Chocolate Cut-out Cookies

These easy-to-make chocolate cut-outs can be used to create so many wonderful Christmas treats.  Here, I used Christmas Linzer Cookie Cutters to make fun Christmas sandwich cookies.  These rich, cocoa-flavored cookies just might be your family’s new favorite cookie!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 c. margarine
• 1/2 c. brown sugar (packed)
• 1/4 c. cocoa powder
• 1 T. milk
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 2/3 to 1 c. flour

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Beat together all ingredients but soda and flour, mixing until smooth and creamy.
• Add soda and flour.  Add flour until dough can be handled and rolled into a ball.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough and cut. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 5 to 6 minutes.
• Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet completely.
• Gently remove  and decorate. I used Wiltons Candy Melts between my sandwich layers, but you could use frosting as well

My thoughts:  These have such a wonderful cocoa flavor and they are very easy to make.  They roll out nicely and bake without rising too much.  If you are using a Linzer cutter, make sure you don’t roll your dough too thin- the top cookies (the ones with the shapes cut out) may break once they are baked.  Thicker worked better for me.

Also– this is a small batch of cookies.  If you are making sandwich cookies like mine you will only get about 20 cookies.  You can easily double the recipe for more though.  I hope you and your family love these– enjoy!