Shelly's Recipe

Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Category: Cookies

(makes 36 medium cookies)

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 1/2cups sugar
2 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons instant Espresso Powder
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
DIRECTIONS:

Cream together butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Mix in eggs and then cocoa.
Place vanilla and Espresso Powder together in a small cup until coffee dissolves. Add this mixture to the batter and mix until completely incorporated.
Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until smooth (use clean hands at the end, to knead into a soft ball of dough)
Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.
Allow cookie dough to soften a little at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Roll out cookie dough on floured counter.
Cut into desired shapes and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 8 to 11 minutes until the edges are firm.
Gently slide parchment paper off of cookie sheet and onto a flat surface. Cool completely before removing cookies from paper.

Notes: You can serve these cookies plain, or with a little cocoa powder sprinkled on top, or you can ice them. I iced these with royal icing that I added a little espresso powder to. After icing the cookies, I decorated them by making a tiny heart shape at the center by using a little melted chocolate. While the icing is still liquid, pipe a little circle just a bit above the center of the cookie. Use a tooth pick to pull down through the icing and the chocolate, making a heart. Allow the icing and chocolate to harden completely.

Royal Icing
4 c. powdered sugar
3/4 cup water
3 Tablespoons meringue powder
1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla

Beat together all ingredients, adding powdered sugar gradually until it
becomes a thick glaze consistency.
This is what you will flood the centers of your cookies with, and it takes
some practice to get a feel for how thick it should be.
Divide into bowls and color with gel food colors (if multiple colors are desired)
Put half of each color into bags fitted with #3 decorating tips.
Add powdered sugar to the rest of each color until stiff peaks form.
This is what you will outline your cookies with.
Place each outline color in bags fitted with #2 decorating tips.