1 ½cupsall purpose flour(or 1 ¼ c white whole wheat for healthier)
1/4teaspoonsalt
1/4teaspoonbaking powder
1/2cupbuttersoftened
½cupsugar
1large egg
1/2teaspoonvanilla
1/3cupunsweetened cocoa
1/4teaspoonespresso powder or coffee extract, optional
¼teaspoonpeppermint extractoptional
Glaze:
2-3Tablespoonsmilk
1/2teaspoonpeppermint extractor vanilla
1cuppowdered sugarsifted if lumpy
Instructions
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in bowl and set aside. In mixer blend butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cocoa, espresso powder or coffee extract (if using) and peppermint extract (if using) until smooth.
Add flour mixture to cocoa mixture, a half cup at a time, and mix until smooth. Final mixing may need to be done by hand due to thickness.
Wrap in plastic and chill for an hour.
Roll out cookie dough to ¼ inch thickness on floured surface. Spray an embossed cookie cutter with nonstick spray. Cut out your shapes, pressing the design firmly into the dough. Release the cookies from the cutter and place on an ungreased baking sheet or on a silpat or parchment topped baking sheet.
Bake at 350 F until the edges are firm, about 11-14 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.
To prepare glaze, mix warm milk with extract and powdered sugar. Add additional milk as needed to get glaze to desired consistency. Brush glaze onto cookies using a pastry brush. If glaze gets too thick, reheat it briefly in the microwave rather than thinning too much or it won’t harden.
I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.