Chocolate cutout cookies are so very yummy when covered with icing, or dipped in chocolate.  The dark brown color lends itself so well to shapes like deer, bears, horses, dogs, trees, acorns, etc. It tastes really chocolatey, and works well for thin or thickly rolled cookies.  Its best feature is that because it’s really a shortbread cookie, it holds its shape really well through baking.  Have you ever made cutout cookies and your Christmas tree cookies end up looking like funny clouds cause they spread so much during baking?  That won’t happen with this recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of baking soda
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

Stir together confectioner’s sugar, cocoa, flour, salt and baking soda. Cut in the butter until lumps are no larger than peas. Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix until a stiff dough forms. Cover dough with plastic wrap (we usually put ours in a gallon size Ziploc bag) and chill dough for 1-2 hours.  Working with 1/3 of the batch at a time briefly knead the chilled dough. Roll out onto surface dusted with cocoa powder to about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheets at 350 for 8-10 minutes, or until the surface appears dry.

You can also freeze the dough. After mixing, put dough in a gallon size Freezer ziploc bag (or wrap well) and freeze. Thaw overnight or for at least a few hours in the refrigerator in the ziploc bag. If too chilled to handle, let sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour to 1 hour until it’s workable. Chilled is good, though, don’t let it get too warm and soft.

• • those cute Paper Tags are available in our shop • •

• • tomorrow • • Chocolate Acorn Cookie Friends • •