Holiday Chocolate Butter Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Beat the butter in a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners' sugar, granulated sugar and salt and continue to beat on medium speed until pale and creamy, 2 minutes. Add the cocoa powder, vanilla and egg; mix on low to incorporate. Add the flour, beating on low speed until just incorporated (a few streaks is fine). Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the chocolate chips.
• Turn out the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, form into a disk and wrap tightly. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Generously dust the dough and work surface with flour. Roll out the dough to a 1/3-inch thickness; if the dough cracks around the edges, simply press it back together. Use cookie cutters to cut out the desired shapes. Place the cookies, 1 inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake until just beginning to brown around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through.
• Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before removing the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375*.
• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except flour and cocoa.
• Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy (2-3 min.).
• Gradually add flour and cocoa until well mixed.
• (2-3 min).
• Shape rounded teaspoonfuls as desired.
• You can make them into 1 inch balls, 2-3 inch logs, balls flattened, balls with indentations etc.
• You can make them in a cookie press too.
• Place 1" apart on cookie sheets.
• Bake 7-9 minutes or until set.
• Cool.
• Decorate with melted chocolate chips, melted almond bark, nuts, colored sugars, candied fruit, candies, maraschino cherries, etc.