Mean Chefs Chocolate Sugar Cookies Food

CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Dust 2 large pieces of parchment paper or 2 silicone baking mats with cocoa powder (or flour). Place a dough half on each. With a rolling pin lightly dusted with cocoa powder (or flour), roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more cocoa powder/flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
• Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with cocoa powder or flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.
• Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough, using more cocoa powder or flour to lightly dust your work surface and rolling pin, and continue cutting the dough until all is used. Work quickly so the dough doesn't become too warm or soft. If it does, stop what you're doing and place any unused dough back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to stiffen up again. Repeat cutting into shapes with 2nd half of dough. (Note: It doesn't seem like a lot of dough, but you get a lot of cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.)
• Arrange shaped cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until edges are set. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
• Prepare the royal icing or easy glaze icing and decorate the cooled cookies however you'd like. Add sprinkles on top of the icing if desired.
• Royal icing dries in about 2 hours and easy glaze icing dries in 24 hours. No need to cover the decorated cookies as you wait for the icing to set. If it's helpful, transfer cookies to a baking sheet and place them in the refrigerator to help slightly speed up the icing setting.
• Enjoy cookies right away or wait until the icing sets to serve them. Once the icing has set, these cookies are great for gifting or for sending. Plain or decorated cookies stay soft for about 5 days when covered tightly at room temperature. For longer storage, cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days.

CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until creamy, about 2 more minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low; gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 2 more minutes.
• Divide the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; form into disks. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Roll out the dough between floured sheets of parchment paper until about 1/4 inch thick. Chill 2 more hours.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Mist 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Cut the dough into shapes; gather the scraps and reroll once to cut out more cookies. Arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until set, about 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Make the icing: Beat the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 3 to 4 tablespoons water in a bowl with a mixer on high speed until smooth and thick. Transfer to a resealable bag and snip a small corner. Pipe onto the cookies; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Let set 30 minutes.

MEAN CHEF'S OATMEAL PECAN CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Set dry ingredients aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter with both sugars; beat until light and fluffy.
• Add vanilla, milk, and eggs; mix well.
• Add reserved dry ingredients, and beat until just combined.
• Remove bowl from mixer, and fold in oats, chocolate, and pecans.
• Place dough in the refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 350°.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
• Remove dough from refrigerator.
• Using an ice-cream scoop, shape into 2-inch-diameter balls.
• Place six balls on each baking sheet, spaced 4 inches apart, and press down Transfer to oven.
• Bake until golden, but still soft in center, 15 to 16 minutes.
• Remove from oven, and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Repeat with remaining dough.
• Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

MEAN CHEF'S CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and cream of tartar together in a medium bowl and with a wire whisk, stir to combine.
• In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer at medium speed, beat the butter for 30 seconds, or until creamy.
• Add the sugar and continue beating for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is light in texture and color.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat well.
• At low speed beat in the flour mixture, in two additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
• On a well-floured surface, roll out half of dough at a time to 1/4-inch thickness.
• Using a cookie cutter cut into shapes and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
• Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned at edges.
• Cool. Decorate as desired.

MEAN CHEF'S CLASSIC SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Line two baking sheets with parchment.
• Combine butter, sugar and salt in a stand mixer (use paddle attachment).
• Mix on low speed until the butter combines with the sugar, but isn't perfectly smooth, 1-2 minutes.
• Add flour and mix on low, scraping frequently, until dough has just about pulled together, about 3 minutes.
• Don't overmix.
• Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to a uniform 1/4 inch.
• Cut dough into bars or squares with a sharp knife or use a cookie cutter.
• Reroll scraps- refrigerate dough if it becomes sticky.
• Arrange on baking sheets and refrigerate until chilled- about 20 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees.
• Bake cookies until golden on the bottom and edges and pale to golden on the top- 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Rotate baking sheets every 15 minutes.
• Cool.
• Variations: Brown sugar and oatmeal- use brown sugar in place of white and add 1/2 cup quick cooking oats with the flour.
• Chocolate dipped espresso- Add 2 Tbl finely ground espresso coffee beans with the flour.
• Dip half of each cooled cookie into melted chocolate (9 oz semisweet chocolate melted with 1 Tbl vegetable shortening).
• Place cookies on parchment line sheetpan to set up- 2 hours.
• Orange-Hazelnut- Add 2 1/2 oz (1/2 cup) skinned, toasted and finely ground hazelnuts (use food processor) and 2 tsp (loosely packed) finely grated orange zest from 1 orange along with the flour.

MEAN CHEF'S PECAN CARDAMOM SAND COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• I an electric mixer cream butter, shortening, both sugars and vanilla until mixture is well combined.
• Sift dry ingredients together and add to mixer along with chopped pecans.
• Combine well.
• Either use a small portion scoop or roll pieces of dough into 1 - 2-inch balls.
• Arrange on parchment-lined sheet pan.
• Place a pecan half on top of each round, sprinkle with a little sugar and press down with the bottom of a glass to flatten to about 1/4-inch thick.
• Bake until very pale golden.
• Cool.

MEAN CHEF'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH PECANS

Steps:

• Position 1 rack in the top 1/3 and another in the bottom 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler over hot, simmering water.
• Remove from the heat but keep the chocolate mixture over a bowl of hot water to ensure that the mixture does not set.
• In a small bowl, combine the vanilla extract and the espresso powder and whisk until the espresso powder is dissolved.
• Stir the espresso mixture into the chocolate mixture.
• Combine the eggs and both sugars in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer (you can double the recipe and it will fit a 5 or 6 qt mixer bowl).
• Set the bowl over a pan of hot, hot simmering water.
• Stir with a hand-held wire whisk until warm to the touch.
• Attach the bowl to the mixer stand.
• Using the wire whip attachment, whip the mixture on high speed until pale, thickened and cool, about 5 minutes.
• Fold into the warm chocolate mixture.
• Fold in the flour.
• Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.
• Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the 2 prepared pans leaving about 1 to 1/2 inches between the cookies (at work I make these a lot bigger so that they come out about 5 inches across).
• Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are set: switch the positions of the baking sheets halfway through the baking time for even baking.
• Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on wire racks for about 3 minutes, then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
• Repeat with the remaining dough.