I
know, I know. I said I was finished baking, but, a good friend had
a special request for some seriously chocolaty Christmas cookies,
and I just couldn't resist :). So here are a few dark
chocolate Christmas delights for you! Enjoy!
Dark
Chocolate Spice Dipped Wafers
These
cookies are super light and not overly sweet. If you are familiar
with Moravian
cookies, they have a similar texture. They are perfect for the
serious chocolate lover and pair nicely with a cup of espresso or
glass of red wine.
Ingredients
3
cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1
1/4 cups Hershey's Special Dark unsweetened coco powder
1/2 cup
ground cinnamon
1/8
teaspoon salt
3
sticks unsalted butter
2
1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2
large eggs, lightly beaten
1
teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6
oz of good quality dark chocolate
Royal Icing
Instructions
Sift
flour, cocoa, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a large
bowl.
Beat
butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and
fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour
mixture, and beat until combined. Divide dough in half, and wrap
each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to
a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out cookies in desired shapes using
cookie cutters, and transfer to baking sheets. Refrigerate until
firm, about 15 minutes.
Bake until
crisp, but not dark, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire
racks, and let cool completely.
Melt
chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Dip cooled cookies half
way in chocolate and place on parchment or wax paper to allow
chocolate to set up.
Once
chocolate is set, drizzle with royal icing.
Dark
Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
for Cookies
Vegetable
oil cooking spray
3/4 cup
all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/3 cup
Hershey's Special Dark unsweetened coco powder
1/8
teaspoon salt
6
tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup
confectioners' sugar, sifted
1
large egg
1/2
teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Ingredients
for Filling
3/4 stick
unsalted butter, softened
2
cups confectioners' sugar
3-5 drops
of peppermint flavoring
Royal Icing and colored sugar crystals
Instructions
Line
baking sheets with parchment paper; lightly coat with cooking
spray. Whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt. With an electric
mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and confectioners' sugar
until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low
speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating to combine. Divide
dough in half; form into disks, and wrap in plastic. Chill until
firm, at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days. (Dough can be frozen up to
2 months; thaw in the refrigerator before using.)
Working
with one disk at a time, roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on
a lightly floured surface. Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut
out shapes, transferring to prepared sheets (1 inch apart) as you
work. I used wee trees, but any symmetrical shape will work. Chill
in freezer until firm, about 15 minutes. Brush off excess flour.
Gather together scraps; roll, chill, and cut out more
shapes.
Preheat
oven to 325 degrees. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through,
until edges are firm, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer cookies, on
parchment, to a wire rack to cool completely.
For
filling: With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter
until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar, and beat until light and
fluffy. Stir in one of the peppermint flavoring and pipe onto
cooled cookie, top with another cookie.
Fill
piping bag with colored
Royal Icing and decorate top cookie as desired, sprinkle with
colored sugar crystals if you'd like to add a little extra
sparkle.
You can
check out the rest of my holiday baking and recipes in the
following posts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
and of
course, some cookie packaging
tips and insperation!
This post has been shared
at:
The Gypsy's
Corner
