Martha Stewarts Chocolate Cookie Cutter Recipes

SOFT AND CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in the upper and lower third positions. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add salt, vanilla, and eggs; mix to combine. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Mix in chocolate chips.
• Using a tablespoon measure, drop heaping portions of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

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.

CHOCOLATE COOKIE DOUGH

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined.

MARTHA'S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time; add vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed throughout. Cookie dough can be refrigerated, covered, overnight, if desired.
• Using a 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden around the edges, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Wisk together flour and salt. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, and continue to beat until pale and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of bowl, about 2 minutes more. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed, scraping sides if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
• Turn out dough, forming into 2 disks; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out 1 disk to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes using desired cookie cutter, and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Reroll scraps. Repeat with remaining disk. Indent cookies with desired stamps. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Bake until firm and golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

CHOCOLATE CRACKLE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring. Set aside, and let cool. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Mix butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla, and then the melted chocolate. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the milk. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• Divide each piece into 16 (1-inch) balls. Roll in granulated sugar to coat, then in confectioners' sugar to coat. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• Bake until surfaces crack, about 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers up to 3 days.

SKILLET-BAKED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined.Stir in chocolate chips.
• Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Don't overbake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm; top each wedge with a scoop of ice cream and some caramel sauce.

CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon. Set mixture aside.
• Use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
• Add flour mixture; mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets; refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until crisp but not darkened. Cool on wire racks; decorate as desired.

CHOCOLATE COOKIE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat to combine. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined.
• Divide dough in half; flatten each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or overnight). Dough can be frozen, wrapped tightly in plastic and placed in a resealable plastic bag, up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
• On a lightly floured work surface (or a piece of parchment paper), roll out one disk of dough to just under 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet; freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, quickly cut out shapes from dough (if dough begins to soften, chill in freezer 5 minutes), and transfer shapes to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart, as you work. Reroll scraps and cut out more shapes. Brush off excess flour. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.
• Bake cookies until crisp, about 8 minutes, firmly tapping down sheets once and rotating them halfway through. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks before decorating as desired.

HALLOWEEN COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg. On low speed, mix in flour mixture. Divide dough in half, and form into 2 disks, each about 3/4 inch thick. Wrap disks in plastic; chill until firm, at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days.
• On a lightly floured sheet of waxed paper, using a floured rolling pin, roll dough 1/2 inch thick. (If dough becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate for a few minutes.)
• Using 2- to 3-inch Halloween cookie cutters, cut out shapes, dipping cutters in flour as necessary to prevent sticking; place on a baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart.
• Bake until surface is dry to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes (if decorating, press candies into dough halfway through baking). Cool cookies 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheet; transfer to a rack to cool completely.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Melt coarsely chopped chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
• Transfer chocolate mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks.
• Scoop batter using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop; place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces begin to crack, about 15 minutes. Transfer on parchment to wire racks. Let cool 5 minutes.

BASIC BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH

Steps:

• Place flour, sugar, butter, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; process until mixture is the texture of coarse meal.
• In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and vanilla; with motor running, add to food processor. Process just until a dough forms.

SPICY CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, and baking soda.
• In a separate bowl, beat butter with brown sugar on medium-highspeed until light and fluffy, about3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanillauntil well combined. Reduce speedto low and beat in flour mixture untiljust incorporated. Stir in chocolate.
• Roll dough into 1-inch balls(each 1 heaping tablespoon).Gently roll each in turbinado sugarto coat; place 2 inches aparton parchment-lined baking sheets.Bake until surfaces crack slightly,11 to 14 minutes. Let cool 5 minuteson sheets, then transfer to awire rack and let cool completely.