Chocolate + Hearts = Life

The cookie madness continues, this time with a tasty remix of your standard cut-out cookie. They've got a hint of cinnamon going on which I was a little wary about at first but after tasting them I have to admit that the cinnamon became a magical little ingredient. It just adds an added dimension of flavor to these pretty simple chocolate cookies that bumps the tasty factor up a notch. I think the beauty of this cookie lies in the simplicity of it. They aren't saturated with flavor but they aren't some tea cookie either. The cut-outs aren't the prettiest cookie, even when heart shaped, but they've got that good homey hand-crafted feeling going on. The imperfect aesthetic in these cookies gives them a certain comforting charm, like the kind of cookies your grandma would make for you when you would come to visit. As lactose intolerant as I am, I have to admit that these cookies would be absolutely perfect heated up in the microwave with a cold glass of milk.

These cookies were also sent to the Bf in the Valentine's package of love and in the two days between receiving these cookies and contracting some downright nasty salmonella/bronchitis, he managed to eat a neat little package of these and promptly gave them a thumbs up. If you really can't stand the plain simplicity of the cookie as I made it feel free to add some colorful sprinkles before baking. I think they could hold up with frosting or even in ice cream sandwiches too. Their simplicity makes the versatile so don't hate on them! Also, a word of advice: don't hand mix with this recipe - it's absolute death. I'm pretty sure I have carpel tunnel.



Chocolate Cookie Cutouts
adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies
Yield: 3 to 4 dozen

Ingredients
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. sifted confectioners' sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Optional: sprinkles for loveliness

Directions
1. Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl. (I didn't do this because as a poor college student sifters aren't in any sort of budget. And if they were the money would promptly go to studio supplies anyway. That being said, I would highly recommend this step anyway)
2. Put butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or overnight.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in freezer 15 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Using your cookie cutter of choice (Martha recommends a 3" cookie cutter), quickly cut out shapes from dough. If dough begins to soften, chill it in freezer 3 to 5 minutes. Re-roll and cut scraps. Transfer shapes to prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Brush flour from shapes. Sprinkle away now if you're into that sort of thing. Chill in freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.
5. Bake cookies until crisp, about 8 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week according to Martha. I don't know about you, but my cookies don't last a week at any temperature...