Description
These Piped Chocolate Butter Cookies are rich, creamy, and perfectly chocolatey shortbread-style cookies. They feature a deep cocoa flavor enhanced by espresso powder and can be beautifully piped into swirls or lines, then optionally dipped in melted semi-sweet chocolate and decorated with cherries or sprinkles. These cookies require chilling before baking to keep their shape and produce a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/3 cup (27g) natural or dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk, warm
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
Optional Toppings
- 4 ounces (113g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- maraschino cherries
- sprinkles or coarse sugar
Instructions
- Prepare for Chilling: Read through the full recipe and notes before starting. Make room in your refrigerator for chilling the shaped cookies for 20–30 minutes to prevent spreading during baking.
- Line Baking Sheets: Line 2–3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, or leave unlined but do not grease if unlined.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat softened unsalted butter on medium-high speed until very soft and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add granulated sugar and beat together on medium-high until smooth and creamy, about 2 more minutes.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute, scraping down sides and bottom as needed.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: On low speed, add the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Increase to high speed and beat until completely combined.
- Dissolve Espresso Powder in Milk: Warm the milk to about 150°F (66°C) and dissolve the espresso powder into it. Add this warm espresso-milk mixture to the dough and beat on medium speed to achieve a creamy but thick and pipeable dough. If too thick, add up to 1/2 Tablespoon more milk carefully.
- Pipe Cookies: Attach a large piping tip to a piping bag, fill with dough and pipe 1- to 2-inch swirls or lines spaced about 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. If dough is too thick initially, add more milk gradually until pipeable.
- Decorate: Optionally place a maraschino cherry in center, or top with sprinkles or coarse sugar.
- Chill Piped Cookies: Refrigerate the shaped cookies on baking sheets for 20–30 minutes before baking to prevent overspreading.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) while cookies chill.
- Bake Cookies: Bake chilled cookies for 14 minutes or until edges appear set but cookies remain slightly soft. Smaller cookies may bake closer to 12 minutes.
- Cool Cookies: Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Optional Chocolate Dip: Melt semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler or microwave in 20-second increments until smooth. Dip cooled cookies into chocolate, sprinkle if desired, and let set at room temperature for about 1 hour or refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Store: Store cookies with chocolate or cherries in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Without toppings, cookies keep fresh for up to 1 week at room temperature.
Notes
- You can chill the shaped cookies on the baking sheet for up to 1 day before baking; cover with plastic wrap or foil if chilling longer than 30 minutes.
- Frozen unbaked shaped dough can be kept up to 3 months; bake from frozen with 1-2 minutes extra baking time.
- Use a large piping tip such as Ateco 849, Wilton 8B, or similar for best shaping results; alternatively, a cookie press can be used with modified dough.
- If you don’t have a piping tip or cookie press, snip a 1/2 inch corner off a plastic bag and pipe flat lines or swirls.
- Do not roll out this dough for cookie cutters as it won’t hold shape.
- Espresso powder enhances chocolate flavor without coffee taste; instant coffee powder is a substitute.
- For chocolate dipping, use baking chocolate bars (not chips) and add a teaspoon of vegetable or canola oil if chocolate is too thick.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 60 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
