shortbread has a flavour of its own.

The chocolate brings its own sugar, so this is sweeter than a plain shortbread and the palate tires sooner. Two biscuits make a serving. Among the New Wave lines we stock, it sits between the gentle clotted cream shortbread and the spiced gingerbread with dark chocolate pieces, bringing cream and cocoa where the gingerbread brings heat.

Storing it and pouring for it

Keep the pack cool but not cold. A cupboard away from the oven keeps the chunks firm, so they snap rather than smear, and stops the crumb turning greasy; there is no need for the fridge. Once the pack is open, fold it tightly or move the biscuits into an airtight tin so they keep their texture.

Leave it out of the cup. A rich, tender crumb gives way fast once it meets hot tea, and any chocolate near the edge ends up floating in the cup. What it wants alongside is bitterness: a short black coffee balances the chocolate and the rich dough in one go, and a strong black tea without sugar does the same job. A hot chocolate only piles sweet on sweet.

The packs we stock

Furniss New Wave Cornish Shortbread With Belgian Choc Chunks, 200g (barcode 5010254002328)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Furniss New Wave Cornish Shortbread With Belgian Choc Chunks, 200g says it contains wheat (gluten), milk and soya. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.

Ingredients, as published: Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Margarine (Vegetable Oils (Palm, Rapeseed), Water, Emulsifier (Distilled Monoglyceride), Flavouring, Colouring (Annatto Bixin, Curcumin)), Cornflour, Sugar, Belgian Dark Chocolate (12%) (Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Natural Vanilla Flavouring), Clotted Cream (Milk) (5%), Cornish Sea Salt.

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The pack in your hands is the final word.

What to drink with it

L'Or Nespresso Compatible Espresso Supremo Aluminium Coffee Intensity 10, 10 Capsules: An intense espresso from a Nespresso-compatible capsule, its bitterness a counterweight to the chocolate and the rich crumb.
Teapigs Earl Grey Strong, 15 Tea Bags 37.5g: An Earl Grey with extra strength, drunk without sugar, that has the backbone to cut through a rich crumb.
Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey Tea, 125g: Loose leaf Earl Grey for a proper weekend pot, when the shortbread goes out on a plate for everyone.
Dragonfly Organic Pure Rooibos, 40 Tea Bags 100g: An organic rooibos for an evening plate, warm and mild beside the chocolate instead of a black tea.

Elsewhere in the Furniss range

The full range is on the Furniss brand page.

FAQ

Is the chocolate in Furniss choc chunk shortbread milk or dark? Dark. The published label lists Belgian dark chocolate at 12% of the biscuit.

What is the difference between chocolate chunks and chips? Size and spacing. Chunks are larger and fewer, and mixing scatters them at random through the dough, so the chocolate comes in bursts.

Can you dunk this shortbread? No. The rich crumb falls apart fast in hot tea, and the chocolate near the edge melts away into the cup.

What allergens does it contain? The published ingredient list names wheat (gluten), milk and soya. Always check the pack, as recipes can change.

What is the best drink with chocolate chunk shortbread? A plain black coffee or a strong black tea without sugar, since their bitterness offsets the sweet chocolate and the rich crumb.

Curator's note: Two on a saucer and a short black coffee. Go past that and the sweetness starts to win. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Furniss Cornish Shortbread with Belgian Choc Chunks: chunks, not chips

Field	Detail
Brand	Furniss
Packs we stock	200g
Category	Shortbread
Allergens (as published)	It contains wheat (gluten), milk and soya.
Dunkable	No, keep it on the saucer
Best with	Black coffee or strong black tea, unsweetened
Serving	Two biscuits is plenty