Chocolate Icebox Cookies
This is a nice delicate cookie. The dough is sticky, so it is shaped into a cylinder and refrigerated prior to baking, hence the name.From Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts, Maida Heatter, Alfred A. Knopf, 1984, p 182.
Servings: 48 cookies
Ingredients
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1/2 pound sweet butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups sifted unbleached flour
Garnish Options
- 1 tablespoon crystal sugar
- 3 tablespoons blanched almonds coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Place chocolate in top of double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Cover and let stand only until melted. Remove from heat, uncover, and cool slightly.
- In large bowl of stand mixer, cream butter. Add vanilla and sugar; mix to combine. Beat in egg, then melted chocolate. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, scraping bowl as needed. Beat only until smooth.
- Cut off a 15 inch long sheet of wax paper. Spoon dough down length of paper to form a 12-inch long heavy strip of dough. Bring up sides of paper. With hands pressed against paper, form dough into roll, 2 inches in diameter by 12 inches long. Slide onto a cookie sheet and transfer to refrigerator until dough is firm. Dough may be stored in refrigerator for 1 - 2 weeks or in freezer. (Dough must be refrigerator temperature to slice; frozen dough will crack.)
- Arrange oven racks to divide oven into thirds and preheat to 375°F.
- Place dough on cutting board. Unwrap top of paper and use a sharp knife to cut 1/4-inch slices. Wipe off blade if dough sticks to it. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar or chopped almonds. Bake 10 - 12 minutes, rotating sheets top to bottom to bake evenly. Cookies are done when just firm to touch. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.