Description
Delight in these rich and creamy Piped Chocolate Butter Cookies featuring a smooth chocolate dough enhanced with espresso powder for a deep flavor. Perfect for piping unique shapes and optionally dipped in melted chocolate, these cookies offer a tender texture with a delightful cocoa essence.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 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 (plus up to 1/2 Tablespoon more if needed)
- 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 recipe notes and ensure space in your refrigerator for a baking sheet to chill shaped cookies for 20–30 minutes to prevent spreading.
- Line Baking Sheets: Line 2–3 large baking sheets with parchment paper, silicone mats, or leave unlined (do not grease if unlined).
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat butter on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes until creamy. Add sugar and beat for another 2 minutes until smooth and creamed.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in egg and vanilla on high speed for 1 minute until combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: On low speed, add flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Increase to high speed and beat until fully combined.
- Mix Milk and Espresso: Warm milk to about 150°F (66°C), dissolve espresso powder in it, then add to dough. Beat on medium speed to achieve a creamy, pipe-able consistency, adding up to 1/2 Tablespoon more milk if needed.
- Pipe Cookies: Fit a large piping tip on a piping bag, start piping 1-2 inch swirls or lines spaced 3 inches apart. If dough is too thick, add a little more milk as needed until piping is smooth. Optionally, add cherries or sprinkle toppings immediately after piping.
- Chill Cookies: Refrigerate shaped cookies on baking sheets for 20–30 minutes to prevent spreading during baking.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) while cookies chill.
- Bake: Bake chilled cookies for 12–15 minutes until edges are set. Smaller cookies take about 12 minutes.
- Cool: Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Optional Chocolate Dip: Melt semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler or microwave (in 20-second increments stirring in between) until smooth. Dip cooled cookies in chocolate, add sprinkles if desired, and allow chocolate to set at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate for 20 minutes before storing.
- Store: Store cookies with chocolate or cherries in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days or refrigerated up to 1 week. Cookies without toppings keep for up to 1 week at room temperature.
Notes
- You can chill shaped cookies on baking sheets up to 1 day before baking; cover if chilling longer than 30 minutes.
- Frozen unbaked shaped dough can be kept up to 3 months; bake frozen dough with 1–2 extra minutes baking time.
- The espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor without adding coffee taste; substitute instant coffee powder if needed.
- If you don't have a large piping tip, use a cookie press (skip milk, add espresso powder with flour) or pipe with a plastic bag by snipping a corner.
- Do not roll this dough for cutters; it’s meant for piping to hold shape properly.
- For melting chocolate, use pure baking chocolate bars and add vegetable/canola oil if too thick for dipping.
- Keep piping tips and tools handy for a smoother piping experience as the dough softens with handling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
