Dipped Chocolate Sugar Cookie Hearts w/Pecans 

18-24 cookies, depending on cookie cutter size

 

Cookie dough:

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

OPT: 1 tsp. espresso powder 

3/4 tsp. salt

1 large egg

2 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cacao powder (or use more Dutch)

1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa

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Glaze:

4 ounces dark chocolate (I use Ghirardelli’s)

1 Tbsp. vegetable shortening

4 Tbsp. finely chopped toasted pecans

 

 

Beat together the sugar, butter, baking powder, vanilla, espresso powder and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, scraping down the bowl as needed. Whisk the flour, cacao powder and Dutch cocoa together. Beat into the sugar mixture until well blended. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1/2 hour.

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare two cookie sheets. Roll-out half of the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out with cookie cutters and place on a prepared baking sheet. bake 8-10 minutes. Cool completely before frosting. Frost half of each cookie sprinkling chopped pecans on each one as you go. (You don’t want the chocolate to harden.)