These chocolatey Snowcap Cookies will look like a dream on your holiday cookie plate
This is part of Southern Kitchen's 12 Days of Cookies and Cocktails series, which runs daily through Christmas Eve. Each day, we'll pair fun and festive cocktails with classic cookie recipes. These Chocolate Snowcap Cookies pair perfectly with a Snowball Old Fashioned in both flavor and aesthetic. Get the recipe.
About the recipe
The double whammy of cocoa and bittersweet chocolate make these cookies a chocolate lover’s dream. Bake the cookies immediately after rolling them in powdered sugar; if they sit, the sugar absorbs into the dough and the rich chocolaty cookies lose their snowcapped look.
This recipe originally appeared in a holiday cookie story by Virginia Willis.
Serves: Makes about 5 dozen
Hands on time: 45 minutes
Total time: 3 hours
Ingredients
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and heat in the microwave at 50% power until melted, about 1 minute. In a second medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until well combined.
Beat in the melted chocolate. With the mixer on low speed, add one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk. Add another third of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk and then the remaining flour mixture. Continue to mix just until combined.
Divide the dough into quarters, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.
When ready to bake, heat the oven to 300 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
Remove the dough from refrigerator. Using a small ice cream scoop, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl and roll half of the cookie balls in the sugar a few at a time to completely and thoroughly coat.
Place the rolled dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until cookies have flattened and the sugar splits, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat the rolling and baking steps with the remaining dough balls. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
DAY 2 AMBROSIA COOKIES:Bake these highly adaptable ambrosia cookies for your next holiday cookie swap
DAY 1 SUGAR COOKIES:Kathleen's Sugar Cookies: 'The best sugar cookie I've ever baked'