A Southern Grace: can't win 'em all

May 3, 2008

can't win 'em all

Yum

I had so much fun and success with the shortbread cookies I made a few days ago, I decided to try a different version. This one involved chocolate, so I felt sure it would be an upgrade. After all, chocolate can improve anything...


...or so I thought.

Although the end result looks fairly presentable (if you can get past the white splotches), these beasts gave me quite a bit of trouble. My mistake was using only the amount of flour in the ingredient list even though I thought the dough was too sticky. I ended up flouring as I rolled the dough out, thus giving me speckles of floury bits.

The good news:
-This baker has been humbled.
-They taste great.
-They gave me an opportunity to flex my cookie-decorating muscles, which were previously in a state of atrophy (and, some might argue, still are):

(the initials of the happy couple)

Moral of the story: Don't get cocky. Oh, and eat more cookies.

Fiendish and Fickle Chocolate Cookies
(from Smitten Kitchen)

3 cups all-purpose flour (possibly more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk dry flour, salt, and baking powder in bowl and set aside. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and cocoa in mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Add more flour until dough is no longer sticky. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Roll out cookie dough on floured counter. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. (It does disappear once baked, so don’t overly fret if they go into the oven looking white.) Bake on a lined cookie sheet for 8 to 11 minutes (the former for 1/8-inch thick cookies, the latter for 1/4-inch cookies) until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

18 comments:

toontz said...

They sound yummy, anyway. As long as it gets eaten, and it tastes great, then you have won it, imho!

Deborah said...

Love the moral of the story! And I've never tried chocolate shortbread - sounds tasty!

RecipeGirl said...

Taste is all that matters, but they look awfully cute too :)

Susan @ SGCC said...

They look very cute, but who cares as long as they taste good! Kudos for going for it!

Anonymous said...

Boo! Sorry to hear about the difficult dough, but at least they tasted great, right? :) When I have an insanely sticky cookie dough, I just wrap it in cling film, roll it into a log and chill it in the fridge - that way you can just slice and bake without worrying about sticky doughy hands :)

Pixie said...

You're a far better baker than I am!

they look so sweet-;)

LisaRene said...

Love the moral! I would also think of chocolate as an upgrade :)

It's always interesting to hear how a recipe works flawlessly for one person yet someone else has problems with it. I guess it depends on the atmosphere, how we measure ingredients and the brand of flour and other ingredients we use. In this recipe the size of the eggs could make a huge difference. It's great that you decided to share your experience.

giz said...

I don't get it - they look good, they taste good, why are they a failure?

Anonymous said...

I don't think chocolate shortbread has crossed my path! Looks great though!

Anonymous said...

Grace, so glad there was good news. At least you had good news or you might have had to make a humble pie. Nothing like a shortbread cookie.

Emily said...

Lesson learned! I'm no longer cocky.
The cookies look tasty. That reminds me, I need to buy some ice cream.

Anonymous said...

Hey, if they taste great that is all that matters! You are so right about chocolate improving anything.
I love the cookie shape too!

Anonymous said...

Mmm chocolate shortbread! I don't believe I've ever tried that, Chocolate chip yes but not fully chocolate flavoured. Oh and I agree, eat more cookies!

LyB said...

I'm awful at rolling out cookies. I have cookie cutters that have never been used. Am I an awful person? Glad your cookies were good though, you wouldn't want to waste them! :)

Lore said...

Yum! You're SO SO right, chocolate makes everything better. They look delish.

Anonymous said...

Hey, at least they tasted good! You can worry about pretty another time :)

My Sweet & Saucy said...

What's important is the taste...so I guess you'd definitely be a winner!

Anonymous said...

i would like to suggest a different icing top - something smaller - we can find one in june!

j