Brownie Cookies in the Friday Cookie Jar

 

 

I have a confession to make. Until recently, I had never visited the Smitten Kitchen blog.  (Is there a support group for cooks like me, or am I the only one?) I had often heard about it, but I’d never clicked to see what was causing all of the buzz.

 

 

 

Thank goodness the folks at Alfred A. Knopf sent me a copy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook! I was hooked after reading author Deb Perelman’s introduction about her drive to cook in spite of her tiny New York City kitchen. (I had a small one just like it when I lived in New Hampshire.) Plus, I loved how she closed the intro by writing, “Here, I hope that even if you weren’t planning to cook tonight, at least one single thing in theses pages looks so tempting that not cooking is no longer an option.”

 

 

The cookbook is full of recipes I can’t wait to try, but the one that sent me to the kitchen was her Brownie Roll-Out Cookies. These rich, chocolaty cookies (thanks to Dutch-process cocoa) will tame any chocoholic’s craving and would be great for Valentine’s Day. They are firm around the edges and soft in the middle. Dunked in a glass of cold milk, they are pretty much perfect!

Now I’m a follower of Perelman’s blog. Here is her version of the recipe, and below is mine.  

Brownie Cookies

Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder into a large bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, blend together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and mix, and then add the dry ingredients, a little bit at a time, until mixed. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

On a floured surface, roll out the chilled dough until it is 1/4-inch thick. Cut out your favorite shapes. Brush off any excess flour and place the cut-out cookies onto the baking sheets. Bake for 11 minutes, or until the edges are firm and the middle is slightly puffy. Place the cookies onto a rack to cool. Store in an air-tight container.