Chocolate Sugar Cookies
 
Ingredients
Cookies:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cocoa powder (natural unsweetened)
  • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup salted butter, softened
  • 1⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ⅓ cup milk
Royal Icing:
  • 2 cups (215g) powdered sugar
  • 1½ Tablespoons (15g) meringue powder
  • 3-4 Tablespoons (45-60g) warm water
  • Food coloring
Instructions
For the Cookies
  1. Sift flour and cocoa powder together.
  2. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter until it is smooth.
  4. Add sugar gradually.
  5. Mix in egg yolks and vanilla and blend well.
  6. Add dry ingredients gradually to wet ingredients alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
  7. Form dough into two balls, flatten into discs, and wrap in plastic wrap.
  8. Chill for at least 1 hour in refrigerator or until firm.
  9. Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
  10. Flour a clean, dry surface and a rolling pin very well.
  11. Roll dough out on a well floured surface to ¼ inch thickness.
  12. Cut with cookie cutters and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
  13. Bake for 7-8 minutes.
  14. Cool on the pan for 1-2 minutes and then carefully remove them to a wire rack.
For the Icing:
  1. With an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water together on high until smooth and shiny, about 3 minutes. If you pull the whisk attachment out of the icing, it should be thick enough that the dripping icing does not immediately meld into the icing in the bowl but not so thick that it is a frosting consistency. If it is too thin, add some more powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add a little water.
  2. Put some of the icing in another bowl (you can use a paper bowl so you can throw it away later) and mix in food coloring (I used 3 or 4 drops of blue and 1 drop of green).
  3. Using a piping bag with a Wilton #2 tip, pipe designs onto the cookies.
  4. Let the icing dry for 1-2 hours before stacking the cookies.
Recipe by Birch Tree Baking at https://www.birchtreebaking.com/chocolate-sugar-cookies/