If you love dark chocolate, this cookie’s for you—and the cinnamon adds a spicy little kick. These look pretty on a plate because they’re a dark contrast to other cut-outs.
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350º. Cream butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. At a lower speed, beat in the flour, cocoa and cinnamon until well mixed. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough at a time, 1/4” thick, and cut into desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until set but not browned. Cool on wire racks. Decorate with buttercream or your favorite frosting.
Kitchen Hint 1: For a different decoration, you can melt 1 ½ cups of white baking chips with 2 T. shortening. Spoon this into a plastic food bag and snip off a tiny corner—or into a pastry bag with a tip—and pipe icing over cooled cookies. Let stand until set.
Kitchen Hint 2: you can make this dough ahead and chill it, but you’ll have to bring it to room temperature before rolling it out.