Every year I make at least 5 different types of Christmas cookies. I usually try to add a new one to the plate, and this was it last year. It was our favorite!
I made 4 times the recipe last year, and this year I increased it to 8 times. I gave most of them away, but I made TONS of them–I think that I overdid it. I use the 72% dark chocolate “pound plus” bar from Trader Joe’s, it is delicious. I also decreased the instant espresso from 4 teaspoons to 1 teaspoon.
This recipe was adapted from Everyday Food.
- Prep Time 45 minutes
- Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield Makes 18
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso, or as desired
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Confectioners’ sugar, for coating
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat in milk until just combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Pour confectioners’ sugar (about 1/2 cup) into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar two times, letting them sit in sugar between coatings.
- Place on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 10 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Cool cookies on a wire rack.
Cookies will keep for up to a week stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
thebrookcook 