Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies

I tried making chocolate sugar cookies for the first time several years ago, just to have something to change up the traditional sugar cookies I make for decorating. They tasted great right out of the oven -- like little brownies -- but they hardened quickly and didn't taste very chocolatey.

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I've tested a few other recipes since then and had similar results. If they tasted great, they spread while baking. If they didn't spread, they didn't taste that great. And then I found this recipe. And I made many, many cookies, as evidenced by the small collection below.

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I wanted to try a non-traditional color palette for these cookies -- something that would really pop against the deep chocolate color of the cookies (another major plus of this recipe). I decorated the cookies above using my FAVORITE ROYAL ICING recipe and four AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste colors -- Bright White, Royal Blue, Sky Blue, and (a very soft) Teal. I love the accent of the dark blue against the other shades -- it's almost like a Delft blue -- very rich and unexpected for holiday cookies. To get the fine detail, I used an Ateco #2 tip for the flooding and a #1.5 for the lines and dots. 

There were so fun to make -- they are a deep chocolate flavor that holds it's shape while baking (see the snowflakes? You can't get much better than that) and makes for a striking backdrop for lighter shades of icing. 

You can find the detailed recipe here: DARK CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes

Who doesn't like hot cocoa on a cold, snowy day? I've lived in Minnesota my whole life; to us, a mug of hot chocolate symbolizes the end of a fun day sledding, having snowball fights, or, on some occasions, the blessed end to shoveling...again.

All the makings...

I used two different recipes I found online and mixed them up a bit to create these. It's actually the second time I've tried making these, and this time I managed to capture the hot cocoa flavor without it being too overpowering. 

Half the fun of making these cupcakes is the fun ways you can decorate them. I saw an adorable version on Pinterest that used candy canes as little mug "handles", but I didn't like having the peppermint mixed in with the buttercream (just my opinion). They certainly added some festive flair, however -- especially cute for the holidays. I chose to stick to the classics -- marshmallows and mini chocolate chips.

Find the full recipe here: HOT COCOA CUPCAKES