1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
ICING:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons water
4-1/2 teaspoons meringue powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture.
2Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; cover. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll.
3Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 3-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
5In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, water, meringue powder and cream of tartar; beat on low speed just until blended. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Keep unused icing covered at all times with a damp cloth. If necessary, beat again on high speed to restore texture.
6Using pastry bags and small round tips, decorate cookies as desired. Let stand at room temperature until frosting is dry and firm.
Total Time
Prep: 1 Hour + Chilling Bake: 10 Min./Batch + Cooling
Make these chocolate sugar cookies when you want something different from the regular vanilla sugar cookies that people often make. These cookies are great substitutes for gingersnaps, and you can decorate them with royal icing.
Nutrition Facts
1 cookie: 91 calories, 3g fat (2g saturated fat), 14mg cholesterol, 43mg sodium, 14g carbohydrate (9g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.