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Chocolate Log Cookies
[Photographs and original illustrations: Cakespy]
Though they might resemble baby Bûche de Noëls, these sweet treats are all cookie: a deep, dark, chocolaty crumbly and buttery cookie smothered in chocolate frosting. Add some easy decorating touches with writing icing for the log's cross-section, and the tines of a fork to form a bark texture, and you've got a treat that is as adorable as it is sweet.
About the author: Jessie Oleson is a Seattle-based writer, illustrator, gallery owner, and cake anthropologist who runs Cakespy, an award-winning dessert website. Her first book comes out this fall.
Chocolate Log Cookies
About This Recipe
| Yield: | 12-16 cookies |
| Active time: | 30 minutes |
| Total time: | 2 hours |
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- For the frosting
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- White writing icing (optional), for decoration
Procedures
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1
Mix the flour, cocoa, and salt in a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut in the butter until it forms fine crumbs.
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2
Stir in the sugar and vanilla until incorporated.
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3
Add the milk, mixing until it forms a stiff dough.
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4
Form the dough into a long log, about 1 inch in diameter (I broke it up into two logs, because they were pretty long). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
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5
Near the end of the cooling period, line a baking sheet with parchment paper; preheat your oven to 400°F.
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6
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice into 2-inch segments (they will sort of resemble fat tootsie rolls).
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7
Place the segments about 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
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8
Bake until lightly browned and firm to the touch, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
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9
While the cookies cool, prepare the frosting. Mix the cocoa with the water until smooth.
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10
Beat the butter in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Add the cocoa mixture and continue mixing until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar a little at a time until completely smooth.
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11
Spread the frosting on the top and sides of the cookies (leave the ends and the bottom unfrosted). Drag the tines of a fork (or a toothpick) gently across the frosting so that it resembles the bark of a log. Be sure to clean off the fork between cookies as frosting may accumulate on the tips of the tines. If desired, draw a spiral on the exposed ends so that it resembles the inside of a cross section of a log.
