Chocolate chip studded and cognac swirled sugar cookies topped in a white chocolate buttercream.  I made these cookies for Valentines Day this year, but because I have become the ultimate blog slacker lately, they are just now making it onto the web.  I’m not even sure that I can blame the latest tiff with my computer on the lateness of this post.  Yes, I had written and put most of the post together before Valentines Day, and it was my cryptic computer’s refusal to download my photos that kept me from uploading it in the days prior to Valentines, but I am also, principally, guilty for letting it slide.  In the interim I’ve been given a couple of great suggestions on how to sell my now dated post.  How about some Valentine Hang-over cookies? A nice play on words and timing. Or maybe they’re Valentine Detox cookies due to the light-handed use of chocolate? A bridge between the traditional Valentine’s chocolate glut to the post V-Day chocolate withdrawal (kudos Nanny and Ian).

I should probably address the fact that yet another sugar cookie recipe has made it onto my blog, but I’d also like to highlight the amazingness of White Chocolate Buttercream.  It’s been a new one for me recently.  It’s so smooth, light, and shiny.  It almost looks like a meringue, and is much softer then a regular buttercream.  The flavor is also pleasently mellow compared to the sickeningly, tooth achingly, sweetness of a lot of other frostings.  I just couldn’t wait to share it.

Taking a trip down Blog Memory Lane, this is my third heart-shaped Valentine cookie post, and it is by far my favorite.  Last year I made raspberry hearts, and the year before that I featured red velvet hearts.

Chocolate Chip Studded Sugar Cookies

Recipe makes about 18 2″ cookies.

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) salted Butter (room temp)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Almond Extract
• 2 tbsp Cognac
• 2 1/2 cups Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. Cream together the sugar and butter.
2. Beat in the egg, cognac, and almond extract.
3. Gradually shift in and mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Place the cookie dough in refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out until it is about 1/4″ thick.  You want to keep your dough thick enough that you can lightly press chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies without breaking through to the other side.
7. Cut out the hearts, and place them on parchment lined cookie sheets.
8. Carefully, press the chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies pointy side down so that the bottom of the chips are flush with the top of the cookie dough.  Also make sure that there is ample dough around each chocolate chip so that the chocolate can’t melt together or down the sides of the cookie.  Each chip should have its own little dough well.
9. Bake them for about 10-12 minutes, or until they are no longer appear shiny.
10. Let the cookies cool completely before you frost them.

White Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients:

• 10 oz White Chocolate (for this one you really need to spring for a high quality white chocolate that’s made for melting, none of the fake hydrogenated oil stuff that’s been steeped in artificial cocoa butter flavoring)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) Butter (room temp)
• 4 – 5 cups Powdered Sugar
• pinch of Salt

Directions:

1. In a double boiler melt the white chocolate along with 2 tbsp of the required butter.
2. Once the chocolate has been melted smooth, set it briefly aside to cool slightly.  We wanted it to remain liquid, but we also don’t want it to be warm enough to fully melt our butter.
3. In a different bowl, cream the remaining butter until it’s light and fluffy.
4. Beat 2 cups of the powdered sugar into the butter until smooth.
5. Beat in a pinch of salt.
6. Beat in the melted white chocolate.
7. Gradually, beat in the remaining powdered sugar until the frosting is shiny and smooth.