Here’s another addition for your holiday cookie tins. The beauty of this recipe, given the busy days ahead, is that you can prepare the dough in advance and keep it refrigerated for up to two weeks before needed. If you’d like to package up some cookies as a host/hostess gift, you can simply remove the dough from the fridge the day of the event, pull out your cookie cutters and be on your way to the holiday gathering in no time.

The trick with this recipe? Only one: don’t overbake these cookies.

Ingredients

• butter – 1.25 cups / 285 g
• icing/powdered sugar – 1.5 cup / 300 g
• egg – one
• flour – 3 cups / 420 g
• cocoa – .5 cup / 70 g

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 F /205 C
2. Allow the butter to warm up to room temperature / soften in microwave
3. Cream the butter
4. Gradually add the icing sugar, and then stir in the egg
5. Stir in the flour and cocoa

Refrigeration, Shaping and Baking

1. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour, and up to two weeks
2. Allow the dough to warm up to room temperature before rolling and cutting shapes; if your dough crumbles when you’re working with it, give it a few more minutes to warm up
3. Set out your cutting board and sprinkle lightly with flour
4. Choose the cookie cutters you’d like to use
5. Roll portions of the dough on the floured cutting board
6. Dip the base of your cookie cutter(s) in flour and proceed to cut shapes from the dough
7. Transfer the shaped dough to the cookie sheet
8. Bake at 400 F for seven to eight minutes, or until set

Enjoy!

You may also be interested in …

• Sugar Cookies – The Exceptional EA in the Kitchen (exceptionalea.com)
• Scones – The Exceptional EA in the Kitchen (exceptionalea.com)