Page 27 - DEC 2018 proof The Castle Pines Connection

cozy cocoa cokies ...(Continued from front page)
The cookie dough is very similar to traditional shortbread, with lots of butter and no eggs or leavening ingredients.
The butter should be fairly soft, since the butter-to- our ratio is very high and must be slowly worked into the our mixture to achieve a delectable, aky texture.
Initially, the dough will seem too dry, and you might be tempted to add an egg, but don’t do it. It will ruin the texture. (Also, cookie dough that contains no eggs is safe to eat raw – something of a Christmas miracle.) Instead, continue to gently mix the butter into the dry ingredients along with a bit of vanilla and milk and you’ll be rewarded with a special occasion treat.
Whether you make these your one and only homemade treat, or you put them in your regular holiday lineup, you’ll be glad you made them. So re up the oven and prepare for deliciousness, whether these are a gift you give away or keep all to yourself.
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Cookies:
• 1 cup flour
• 1⁄2 cup cornstarch
• 1⁄2 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3⁄4 cup salted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon milk
Topping:
• 1⁄2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1⁄4 cup crushed candy canes
• 1⁄4 cup mini marshmallows
Christmas Cocoa Cookies Makes 16 cookies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar and cocoa powder together until well combined. With a hand mixer or stand mixer set to low, mix in the butter. Mix until the dough begins to form fist-size clumps (this could take 3-4 minutes, depending on the power of your mixer). Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Divide chilled dough into sixteen equal pieces and then roll each piece into a ball and place on a baking tray. Flatten balls with the palm of your hand until they are about 1⁄2 inch thick. Cookies will not spread or flatten much as they bake, so they can be placed close together on the baking tray. Bake cookies for 10-11 minutes. Cookies will not brown, but when the edges appear a bit dry, they are ready.
While cookies bake, melt chocolate chips in the microwave by cooking on high for 30 seconds, stirring, then cooking on high for another 30 seconds. When chips are completely melted, stir in the cream until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Drizzle chocolate over cooled cookies and top with candy canes and marshmallows.