Crispy Cocoa Cookies

By norsegal8

These rolled-within-a-micrometer-of-their-life cookies are simple and lovely.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• pinch of baking powder
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon milk
• granulated sugar, for topping

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Put the flour, salt and baking powder on a piece of parchment or waxed paper; mix together lightly and set aside.
Put the butter into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed just to cream. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa and vanilla and turn the machine on and off a few times to get the dry ingredients incorporated without having them fly out of the bowl. Once the mixture comes together, beat on high speed for 1 minute. Decrease the mixer speed to low and add the yolk and milk. Mix on low to blend, then use a rubber spatula to scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl. Using the parchment as a funnel, add the flour mixture all at once, pulsing again so that the dry ingredients don’t fly around, then, mixing on low, give the dough a few turns until it comes together again.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and dust the dough lightly with flour. Working with a bit of dough at a time, smear the dough across the work surface with the heel of your hand. Gather the dough together, pat it into a rough rectangle, and cut it in half. Wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour. The dough can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to a month.

BAKING THE COOKIES
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator and cut it in half. Work with one half at a time, keeping the other half refrigerated. Tamp the dough down with a few presses of the rolling pin. Flour the work surface, flour the top of the dough and roll out the dough, rolling all the way to, but not over, the edges of the dough, until it is as thin as you can possibly roll it, no thicker than 1/16th of an inch. Don’t worry if the dough tears or cracks, you can cut out cookies around the cracks. Dip a 3-inch fluted round cookie or biscuit cutter into flour and cut out as many cookies as you can. Slide a metal spatula under the dough, then lift the cookies onto the baking sheets; sprinkle each cookies with a little granulated sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are crisp and firm. Transfer the baking sheets to cooling racks and allow the cookies to cool on the pans. Repeat with the rest of the dough.