Taschen Trees

Makes 44 cookies

These chewy rolled cookies instantly assault your mouth with the taste of dark chocolate and orange.  They are semisweet, with a firm chew that melts in your mouth. They evolved from an experience in my youth where I first tasted Hamantasch and fell in love with those delicacies.  This recipe is a variation of the dough used for Hamantasch where I added chocolate and orange peel and then drizzled melted semisweet chocolate over the top.

Ingredients

4 C All-Purpose Flour (plus more for dusting)

1½ tsp Baking Powder

¾ tsp Kosher Salt

2 sticks Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

1½ C Sugar

2 tsp Orange Zest (finely grated)

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

3 lg Eggs

8 oz Semisweet Chocolate

- 3 ounces very finely chopped

- 5 ounces melted

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in orange zest and vanilla, then add 2 eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down bowl as necessary.

Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until combined. Add finely chopped chocolate and beat until just combined. Form dough into three 1-inch-thick disks, wrap tightly in plastic, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in center.

On a floured work surface, roll out dough to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out the trees using a cookie cutter or any other shape that you want; place on parchment-lined baking sheets 1 inch apart. Gather scraps, chill, and repeat.

Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until golden on their edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

After the cookies have cooled completely, melt 5 oz. of semisweet chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.  Pour into a bowl and let it cool 10 minutes. Cut the tip off of a quart zipper bag leaving a VERY SMALL hole.  Put the chocolate into the bag and pipe the chocolate onto the cookies (see photo). Place the cookies back on the wire rack and let it cool until the chocolate is set. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to one month.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Taschen Trees.