Cocoa Bee Cookies Recipes

CHOCOLATE SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Cookies: Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. In a large bowl, beat butter with brown sugar, fresh ginger, and baking soda until creamy. Add egg; beat to combine. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture.
• Scoop a scant 1/4 cup of dough (1.75 ounces); roll into a ball. Dust a cookie stamp with flour, tapping out excess. Place dough in center of stamp, then press evenly to cover shape of design. Place, dough-side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet and press until dough is about 1/4 inch thick.
• Carefully remove (if it sticks, just gather up dough and start over). Repeat with remaining dough, arranging cookies 2 inches apart. Refrigerate 20 minutes; use a 2 3/4-inch round cutter to trim excess. Bake until firm to the touch, 11 to 13 minutes.
• Glaze: Meanwhile, whisk together confectioners' sugar, Cointreau, butter, and salt; glaze should have the consistency of honey. (If too thick, whisk in more Cointreau.) Let cookies cool on sheets on a wire rack 8 minutes, then brush with glaze. Let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

SPICE BEE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.
• With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in egg. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Turn out dough, and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until cold but not hard, about 30 minutes.
• Divide dough in half. Roll out each half between 2 sheets of lightly floured parchment to 1/4 inch thick. Chill in freezer until firm, about 15 minutes. Using a 3-inch bee cutter, cut out shapes. Gather together scraps; reroll, and cut out. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment.
• Bake cookies until firm and pale golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool.
• Brush water on wings of bees, and immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar, shaking off excess. Decorate bodies with royal icing, and immediately sprinkle icing with sanding sugar, shaking off excess. Let cookies set, at least 2 hours. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 1 week.

MOIST CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH COCOA POWDER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F(177C°). Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
• Put the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat until it is halfway melted. Take it from the heat and stir until it is all melted. Set aside to cool.
• Place the sugar in a big bowl and add the butter, mix well. Then add in the egg and vanilla, stir until combined.
• Add the flour mixture in 2 batches and stir until all combined well.
• Roll the dough into 52-53 gram (2 and ½ tablespoon) balls and place them on the baking sheet. Alternatively, you can divide the dough equally into 10 pieces and roll each into a ball.
• Bake for 8-11 minutes or until the cookies are slightly set. The top of the cookies shouldn't be wet but soft. They will be too soft to handle. Remove the cookies from the oven so that they can keep their moistness. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are firm enough. The cookies will be a little bit puffy. You can slightly press the cookies with the back of a spoon.

COCOA BEE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
• With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; beat until just combined. Shape into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until cold but not hard, about 30 minutes.
• Divide dough into quarters. Roll out each portion between 2 sheets of lightly floured parchment to 1/4 inch thick. Chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Using a 3-inch bee cutter, cut out shapes. Gather together scraps; reroll, and cut out. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment.
• Bake cookies until firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool.
• Brush water on wings of bees, and immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar, shaking off excess. Decorate bodies with royal icing, and immediately sprinkle icing with sanding sugar, shaking off excess. Let cookies set, at least 2 hours.