chocolate-dipped sugar cookies
Sugar cookie dough is almost overwhelmingly versatile; you can do anything with it, add anything to it. My mom and I make these bite-sized cookies every year for Christmas, but really they’re appropriate for any season, depending on what you dip them in.
Anyway, I suppose I should credit Sarah Quessenberry with the original recipe, which was in Real Simple magazine, but we made a few changes. This makes about 45, which is good because they go fast, and they make great gifts.
the dough
2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted margarine, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg or vegan substitute
1 very generous tsp vanilla extract
sifter, 2 bowls, whisk, clingwrap, electric mixer
In a large bowl, sift and then whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg/”egg” and beat until fluffy; then add the vanilla.* With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients, in thirds, and beat until the batter is stiff. Wrap it in clingwrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour.
the cookies
1 batch sugar cookie dough
4 oz melted chocolate, bittersweet or semisweet
parchment paper, 2-3 cookie sheets, wire cooling rack
Preheat your oven to 350. Divide the dough in half (or smaller, depending on the size of the space you’re working in) and roll it out to 1/4-inch-thick slabs on a floured surface. Cut it into squares about two inches by two inches. Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper and arrange the cookies at least an inch apart. Bake them until they’re golden-brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let them cool enough that you can touch them and dip them in the melted chocolate and then in
-toasted coconut
-candy cane pieces**
-chopped nuts
-coffee bean pieces, possibly?
*If you’re planning to dip it in candy cane bits, add a little bit of peppermint extract as well. And I do mean a little bit; peppermint extract is really really strong (found this out the hard way, as usual).
**To break them up, put them in a plastic bag, wrap that in a dishtowel, and hit it with a meat mallet. Seriously, it works.
