Chocolate Sugar Cookies

I have a huge bag of dutch processed cocoa.  I think purely the description won me over when I saw it.." luminous, intense red and very flavorful".  The bag is so big it always beckons when I open the cabinet.

My first source in order to find a recipe using this ingredient is a cookbook called Flour.  This particular cookbook makes note that all recipes that have cocoa as a ingredient actually call for Dutch processed.  None of them call for natural cocoa.  However, nothing there appealed to me so I cracked open the Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook.

I found a recipe for a big tasty chocolate cookie.  The flavor was very rich, but in my book the rich taste of chocolate never has its limits.  As far as the texture, the day these are baked they are crisp on the outside and every so chewy on the inside.  Probably very close to a brownie.  However, the down side is that the texture is not everlasting.  I brought them to work and they were very crumbly.  That did not phase the chocolate eaters, for they popped them in the microwave to warm them up which brought all that texture right back.

The recipe does say they last only for 2 days at room temp, so these are not ones to sit in the cookie jar to eat now as well as later.  That is, if you have an aversion to the step of reheating them in the microwave. This recipe makes eight cookies about 3-4 inches in diameter

Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup or 1 stick of baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (melted and cooled)
1 egg
1/2 unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar

Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, salt , baking powder and cocoa.  Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the melted shortening and mix on medium speed until blended.  For a final 45 seconds, beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

Then using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold the sifted ingredients into the wet batter in increments.  Mixing in about 1/3 of the dry ingredients in each increment.  Finish blending in the last 1/3 of the flour mixture, making sure no dry streaks remain.  Drop by scoops evenly onto the baking sheet.  There should be 4 scoops per pan, each dough lump being about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and sitting on the pan 4 inches apart from each other.

Place pan in oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes, rotating pan at the halfway mark.  The edges will be crisp when done.  Remove pan from oven and transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.
                               **LAST YEAR: Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes**
 

White Velvet Cut Outs

After the recent extravagant dessert, I decided to go back to something simple like cut out sugar cookies.  These type of cookies are dad's favorite and make me think of Christmas because this is the only time we had these around the house when I was young.  My mom would always make these type of cookies in the shape of Christmas trees and decorate them with green icing.  My dad, as well as us kids would gobble these up in no time.

These type of cookies can be time consuming, but if you are not into cutting out the dough for these,  you can always shape into a log and slice them. This recipe makes about 7 dozen cookies.

White Velvet Cut Outs
adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients/Cookies
4 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 cups butter
8 oz cream cheese
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients/Frosting
3 tbs butter
1 tbs shortening
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbs milk
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
food coloring-optional

Using a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Then add the sugar and beat again until mixture becomes fluffy and light.  Add one egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds and then add the additional egg yolk and mix again for 30 seconds.  Use a wooden spoon to fold in the flour, working in 1/2 cup increments.  Once all is blended, transfer dough to a smaller bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 2 hours.

Once chilling time is over, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.  Also set out a cooling rack for the cookies.

Take dough out of fridge and remove about 1/3 of dough from bowl to work with and place the remainder back in the fridge.  Lightly dust a flat surface with flour and roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut into desired shape (number of cookies are based on using a 3 inch cutter) and place each on prepared cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.  Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets at halfway point.  The cookies are done when the dough is set, not when browned.  I removed the cookies when they just started to get golden on the edges.

Let cookies rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to completely cool. Continue with the rolling baking and cooling process for the remainder of the dough.

To make the frosting, cream together butter, shortening, 3 tbs milk and vanilla extract.  Then place a sifter over the batter and sift 1 cup of powdered sugar into the bowl.  Beat batter until smooth.  Continue to sift in and beat remaining powdered sugar in increments.  The end result should be a light fluffy frosting.  Beat in the optional food coloring until completely distributed for even color.  For a lighter frosting, mix in some additional milk for desired consistency.

Frost cooled cookies and let frosting set before storing.
                                 **LAST YEAR: Almond Breakfast Scones** 
 

Aristocrats

Well with Valentines coming up, I could not resist the bright pink sanding sugar.  After buying it, I was on the hunt for a recipe that uses it.  I have decorated sugar cookies and russian teacakes with sanding sugar, so I narrowed it down to a cookie recipe.

I found a recipe that is basically a butter cookie with mini chips mixed in.  The dough is made into a log, chilled and wrapped with an thin layer of dough and then covered in the sugar.  These do have some crunch to them and they are perfect for dunking in hot tea or cold milk. This recipe makes about 6 dz small cookies.

Aristocrats
adapted from Gourmets Best Desserts

Ingredients
3 oz of mini chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup and 2 tbs of butter (or 1 & 3/4 sticks)
2 eggs
1/2 cup colored sugar crystals

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add one egg and beat for 30 seconds. 

Using a wooden spoon, mix in the flour in 1/4 cup increments.  The mixture should form a dough when all flour is completely mixed in.  Split the dough in half and seal one of the pieces in plastic wrap or foil and chill for 30 minutes.

While that is chilling, take the other piece of dough and mix in the mini chips.  Once evenly distributed, split dough mound into 2 equal pieces.  On a lightly floured surface, roll and form each piece into a log.  Each log should be even in diameter and be 10 inches long. Set aside.

Then take out the chilled dough.  Dust a flat surface with flour and roll dough into a rectangle, measuring 11 x 9.  Cut the dough in half , lengthwise, so you have 2 pieces.  Each piece should be 4 1/2 X 11.  Beat remaining egg in a small bowl. Using a  pastry brush, cover the face up side of  one piece of dough with the egg wash.

Place one log in the very center of the piece of the dough brushed with the egg wash.  Roll the rectangle around the log, sealing ends and seam.  Brush again with the egg wash.  Then sprinkle the colored sugar on a piece of wax paper and roll log in sugar until covered.  Wrap in foil and put in fridge.  Repeat the same process with the remaining log and dough rectangle, so you have 2 logs chilling in the fridge.  They will need to be in the fridge for at least 4 hours to firm up to the consistency you want.

During the last 1/2 hour of the chilling time, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Also, line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Once the logs have completed the chilling stage, remove from fridge and slice each log into 36 slices of even thickness.

Place each cookie on a baking sheet, spacing about 1/2 apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or when bottom starts to brown.  Remove pan from oven and place cookies on a rack to cool.

Notes and Tips:

1. Since the cookie dough is sealed at the end, your end pieces will not be as nice as the other slices.
2. The recipe also states to use chopped walnuts in the dough instead of chocolate chips, use 2/3 of a cup.  For variety, you can do 1/2 of each.

                    **LAST YEAR: Celebrity Factor Cookies**