Planning a tea party bridal shower? Guests will love these adorable favors!
Photo courtesy of Elegant Affairs
Ingredients:
¾ pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3.5 ounces dark chocolate broken into small pieces
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together.
4. Empty mixture from bowl onto a surface dusted with flour, and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
5. Roll the dough ¼-inch thick, then use a tea bag-shaped cookie cutter to cut out your cookie shapes (cookie cutter can be found online for a very low price). Make a small hole at the top of each cookie using a skewer. Place cookies on an ungreased baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
7. Put 2.5 ounces of chopped chocolate in a glass bowl, and microwave on high power for 20 seconds. Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 20-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chopped chocolate and stir until the residual heat in the bowl melts the chocolate completely. Allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it’s completely smooth. (The more you stir, the glossier the chocolate will get.)
8. Dip each cookie half-way through in the chocolate, and set it on parchment paper to dry. It will only take a couple of minutes for the chocolate to set. After it’s dried, string a thread through the hole.
Photo courtesy of Elegant Affairs