Creating and enjoying sumptuous chocolate sugar cookies is a delightful and therapeutic exercise, demonstrated today in a guided step-by-step format. With the right quantity of ingredients and strict adherence to the steps detailed below, a cookie that makes your taste buds dance in delight is guaranteed.
To set the ball rolling, the ingredient list reads as follows:
Cookies:
– 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, with an extra sprinkling for dusting
– ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
– ½ teaspoon of kosher salt
– 1 ½ sticks of salted butter, brought to room temperature
– 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar
– A large egg
– A teaspoon of vanilla extract
For the icing you will require:
– 1 pound of powdered sugar, sifted appropriately
– Two large egg whites
– Two teaspoons of water
– Sanding sugar for the final decorative touches
Once the ingredients are assembled, the baking process proceeds as thus:
Step 1: This involves preparing the cookie dough. Start by whisking together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. In a larger bowl, you beat the room temperature butter and powdered sugar with a mixer on medium speed till you attain a light and fluffy mixture. Afterwards, you add the egg and vanilla, beating to achieve a consistent mixture. The next step reduces the mixer speed to low as you gradually beat in the flour mixture until it is fully incorporated. The dough is then shaped into a rectangular form, wrapped in cling film, and refrigerated until it becomes firm. This process should take at least an hour.
Step 2: Involves dividing the dough into two halves. Each piece of dough is rolled out on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper until it measures about ¼ inch thick. The dough is then placed on a baking sheet and frozen until firm, which should take about 10 minutes. This process is repeated with the other half of the dough.
Step 3: This involves preheating the oven to a temperature of about 350°F. Thereafter, the dough is relocated to a work surface where snowflake-shaped cookies are cut out. The scraps are re-rolled as needed with the process repeated. The baking sheets are relined with parchment paper, with the cookies arranged two inches apart. The entire setup is frozen until the cookies firm up, a process that takes approximately 15 minutes.
Step 4: The cookies go into the oven, with pans rotated halfway through the baking process to ensure even baking, until they become crisp. This step generally lasts about 12 to 14 minutes, after which you let them cool completely on the baking sheets.
Step 5: Makes provision for icing preparations. This is a simple and straightforward process of beating the powdered sugar and egg whites in a large bowl with a mixer on a low-speed setting until they combine completely. Water is gradually added and beaten into the mixture until the icing is pipeable.
Step 6: With the icing ready, you transfer it into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Designs of choice are piped onto the cookies followed promptly with a sprinkle of sanding sugar. The cookies should set after about an hour, paving the way for enjoyment.
In these simple, easy-to-follow steps, anyone can join the exclusive league of homemade chocolate sugar cookies bakers. Relieve stress and create great memories while at it! Don’t wait, start assembling those ingredients, and bake magic today.
