Sugar cookies.
Crisp butter soft-spiced almond cookies that are good enough to eat alone.
Embossed, half chocolate dipped, and sprinkled in nuts…
No arms twisted here.
While walking through Krakow, Poland a woman stood selling holiday designed rolling pin upon pin. I struggled to choose a few because Poland was the first stop to steal our hearts. And because we travel by backpack.
Do you have an embossed rolling pin? If not, one can be found at Sur La Table, or on Etsy and Amazon.
Tips for making embossed chocolate dipped sugar cookies
- start with room temperature butter and egg
- make sure your baking powder’s fresh
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add egg and almond extract and mix again.
- Add dry ingredients into wet making sure to incorporate after the three to four flour batches.
- Dough will look a little clumpy but will be smooth, soft and come together when balled.
Divide the dough in half, then flatten into two disks, wrap, and refrigerate for one hour.
- I made half the dough into embossed hearts and moons and half the next day into frosted sugar cookies (post to follow).
- Roll the dough to 3/8″ thick.
- Lightly dust embossed rolling pin and dough with flour.
- With firm pressure, roll the pattern once across the dough.
- The dough will now be about 1/4″ thick.
Choose your shapes, cut, and carefully place them on the cookie pan.
Bake for 8 -11 minutes, or until the edges are golden. If your oven bakes uneven, rotate halfway through. Remove and cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Once cool, admire.
- Chop walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, or skip for no nuts.
- I was in a holiday hurry so broke every good chocolate dipping rule with these cookies. For the quick, dirty, but still tastes and looks great—melt a half (or full if making two doughs) bag of (I used semi-sweet and dark) chocolate chips in the microwave on high in 15 second intervals until almost melted.
- Stir continuously until fully melted and continuously drips from the spoon when lifted.
Dip half the cookie, then sprinkle with nuts. Do you like salted cookies? Add flakey sea salt on a few.
Lay on a wire rack.
Admire again.
Then savor and gift to those you {heart}.
For those we hold.
And lost.
We’re forever tied.
Holiday peace
and love
to you
✨♥️✨
Embossed Chocolate Dipped Sugar Cookies
Appeal to every sense with heart and moon chocolate dipped sugar cookies.
Servings: 40 cookies
Calories: 123
Ingredients:
- 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (sea level = 2¾ cups)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (sea level = 2 teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground clove (optional, but exceptional) (sea level = ¼-½ teaspoon)
- 1 cup or 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup minus 1 T cane or granulated sugar (sea level = 1 cup)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure almond extract (sea level = 1 teaspoon)
Chocolate Dipped
- 6-12 ounces chocolate chips, melted
- 1/3-2/3 cup chopped nuts (walnut, hazelnut, pecan)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, and clove. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer on high — cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about three/four minutes. Add egg and almond, mix for another minute or two.
- Reduce mixer to low; add the flour mixture in three batches, making sure each is just incorporated before moving to the next. Dough may be a bit sticky but soft and smooth too.
- Divide dough in half, flatten to 1-inch disks, wrap and refrigerate for one hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Using a lightly floured work surface, standard rolling pin, and one dough disk— roll to an even 1/2" thick. If embossing, lightly flour the pin, tap once against the counter, then apply medium pressure, and pass one time across. Pass again through any un-embossed dough. Dip the cookie cutters in a light dusting of flour to prevent sticking, then cut shapes. If needed, re-flour along the way. Place the shapes on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment or a Silpat, leaving about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch space between each cut shape. * I used a Silpat to make these cookies. Parchment or a light greased pan may need more or less baking time, so keep watch close to the finish time.
- For softer cookies -Bake until the center is puffy, about 8-10 minutes. Remove BEFORE the edges begin to brown. For crisper cookies -The edges may begin to brown. Because oven's vary, it's important the cookies don't dry, crack, or over-bake. Bake about 10-13 minutes.
- Remove and let stand a few minutes, then transfer to cool on a wire rack.
- When completely cool, chop nuts.
Quick and Dirty Chocolate Melting and Dipping
- For one dough disk: melt a half bag of chocolate chips or 6 ounces uniform chopped chocolate For two dough disks: melt a full bag of chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Start with 1 minute on high, then for 20 second bursts, stirring after each interval. Ready is when the chocolate is almost completely melted. Stir the rest of the way until melted and a lifted spoon streams chocolate.
- Dip half the cookie in the chocolate, then (so the cookie lays flat once dry) scrape the bottom lightly against the edge of the bowl. Sprinkle with nuts (or not), and flakey sea salt (or not), then lay on a wire rack until set.
- Love.
Notes
- If we don't share the same love of almond extract, options are plenty—vanilla, orange, orange juice, anise, peppermint, lemon, or lemon juice.
- If making smaller or larger cookies, adjust the bake time up or down according to the size.
- Dough can be made up to two days in advance.
- If dough has been refrigerated for over an hour, allow to sit on the counter for about 5-10 minutes before rolling.
- Store cookies covered on the counter or in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- I've never frozen cookies but hear they can be sealed, then left out to defrost for about ten minutes before loved again.
Nutrition
Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 6mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g
They remind me of the NY Black and White cookies, only better.
Ohhh! I’ll have to look those up. What a compliment. Thank you. Sending love!
Oh Jen, those are PERFECT and absolutely gorgeous!!! I LOVE them! I feel so bad I haven’t checked your site in such a long time 🙁 But I love it. And I adore your photos! The red and white string under the rack, perfection. You are so talented and I love admiring your creativity. I love you <3
Oh my gosh. Please don’t ever feel bad. Thank you. Thank you. You have my embossed/scarred/oh so filled/goey heart.