Pierre Herme Chocolate Cookies

MLC and I made these cookies for our weekend at Susan's. They are sort of tricky in that they are very dry and crumbly...you have to have faith and sort of wing it. They have a great cocoa taste with a hint of cardamon. Really good with coffee and not too sweet.

Pierre Herme Chocolate Cookies

2 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
Pinch of cinnamon (I used cardamom)
Pinch of salt
2 1⁄2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1⁄4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
sugar for coating

1. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, cardamom, and salt together and set aside.

2. Place the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed to soften it. Gradually add the sugar and the vanilla and continue to beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the mixture is smooth and creamy but not airy.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture, blending until the ingredients are just combined. Do not over mix. The light touch is what will give the cookies their characteristic crumbly texture. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a ball, wrap the balls in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.

4. Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that’s about
1½ inches thick and 7 ½ inches long. Roll the log gently under your palms to smooth it out. Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for 1 to 2 hours, or even overnight. At this point, the dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month).

5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. Position the racks of the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350F.

6. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk until it is smooth and liquid enough to use as a glaze. Spread some sugar on a piece of waxed paper.

7. Remove the logs of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap them, and brush them lightly with a small amount of the egg yolk. Roll the logs in the sugar, pressing gently to get to stick. Then using a sharp slender knife, slice each into cookies ½ inch thick. Arrange the cookies on the baking sheets, spacing them a little bit, and bake for 18 minutes, rotating the pans front to back and top to bottom at the midway mark, until the cookies are just firm to the touch. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

8. The cookies can be kept in an airtight tin at room temperature for 3 to 5 days.