Laura Went To Pittsburgh, And All She Left Us Was… Deep Chocolate Sables

But Deep Chocolate Sables are not so bad, no?

This is the 3rd of the trio of cookies I am taking to our various relatives this weekend. This cookie is seriously chocolatey without being super rich. They invite comparison to World Peace Cookies, but honestly they would lose that match. But they are still a good cookie–more intensely chocolate but less sweet and none of that salty chocolate vibe (which I like–maybe next time I would add some coarse sea salt to these?). I used Valrhona cocoa powder because Boyle called for Dutched cocoa, but I would like to try them with my personal favorite, Scharffenberger, next time.

Hope you are all having a good weekend and I will have more for you during the week…

Deep Chocolate Sables
Adapted from The Good Cookie, Trish Boyle

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa, sifted
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
1 3/4 cups (220 g) AP flour
3 oz finely chopped dark chocolate (I used a combo of semi and bitter sweet)
1/4 cup coarse or sanding sugar

Cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until well blended and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the cocoa powder and mix on medium low speed until combined–it will be pretty stiff. Add the eggs, beating well after each one. Add the vanilla and salt. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour 1/3 at a time. Add the chocolate and mix for a few moments to combine.

Scrape the dough onto a clean surface lightly dusted with flour or powdered sugar (I used a combo). Divide the dough in half and shape each into an 8 inch long log. Roll the log in the coarse sugar, coating it well. Use fun colors for this if you have kids helping you. 🙂 Wrap each log in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 1/2 hours (or up to 3 days).

20 minutes before removing the dough, place a rack on the middle shelf and preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove 1 log and slice it into 1/4 inch rounds–you should get about 24. Place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart, and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are soft but no longer shiny. They will set on the sheet as they cool. Bake 1 tray (and therefore 1 log) at a time.