I just ordered the floral-designed rolling pin from Embossed, and I think I have found my new favorite baking tool! It transforms an otherwise delicious cookie to the next level by simply imprinting beautiful flowers and cute birds on top. I just know these embossed chocolate butter cookies will wow my friends and family. I like to imagine them all thinking that I took the tiniest of chisels and painstakingly carved out a lovely design on each baked cookie. I envision myself being the talk of the town! Admirers from far and wide will call me the Michelangelo of cookies! I’ll sell these works of art on every corner of every street, in every major city, and make billions of dollars!
Look, if anyone asks how I made my embossed chocolate butter cookies I’ll tell them the truth. But if they don’t ask…
Embossed rolling pins are made from 100% pure, high grade, solid beech wood. They are also 100% food safe (free of BPA and other toxins). And they offer a variety of designs.
Here are a few tips when making embossed cookies:
- The right flour to butter ratio is key in order for the cookie to maintain proper structure to preserve its imprint. This recipe uses about 6 parts butter for every 10 parts flour and cocoa powder.
- Because embossed cookies need more structure (more flour to butter ratio) I added an egg yolk for texture. I have found that an already cooked egg yolk is best in this case because it’s moisture is already locked in.
- Instead of creaming the butter and sugar with a mixer I used a food processor to do this step, and I processed until just combined. This trick helped to reduce the amount of air whipped into cookie dough during the creaming method, therefore preventing the cookies from puffing up when baking in the oven, which would ruin their decorative design.
Let’s do it! Begin by pulsing together sugar, softened unsalted butter, and a chopped up hard boiled egg yolk in a food processor.
Mix together the butter/sugar mixture with the all ready sifted dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt) in another bowl.
The dough will be appear crumbly.
Wrap it up and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness using a regular rolling pin.
Spray your gorgeous embossed rolling pin with oil, and slowly but firmly roll once over the dough.
Use a 1 and 1/2 inch round, fluted cookie cutter to cut out the embossed cookie dough.
Bake in a 400º F. oven for 7 minutes. Be sure to rotate the tray halfway through baking.
These cookies are perfect as is, but because we are in the middle of a pandemic I decided to make some chocolate ganache to create the ultimate sandwich cookie. And because there is no end in sight to this pandemic I decided to add a couple splashes of rum to the ganache. Whiskey works well during pandemics too. Oh, and so does a sprinkling of sea salt.
Enjoy! Stay healthy!
Embossed Chocolate Butter Cookies
Notes
Special equipment needed: mixing bowl, whisk, rubber spatula, sieve, food processor, plastic wrap, parchment paper, rolling pin, embossed rolling pin, cookie sheets, round cookie cutter, cookie spatula, wire racks, piping bag, two spoons
Ingredients
For the chocolate butter cookies
- 1 cup (125 g) All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup (30 g) Cocoa Powder
- ¼ tsp. Salt
- ½ tsp. Espresso Powder
- 1/3 cup (67 g) Sugar
- 1 stick (113 g) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 hardboiled Egg Yolk, strained through a sieve
For the chocolate ganache
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 8 oz. (226 g) Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 2 TBS Rum (optional)
For assembly
- Ganache
- Sea Salt
Instructions
To make the chocolate butter cookies
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until well combined. Set aside
- Using a food processor, pulse together the sugar, butter, and egg yolk until combined.
- Scrape the butter/sugar mixture into the dry ingredients bowl, and mix until combined.
- Wrap up the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least a half hour, or up to 3 days. This dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
- When ready to roll out, place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper (the dough sits on one piece, and has another piece over top). Using a regular rolling pin roll the dough out until it is about 1/4 -inch thick.
- Spray the embossed rolling pin with oil. Remove the top piece of parchment, and roll the dough once with the embossed rolling pin. Press firmly (not too hard), and roll slowly. This might take a few times to get right. If you mess up simply press the dough into a ball and begin the rolling process again starting with the regular rolling pin.
- Once the dough has been imprinted cut out cookies using a round, 1 and ½ -inch cookie cutter.
- Gently place each cookie on the baking sheet one inch apart.
- When all of the cookies have been cut out place them in the freezer.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Bake the cookies for 7 minutes, rotating half way through. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the chocolate ganache
- In a saucepan over medium heat bring the heavy cream to an almost simmer (there will be little bubbles along the perimeter of the cream when ready).
- Pour the hot cream over a bowl full of the chocolate chips. Set aside for 3 minutes.
- Slowly stir in a circular manner for 3 minutes. The ganache should smooth out quite nicely. If after 3 minutes it is still a bit clumpy then pulse a few times in a blender. A handheld blender is the perfect tool for this.
- Once completely smooth, stir in the liquor if so desired.
- Place plastic wrap directly over top of the ganache and set aside to cool and thicken (about an hour).
To assemble
- Place half of the cookies on a tray with the embossed side facing down.
- Spoon out the ganache into a piping bag and pipe about a tablespoon amount of ganache onto each cookie. You can also use a spoon for this process.
- Sprinkle each dollop of ganache with sea salt.
- Place the remaining embossed cookies on top of each cookie with ganache to create a sandwich.
- Enjoy!
