Dark Chocolate Heart Cookies

“These cookies are great, but they would be so much better if they were shaped like tanks.” That’s right people, my taste testers are getting picky about the shape of the cookies I feed them. Another mentioned that the hearts were cheesy. If you guessed that my taste testers were boys, then you were correct. If you guessed that they were twelve-year-olds, then you would be wrong. Apparently the shape of the food still affects the taste, even when you are in your mid-twenties.

What the boys didn’t realize is my thought process behind the heart cookies. Other than cutting squares or triangles, hearts are the shape to use when you want to get the most out of your dough. I hate re-rolling dough and the hearts fit together like a little puzzle. So few dough scraps!

These cookies are super rich and dark. My taste testers decided that they would be good as sandwich cookies or with a little frosting. If you love dark chocolate then these cookies are perfect on their own. If you like your chocolate a little on the sweeter side, then choose a dark chocolate bar with a lower percentage of cacao. I inherited this chocolate bar after it was bought by accident, by a coworker looking for a sweet fix. FYI, 90% cacao is not good for eating, but it is amazing for baking.

Dark Chocolate Heart Cookies

1 cup flour

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 oz 90% cacao chocolate bar

2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

4 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a small saucepan combine chocolates, butter and sugar and heat on medium-low. Stir until melted and remove from heat. Continue stirring until smooth and sugar is totally dissolved. Allow to cool slightly then add egg and mix until incorporated.

Pour chocolate mixture into flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half and flatten to ¼-inch between two sheets of parchment paper. Place on a baking sheet and chill dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Cut out cookies using any two-inch cookie cutter (hearts if you're feeling cheesy).  Place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper or a silpat. Collect the scraps and re-roll to a ¼-inch. If the dough gets too sticky then put in the fridge for ten minutes.

Bake at 350 F for 8-9 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. If you went with larger cookie cutters you will need to adjust the timing. Remove completed cookies from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy the rich chocolatey goodness!