Chocolate Rolled Cookie

I am often told that I should be an elementary school teacher.  Those people obviously don't know me well.  Its not that I don't love kids... I do, I just don't want to be around them all the time.  At least not now, talk to me in five years.

Mostly I hear this at my job.  It also normally involves cookies.  I like themed parties/foods/cookies (hence the elementary school teacher).  I can't help it though, something about themed cookies gets me so excited.

With all that said, I made heart cookies.  I also decided they HAD to be chocolate.  It is Valentines Day after all.  That ended up to be the perfect decision.  These were chocolaty, but had a kick from the cinnamon.  Seriously, these are the perfect V-Day treat.

Chocolate Rolled Cookies
Prep Time: 2 hrs
Cook Time: 12 min
Makes: 16-20 cookies
Taken from The Pioneer Woman

 

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, Softened (room temperature)
• 1 whole Large Egg
• 1-1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

In a large bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cocoa powder together.  In a separate bowl (in my case my stand mixer) cream the butter and brown sugar together.  Add the egg and mix until combined.  Add the vanilla and again, mix well.  

 Add the flour mixture in 3/4 cups at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Once the mixture has just come together as a dough place it in a freezer bag, and flatten slightly.  Chill the dough for two hours.  At this point the dough can be stored in the freezer up to 2 months.

Once ready to bake pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut dough in half (store one half in the fridge while you work with the other half) and roll out to 1/4 inch thick.  I used a heart cookie cutter, but you can use whatever you like.  Place 6 - 9 cookies per sheet (the cookies do not spread much) and bake for 12 minutes.  The cookies should not get darker around the edges.  These cookies are great alone (Tay prefers them this way), but are equally as good (and maybe a little cuter) when iced.

Royal Icing
Time: 5 min
Makes: 3 cups icing
Taken from Wilton (the recipe list inside the meringue powder)

• 3 Tbsp meringue powder
• 5-6 Tbsp water
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• Pink food coloring

In a medium bowl (I used my electric stand mixer) whisk the meringue powder and water (I start with 5 Tbsp since you can always thin the icing later) together until just combined.

 

Sift the powdered sugar into the mixture.



Beat the mixture for 7 - 10 minutes or until stiff peaks form.  At this point if the icing is too thick add 1 tsp of water at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

 

Decorate

• # 3 icing tip
• Pastry bag
• Couplers
• 2 Squeeze bottles
• Toothpicks

To decorate the cookies place 1 cup of the icing into a piping bag with a #3 tip.  Outline all the cookies with the white icing (you can get closer to the edges of the cookie than I did).



 

Once all the cookies are outlined thin the rest of the icing to a syrup type consistency.  Pour half the icing into one squeeze bottle.  Die the other half of the thinned icing pink.  Pour that icing into a pink bottle.  Begin to flood the cookies (about six at a time) with the white squeeze bottle. 

Once about six cookies have been flooded go back to the first one (they should be slightly set) and place between 10 and 12 dots. Grab your toothpick and run a line through the dots. This will create the heart. Let the cookies sit out overnight to dry. In the morning... perfect themed cookies!

 

Enjoy.