Chocolate Peppermint Stars
Festive star-shaped chocolate sugar cookies decorated with melted bittersweet chocolate and crushed candy canes. These holiday treats combine the rich flavor of cocoa with refreshing peppermint for a delicious Christmas cookie.
Ingredients
- •1 batch Buttery Sugar Cookie dough
- •⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- •1 cup crushed candy canes
- •4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- •melted chocolate
- •1 set equipment
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Make Buttery Sugar Cookie dough as directed, but reduce the flour to 1 1/3 cups and add the cocoa. Whisk the flour and cocoa together.
15 min
- 2.
Halve dough and wrap each half in wax paper, shaping each into a flattened rectangle, then store each half in a resealable plastic bag. Chill dough until firm, at least 2 hours.
120 min
- 3.
Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
10 min
- 4.
While oven heats, roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining dough chilled) between two large sheets of wax paper to slightly less than 1/4 inch thick. (If dough becomes too soft to roll out, quick-chill on a baking sheet in the freezer or chill in the refrigerator until firm.)
15 min
- 5.
Peel back top sheet of wax paper and cut out as many cookies with cutter as possible. Transfer cookies, as cut, to a lined baking sheet, arranging them 1 inch apart. (If dough becomes too soft to remove the cookies, quick-chill on a baking sheet in the freezer or chill in the refrigerator until firm.)
20 min
- 6.
Gather, reroll, and chill scraps to form more cookies.
10 min
- 7.
Freeze or chill cut-out cookies on baking sheet until firm before baking.
15 min
- 8.
Bake cookies, one sheet at time, until edges are a shade darker and centers are set, 9 to 12 minutes. For picture-perfect cookies, use cookie cutters while cookies are hot from the oven to trim edges. (Keep trimmings for snacks.) Transfer cookies with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough. (Cool baking sheets and use fresh parchment between batches.)
12 min
- 9.
Using the offset spatula or a small rubber spatula, spread cooled cookies with a thin layer of melted chocolate, then sprinkle with some crushed candy canes.
20 min
- 10.
Let cookies stand at room temperature until the chocolate has set, about 1 hour.
60 min
