Choosing A Better Food Supplier

The deep, rich flavor of cocoa makes for a lovely cookie. Prepared with buttermilk and real Dutch cocoa, these cake-like cookies are topped in a smooth, dark chocolate frosting. They're the perfect dessert for a weeknight  and a good choice for bake sales, too!

Ingredients (for the cookies):

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 medium egg
• 1/3 cup good quality Dutch cocoa
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients (for the frosting):

• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/4 cup good quality Dutch cocoa
• a pinch of salt

Directions (making the cookies):

Lightly grease three cookie sheets, and set them aside. Turn the oven to 375 degrees F to preheat.

In a mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup white sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat until combined. In a second bowl, stir together the cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt. Add half this mixture to the egg mixture, and beat to combine. Then, mix in the buttermilk. Add the second half of the flour mixture, and beat until you have a uniform dough. The dough will seem soft for a cookie dough -- this is normal.

Drop the cookie dough by heaping teaspoons onto the cookie sheets. Make sure you leave plenty of space between cookies, as they will expand during baking.

Bake the cookies for 8 - 10 minutes or until the centers appear firm. Let cool for 10 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack to resume cooling.

Directions (preparing the frosting and frosting the cookies):

While the cookies are cooling, combine the butter, milk, cocoa, salt and half of the powdered sugar in a bowl. Beat until combined, and then gradually add the remaining sugar while beating on low. When all of the sugar has been added, beat the mixture on medium speed for 3 minutes. The frosting should become light and fluffy.

When the cookies are completely cool, use a knife to spread each one with frosting. If you desire, you can top each cookie with a few sprinkles or some colored sugar for decoration.

Store the cookies in a covered container at room temperature. They're best when eaten within 2 to 3 days of baking, though they'll still be edible for about 2 weeks. Contact a business, such as the Trans Mar Group, for more information.