Smoldering Heart Chocolate Cookies

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Smoldering Heart Chocolate Shortbread Cookies ~ these deep dark chocolate shortbread cookies have a spicy secret ingredient: cayenne pepper!

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• ½ cup confectioner's sugar
• ½ cup dark cocoa powder (I like Hershey's Extra Dark)
• ½ - 1 tsp cayenne pepper (use less or more to taste)
• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups dark chocolate, in bar form, or dark chocolate chips
• hot smoked paprika

Method

1. set oven to 350F
2. Cream the butter with the sugar and cocoa powder until smooth.
3. Beat in the cayenne pepper.
4. Mix in the flour until completely combined. Form the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for an hour.
5. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 to 1/3 inch and cut into heart shapes.
6. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes. The cookies may be soft when you pull them out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.
7. Cool the cookies before frosting them.
8. Melt the chocolate in a glass microwave safe bowl. If you are using bar chocolate, chop it in small pieces first. Start with one minute, then stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds and stir again, until all the chocolate is melted and smooth. If you need to, microwave in very short bursts until all the chocolate is melted.
9. Spread a layer of chocolate over the surface of each cookie, and sprinkle with smoked paprika while the chocolate is still warm.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island