Chocolate Snow Cookies

I don't generally like sifting as some of you know and rolling cookie dough is not my thing either. But what do I do? Pick a recipe that requires both. 

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Sugar Cookie Recipe

Yield is at least 36 cookies - more if you re roll dough more than twice. (Though not recommended)

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 12 oz. butter - softened
•  2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• confectioners sugar for sprinkling.

1. Over a bowl sift the flour, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.
2. In a stand mixer or in a bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy.
3. Add the sugar in 3 portions to the butter until well combined, about 2 minutes after each addition.
4. Next, add in the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until well blended.
5. Add the flour mixture in, in stages until blended either low speed on a mixer or by hand.
6. Gather the dough and place on plastic wrap forming three discs. Place the disks in the refrigerator for over night or two hours. (This dough really has to be squished together.)
7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, rest for 15 minutes and roll the dough between two sheets of waxed paper to 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. I used a round 2 inch cutter and cut circles out of the dough.
8. Place the cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. They don't spread so you can have them fairly close.
9. Bake in a pre heated 350° oven for 10-12 minutes. Check them at 10 minutes and go from there.
10. Let them rest for a few minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
11. Just before they are completely cooled, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

The cost of making these cookies was under $3.00 for the whole batch and my yield was 36 cookies and if I rerolled the last bit of dough, probably 40 cookies total. Now that's baking - Cooking On A Budget style.

P.S. - There's only 22 cookies left this morning. Guess someone liked them.