Dark Chocolate Rolled Cookies - US Version
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Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2 trays of cookies
 
A dark, rich, fudgy chocolate cookie that holds shape very well by cutters and/or embossers. Works very well with royal icing to complement the dark flavour. Yield will vary by cutout shape, but expect to get two standard cookie sheets' worth of shapes out of a batch.
Ingredients
  • 1½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup regular cocoa
  • ½ cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa
  • 1¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cups softened butter (1½ sticks)
  • 1¼ cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk (Optional: makes it richer.)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips (Optional: not good for intricate shapes.)
Method
  1. Combine the flour, both cocoas, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  2. Cream the sugar and the butter together.
  3. Add the egg and vanilla (plus extra yolk, if using) to the creamed mixture; beat until thoroughly combined.
  4. Gradually add the dry mix into the creamed mixture. The dough will be very soft and sticky. Mix in chocolate chips, if using.
  5. Lay out a long strip of plastic wrap on the counter. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the middle of the wrap and flatten. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least two hours, up to two days.
  6. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  7. Dust a work surface with cocoa powder (a spoonful in a fine-mesh metal sieve works very well). Break off a chunk of the refrigerated dough, place on the dusted surface, dust the top with more cocoa, and roll it to ¼" thickness (roller guides are very helpful for this). Cut as desired. This dough holds its shape fairly well, including taking relief impressions.
  8. Place on parchment on baking sheets with about ½" between cookies. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until the tops look thoroughly cooked. Do not overbake; the cookies should be soft with slightly crispy undersides. Overbaking makes the chocolate bitter and the texture too hard.
  9. When re-rolling leftovers, add more chilled dough each time, and be sure to re-dust surfaces with more cocoa.
  10. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes on baking sheets before moving, especially for delicate designs.
  11. Once thoroughly cool, they can be eaten plain for those who like a dark taste, or decorated with royal icing for a sweeter taste.
Notes
For lighter cookies, use regular unsweetened cocoa. For darker cookies, use Hershey's Special Dark, which is a blend of Dutch process and regular cocoa. For super-dark cookies, use all Dutch process cocoa. I prefer the middle option for optimal taste and value (Dutch process cocoa is expensive).

The extra egg yolk is optional but does make for a richer cookie. I sometimes do it if I have leftover yolks after making a different recipe that called for whites, but other times I don't bother.

The entire recipe can be doubled, which is how I usually make it. When I'm lazy, I use three eggs on the doubled version instead of 2 eggs and 2 yolks.

This recipe can be frozen. I usually make double batches of dough no matter how many cookies I need so I always have some in the freezer for a cookie emergency.
Recipe by Eat The Evidence at https://www.eat-the-evidence.com/recipe-archive/dark-chocolate-rolled-cookies/