Chocolate Wafer Cookies

Chocolate is my weakness, and so is a crispy cookie. Or three. Or ten, for that matter.

These crispy, chocolate-y rounds take a little time to make because the dough needs to chill, but they are not difficult to make and the result is a pile (7 dozen!) of crunchy bites that go equally well with a glass of cold milk, a cup of hot coffee or tea, or a mug of cocoa. Eat them as they are, dunk them, make them into sandwich cookies, or craft a S'more with your favorite homemade marshmallow and some fabulous chocolate. I have included my buttercream frosting recipe at the end of this blog post and added some flavoring ideas in case you want to get crazy with sandwich cookie fillings.

I played a little bit with the flavors of this cookie. Dark cane syrup is not unlike molasses in color, but the flavor is a bit lighter. The cane syrup adds a deep background flavor to the cocoa. You can also use a golden cane syrup such as Lyle's - the same syrup that I use in these amazing marshmallows - and you will get a more intense chocolate flavor without the deep notes that the dark syrup adds. Vanilla and espresso powder also enhance the chocolate flavor; exactly why I LOVE these cookies!

Chocolate Wafer Cookies
This batch will yield about 7 dozen 2 1/2-inch round cookies. This may seem like a lot, but they disappear quickly!
Don't want to make so many right now? Freeze leftover unbaked dough for up to a month = thaw in the refrigerator to keep chilled, then bake when you are ready for more.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) slightly softened
1/2 cup cane syrup (dark or golden)
1 large egg
1 t. whiskey vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t. espresso powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt

Let's make 'em!

1. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, espresso powder, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and the butter until smooth.
3. Add the cane syrup, egg, and vanilla separately, mixing thoroughly after each is added.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture and stir until completely incorporated. The dough will be a little dry and crumbly.
5. When the ingredients are well mixed, use your hands to form the dough into a ball or log, wrap in parchment or waxed paper and chill for at least one hour.

The dough is chilled, so let's get those cookies baked!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Cut the log or round of dough into thirds and work with one third at at time, keeping the rest chilled.
2. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll to 1/8-inch thickness.
3. Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter and prick the centers with a fork to keep them from rising during baking.
4. Place the cookies about 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 6 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the cookies appear baked but the edges are not browned.
5. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.
6. When completely cooled, place in an airtight container.
Yield: 7 dozen 1/8-inch thick cookie wafers

Serving ideas:
1. Create sandwich cookies by frosting with a flavored buttercream frosting (recipe below) and topping with a second cookie.
2. Toast your favorite marshmallow and sandwich between two of these crispy chocolate wafers along with your favorite chocolate bar for an unbeatable homemade S'more treat.

Buttercream Frosting
This frosting is so versatile! Use it on cakes and cookies as well as on pastries such as cinnamon rolls. Play with flavor additions for unique frostings.

Ingredients:

2 ½ c. powdered sugar

2 T. Whiskey or whiskey vanilla …. Or just plain old vanilla….

1 T. milk or cream or half & half

2 T. softened butter

If you'd like a flavored frosting, before adding the butter add one of the following for a uniquely flavored frosting - perfect for cookie fillings and pastry toppings as well as on your favorite cake:

Chocolate Frosting: 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder in place of 1/4 cup of the sugar

Cinnamon Frosting: 1 t. ground cinnamon

Lavender Frosting: 1-2 drops (only one or two!) culinary lavender essential oil

Orange Blossom Frosting: 1/4 t. orange blossom water (omit the vanilla) The orange blossom water is quite concentrated, so don't be tempted to put a lot of it into the frosting or you'll be eating a mouthful of flowers. You can temper some of the sweet floral flavor by grating about 1 tsp. fresh orange rind into the frosting (or a little more to taste). The sweet blossom flavor and brighter orange rind flavor combine very well with the chocolate cookie.

Here's how to make the frosting:

Put all the ingredients except the softened butter into a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir until the sugar and the liquids create a very thick ball. If the ingredients seem too dry to create the ball, add more whiskey vanilla or milk to the bowl ½ t. at a time, stirring the thick mixture until it creates a stiff ball. Add the butter and work it into the stiffened ball of sugar, then stir it quickly to create a smooth buttercream frosting.