Really Good Cookies

Tomorrow is the annual Bake & Book Sale for the Royalton Friends of the Library. Our friends are the best ~ few but feisty! ~ and provide funds every year for the prize books, craft supplies, and other things we need for the Summer Reading Program. Don't know what we'd do without them.

For the bake sale, I'm making the Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies from Martha Stewart's Cookies, (c) 2008.  A mere test-drive with the library copy was not enough to satisfy me, so I purchased the book a couple of weeks ago. There are many recipes that look frankly amazing, but this is the only one I've tried so far. I made these cookies last week for a get-together at Jane's house. Had a few technical difficulties (the result of distraction on my part, not glitches in the recipe), but the cookies that cooked properly were really, really good. I'm thinking they'll be a great addition for the bake sale.

Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies

From the cookbook description: "These oversize sweets don't need any mix-ins or frostings ~ their bold chocolate flavor says it all. In addition to butter, this recipe calls for melted vegetable shortening, which produces an unbeatable texture." I would add this: the cookies have a much more intense flavor after cooking than before. The dough is a little bland; the cookies brilliant. 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable shortening (or 1/2 cup unsalted butter) melted and cooled

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl. 

2. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in melted shortening (or butter). Add egg and vanilla; mix until creamy. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.

3. Using a 2 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 4 inches apart. Bake until edges are firm, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.