CAPPUCCINO COOKIES

Happy Valentine's day! Ever since sophomore year of high school, I've made different homemade valentines and treats to distribute to family and friends. I can still remember my first round of valentines: red velvet cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting and a pink powdered sugar heart for decoration! This year I'm choosing, what I think is, a very classy and mature treat- cappuccino cookies. Mostly because they are absolutely amazing (I have to give credit to a friend and colleague who passed the recipe along!) and very aesthetically pleasing:) I've had the same favorite cookie my entire life (I'll have to post it next Christmas!)... but these might just come out on top!

cappuccino cookies

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I used equal parts 85%, 70% and 65% cocoa)
1 tablespoon fine coffee grounds
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg 

chocolate icing

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (again, equal parts!)
1 tablespoon butter

Whisk the flour, cinnamon and salt together in a medium-sized bowl. In a double-boiler, melt the unsweetened chocolate over gently-simmering water. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. In the meantime, combine the butter and sugars and beat with an electric mixer for about a minute until light and fluffy. Add the egg, coffee grounds, and chocolate and beat until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. When the dough is stiff enough to shape, divide the dough in half and shape in to two logs with a diameter of 1". Wrap dough in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for 5-6 hours (or overnight if that's easier) until very stiff. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the logs into 1/4" slices and place 1" apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool for 2 minutes before removing from the pan and cool on a wire rack or a flattened paper bag. When the cookies are completely cooled, begin to make the chocolate icing. Again, melt the chocolate and butter in a double-boiler over gently-simmering water. Once melted, dip one half of the cookie into the chocolate mixture and lay flat on wax paper until the chocolate completely cools.

Another option: roll out the stiff cookie dough to a thickness of 1/4" and then cut heart shapes out with cookie cutters! Then you can dip one of the top edges in chocolate when it comes time for the icing! I really wanted to post this, but didn't have time to run to the store to grab a heart-shaped cookie cutter.