Chocolate (Labrador) Sugar Cookies

I love sugar cookies.  LOVE THEM.  I love them plain, frosted, vanilla, chocolate, cut in fun shapes or just plain circles.  I love to eat the dough.  I love to roll the dough.  If sugar cookies were a man, my husband would have a serious run for his money.  Thankfully, he is safe and I can have my little affair with sugar cookies on the side, and sometimes I even share those cookies with him, the husband.

Second to sugar cookies (and my husband), I very much love my dog.  It would be perfect kismet if he were in fact a Chocolate Lab, but I shall not tell a lie.  He’s part Black Lab, at least, and part who-knows-what, and 100% lovable.  So this cookie is in honor of him.  Especially the chocolate glaze.  That was all for the dog.

Tips

• If you don’t have rice flour, not to worry, just use all purpose.  I added the rice flour to give a little more shortbread texture to the cookie.
• This recipe would also be fabulous with something other than vanilla extract.  As in: chocolate liqueur, almond extract, peppermint oil, whatever floats your boat.  Just keep the amount the same.  Or Guiness, how about that?  I may have to try that myself.
• Roll out your cookie dough directly on the silpat or parchment that you will bake them on.  Cut the shapes and leave them in place, removing the scraps around them.  This will avoid distortion and breaking from moving the cut shapes.  Make sure to leave enough space between the shapes for expansion during baking.
• If you are like me and can’t roll dough evenly to save your life, invest in some of these.  So cheap, and so fabulous!
• Place the cookie sheet with the cut out dough in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before baking.  This helps retain the shape and details during baking.
• I can’t remember where I picked up this cookie cutter, but my favorite place currently is The Cookie Cutter Shop, they have everything.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies (adapted from The Artful Cookie by Aaron Morgan)

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 beaten egg
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• pinch of salt

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla extract.  Blend in beaten egg.  Add the dry ingredients, mixing only until combined.  Shape into two flat  discs and wrap well in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.

When dough is completely chilled, remove one disc from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for a few minutes.  Unwrap, place on a silpat mat or parchment paper cut to the size of your baking sheet.  Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.  Use cutters to cut shapes, leaving at least a 1/4 inch space between each shape.  Leave the shapes as they are and remove the scraps from in between them.  Re-roll scraps on another silpat and repeat.  Place silpat on baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze for 5 minutes.  Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes.  Enjoy plain or use glaze, below.

Chocolate Glaze

• 1 cup dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over barely simmering water, or in a microwave, 30 seconds at a time, stirring well in between.  When glaze is melted and smooth, pour quickly over cookies placed on a wire rack over a baking sheet (to catch extra glaze).  Use an offset spatula or knife to smooth the glaze over each cookie, and move the cookie slightly after glazing, to keep it from sticking to the rack.  Extra glaze from the catch pan can be reheated and reused.  Allow the cookies to set before moving to a serving plate or storage container.  Or directly to your mouth.  Just don’t give them to your dog.

Comet the Dog