Chocolate Pinks

Posted by cuteascountry_Shortcake at The Cutting Board Monday Jan 23rd, 2006 11:14 am

Source: By the Food Editors of Farm Journal Let's Start To Cook (1966)

Flatter everyone by writing his or her name on the dark chocolate cookies with pretty Pink Icing.

2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup soft shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 cups sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pink Icing (recipe follows)

Melt the chocolate in the top of the double boiler over hot, not boiling water or in a saucepan over low heat. Cool until lukewarm.

Beat together the shortening, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate and corn syrup.

Sift the flour onto a square of wax paper or into a bowl and then measure. Sift the measured flour with the salt, baking soda and cinnamon into the chocolate mixture. Beat to mix well.

Divide the dough into three parts and chill it in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, start heating the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1/3 of the dough on a lightly floured pastry cloth. Keep the rest of the dough in the refrigerator until you are ready to roll it.

Roll the dough from the center to the edge 1/8 inch thick and cut it with a lightly floured cookie cutter. To avoid stretching the cookie cutouts, use a wide spatula to place them 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake on the rack in the center of the oven 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and take the cookies from the baking sheet with a wide spatula. Spread them on a wire rack to cool.

Roll, cut and bake the remaining two parts of the dough and the scraps, gathered together, in the same way.

When the cookies are cool, spread their tops with a creamy powdered-sugar icing, tinted pink.

Makes about 30 to 36 (3-inch) cookies.

Pink Icing
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons cream or water
Red food color

Sift the powdered sugar onto a square of wax paper or into a bowl and then measure. Put the measured powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Add the cream or water and mix well with a spoon or with the electric mixer on low speed to make an icing that you can spread.

Tint the frosting pink with a few drops of red food color. Spread it on the cookies with a spatula. Or make Pink Icing a little thicker, this way - use only about 3/4 tablespoon of cold water or 1 tablespoon cream. Write names on the cookies with a wooden pick dipped in the icing. Nice for a party.

Smart Look for Cookies: Cut the rolled dough with cutters of different sizes and shapes. Or make your own patterns. Draw bells, hearts, horses or anything you like on heavy cardboard. Cut out the drawing and grease one side of it. Place it greased side down on the rolled dough, and cut around it with the tip of a small, sharp knife.