Christmas Cookies from the Whimsical Bakehouse Hardback - 2005

Excerpt

Rudolph Chocolate Shortbread

Makes 3 dozen cookies

This recipe is a chocolate variation of our regular shortbread. We pipe a red chocolate nose on Rudolph and sprinkly it with red sanding sugar—see how it glows!

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease 2 cookie sheets.

On a piece of wax paper, sift together:
• 3 1/2 (3.5) cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 (.5) cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 (.25) teaspoon salt

Place the ingredients in a large bowl of an electric mixer.

Add:
• 17 ounces (4 sticks plus 2 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 (.5) inch cubes

Mix on low speed until the dough comes together.

On a lightly floured board:
• Roll out the dough 1/4 (.25) inch thick. Use a Rudolph cookie cutter, or a cookie cutter of your choice, to cut out the dough. Place Rudolphs 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Prick each cookie once with a fork. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Do not attempt to move the cookies before they have completely cooled or the legs might break off.

Melt:
• 1/4 (.25) cup white wafer chocolate or 2 ounces white chocolate

Add to the melted chocolate and stir until well combined:
• 6 drops red candy color (add more or less as desired)

Pour the melted chocolate into a pastry cone. Cut a small tip off the end of the cone. Pipe a red nose on each Rudolph.

Before the chocolate dries, sprinkle the noses with:
• Red sanding sugar