Chocolate Sugar Cookies

For your inner chocolate

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Yields: 3 1/2 dozen, about

Ingredients

• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 cup cocoa powder, sifted (preferably natural)
• 4  ounces  semisweet chocolate, grated
• 6  tablespoons unsalted butter, cool and cut into small pieces
• 5  tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1  large egg, room temperature
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons milk
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 cup  sanding sugar or 1⁄2 cup  coarse sugar, preferably clear, spread on a plate

Directions

1. Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven; preheat oven to 375°.
2. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, and grated chocolate in a bowl until uniform; set aside.
3. Add butter and shortening in a big bowl; use an electric mixer on medium speed to soften them into a fairly soft mass.
4. Add in sugar; beat until fluffy but still a little grainy, about 1 more minute.
5. Beat in egg until smooth; then beat in milk and vanilla.
6. Stop the beaters; add in the flour mixture, then beat at low speed just until a dry, rough dough forms.
7. Dust a clean, dry work surface with the smallest sprinkling of flour, then turn the dough out onto it and knead it a few times, just until it coheres into a fairly smooth ball.
8. Break of walnut-size pieces, roll them into balls between you palms; place them 2-inches apart on 2 nonstick baking sheets.
9. Press the bottom of a medium drinking glass into the remaining unused dough, and then press the glass’s bottom into the sanding sugar.
10. Use the bottom of the glass to flatten the cookies gently; pressing down to let the crystals adhere, until the cookies are about ½ inch thick.
11. Repeat until all the balls are flattened and coated with sugar.
12. Bake for 5 minutes, then reverse the sheets top to bottom and front to back.
13. Continue baking for ABOUT 5 more minutes or until the cookies are dry at the edges and somewhat firm to touch.
14. Cool on the sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wore racks to cool completely.
15. **White Chocolate Almond Sugar Cookies: substitute grated white chocolate for the semisweet chocolate; substitute almond extract for the vanilla extract.