Just a small amount of espresso powder helps enhance the rich chocolate flavor of these cookies. Enjoy them plain, dust with a sprinkling of confectioners sugar, or drizzle with a white chocolate icing.

Chocolate Espresso Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

Dough:

1¼ cups unsalted butter, room temperature, divided

½ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee (espresso powder)

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

2 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

Optional Icing:

½ cup white chocolate chips

¼ cup confectioners (powdered) sugar

3 to 4 teaspoons milk (preferably whole milk)

Tip: Use standard measuring cups and spoons or scales for accurate measuring.

Directions:

Dough:

1. In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, melt ¼ cup butter. Add cocoa powder and espresso coffee; stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until mixture forms a smooth paste. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
   
   
2. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine 1 cup butter, cooled chocolate mixture, sugar, and salt; beat until mixture is smooth. Add egg yolks and vanilla; beat until thoroughly mixed. Add flour; stir until mixed.
   
   
3. Shape dough into a 12 inch roll, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap roll in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
   
   
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Baking sheets may be ungreased, lined with parchment paper, or lined with a non-stick baking mat.
   
   
5. Slice dough into ¼ inch slices and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Return remaining dough to refrigerator until ready to use.
   

Tip: My favorite tool to cut refrigerator cookies is a stainless steel dough scraper; simply push the dough scraper straight down into the cookie for straight cuts. Or use a small kitchen knife to slice the cookies.

Bake:

6. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set and the edges are just barely browned. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet one minute. Remove cookies from baking sheets with a metal spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
   
   Optional Icing:
7. In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, combine white chocolate chips, confectioners sugar, and enough milk to make a good drizzling consistency; stir constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until chocolate is melted and mixture forms a smooth paste. Remove from heat.
   
   
8. Spoon icing into a small plastic bag. Snip off one corner of the bag, drizzle icing onto cooled cookies.
   
   Makes about 4 dozen cookies
   
   TheBakingPan.com
   
   Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated, Holiday 2007
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