You can use any type of cookie cutter to shape your cookies, I used one of my Linzer cookie cutters. As my friend John says, they look like chocolate sprockets. Of course, depending on the size of the cookie you end up cutting, you will end up with either more or less cookies than I did. My cookie cutter measures around 2 inches and I got around 50-58 cookies.
(adapted from The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook)
yields: approximately 52-58, 2 inch cookies
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1. Melt 4 tablespoon of the butter in a medium saucepan over high heat. Stir continuously until the milk solids turn orange brown. Remove the browned butter from the flame and stir in the cocoa to form a smooth silky paste. Keep aside to cool for 20 minutes.
2. Attach the paddle to a stand mixer, add the remaining butter, sugar, salt, and the cocoa-butter mixture. Mix completely on high speed, the mixture should appear light and fluffy. Add the yolks and vanilla and mix for about 40 seconds. Scrape the bowl down with a silicone spatula.
3. Adjust the speed of the mixer to the low setting and add half of the flour mixture. Blend until completely incorporated. Scrape the bowl down with the spatula. Add the rest of the flour to the batter and repeat. Once the dough is formed into a ball, divide it into three flat discs. Transfer and wrap, each disc on to a large sheet of wax paper and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cut two large sheets of wax paper and sandwich a disc of the refrigerated dough between the sheets at the center. Roll out the disc into a rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate the flattened dough for another 15-20 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 375F and place the wire rack in the center. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, peel the top sheet of wax paper and cut out desired cookie shapes. Place the cut cookies onto a baking sheet or tray lined with parchment paper. Bake the cookies on the centered wire rack in the oven for 10 minutes (if the edges start to get dark, remove them immediately as the cookies are burning), rotating the baking sheet halfway during baking. Bake only one batch of cookies at a time. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Any extra bits of dough can be pressed together and re-rolled and cut to make more cookies. Repeat with the rest of the refrigerated discs to make the rest of the cookies or refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days.
24 Responses
Happy Birthday Nik and you have every right to indulge in anything from sweet to savory 🙂 after all its your day. These cookies are certainly delightful and delicate looking. Enjoy
Lovely cookies! I love their shape. They would not last long at my place…
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you so much Dixya. I plan to enjoy myself.
Thank you Rosa, I am having the same problem here.
Happy Birthday Nik! I'm glad we both celebrated our day with chocolate cookies instead of the usual cake 🙂 Have fun!
Happy birthday. These cookies look delicious.
I must say I am surprised at your choice, LOL. Oh yes, the waistline and age definitely go hand in hand, and not in a good way.
Thank you so much, Kiran. Great minds think alike!
Thank you for the wishes, Debra.
Haha, thanks!
Is today your exact birthday? If so, I'm just a few days behind you – my birthday is on Saturday! =) Happy Birthday + these cookies look divine! I'll take a dozen, please. =)
Yup, today is the actual day, what a fun coincidence that we are both Taureans! Thank you so much for the wishes and I hope you have a great birthday this weekend.
Lovely cookies—and I imagine the nuttiness of the brown butter really pairs nicely with the brown sugar and cocoa…love it, Nik!!
Happy Birthday Boy and hope you are on sugar high already 🙂 have fun and these cookies looks stunning. Love brown butter, absolutely love it!
What gorgeous photos!
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You are a taurean !! no wonder you cook so well…well am sure a bit bull headed and stubborn too 😉 I know too many taureans 🙂 Hope you don't mind me kidding here ! Happy Birthday !!
absolutely love the gorgeous butter cookies and you got serious talent as far as photography ( and cooking and baking) is concerned.
Also, i totally relate to "the relationship between aging and waistline length is a direct proportion" me too even water has calories for me !! 🙁
They do look like chocolate sprockets! The delicious kind!
And oh my Gawd…I have so much to catch up on at your blog. I'm already eyeing that cardamom & olive oil bread.
Brown butter is simply amazing!
Thank you so much, yeah I managed to get over the sugar induced hyper by taking a TRX class! Brown butter is the best.
Thank you, Rachel! It is wonderful to meet you.
Haha, stubborn I am that part is true. Thank you so much for all your kind and encouraging comments.
Great to see you back, Amrita!
Do you know if you can use this dough in a cookie press?
These look amazing.. I am about to make them now.