Chocolate Sugar Cookie {Recipe}

What's the closest thing to heaven on earth in food terms?  That's right, chocolate or chocolat or cioccolato, depending on the country.  It's important to know how to say and spell it in other languages so you can order it in the event of an emergency in say, Italy. 

I adore chocolate.  The richness melts in your mouth and lingers on your taste buds.  My favorite cake is a dark chocolate cake with milk chocolate caramel frosting.  Cookies are better with buds of chocolate morsels swimming in them.  Even coffee is better when made with hot chocolate and served with a side of my favorite chocolate waffles and chocolate maple syrup.  If you are one of the weird people like my husband that prefers any flavor to chocolate then this post is not for you.

These cookies will make you love sugar cookies all over again.  (I hope.)  Their rich flavor was accidental.  I wasn't paying attention...look something shiny!...I love rainbows.  Whoops!  Did it again!  So, I wasn't paying attention and I added more cocoa powder and sugar than I had originally intended.  The result was heavenly.  So perfect to me for a sugar cookie.  Sweet and bakes up perfectly with intricate cookie cutters (as long as the dough is chilled).  Perfect for say, Teacher's Appreciation Day, Mother's Day, Graduation Day, or "I deserve chocolate because life can be so vanilla".  All topics for future posts I hope.

So getting on with it:

Ingredients

2 cups of flour
1 cup of cocoa powder
1 cup of unsalted butter
1 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder (optional--see here)

As normal, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla, one at a time. Mix well after each addition. Mix dry ingredients a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour and cocoa is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.  You can use your clean hand to help incorporate if needed.  Then roll it out between wax paper as previously mentioned here.  Refrigerate until firm. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven (or just a nudge less) for about 7-8 minutes.  Remember what I said about the lemon cookies.  The chocolate ones definitely taste better on the softer side.  Cool completely before decorating with your favorite royal icing recipe.

My unoriginal royal icing recipe: (also a mistake, but turns out it is yummy)

1/4 cup of water
4 cups of powdered sugar, measured then sifted
2 Tablespoons of meringue powder
Pinch of cream of tartar
1-2 teaspoons of clear vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients in a bowl with an electric mixer/standing mixer on medium high speed for 5 minutes.  After that you can thin it down using the 10 second rule and color it.  Keep it covered with a damp cloth or plastic wrap at all times.  It crusts quicker than you can say Jack Robinson.

The teeny army of decorative touches to add to cookies.

Make them and tell me what you think.  Have a delicious week!  Stay tuned for some desserts for this busy week!


Not my most beautiful specimens but some of my most tasty!