Irish Chocolate Cookies with Baileys Royal Icing

Bailey's Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate and Baileys Irish Cream are a natural combo for St. Patrick's Day food goodness. Wrap it all up into a cookie and you have a little bit of Irish perfection. I can usually make cookies, set them aside and only have one or two, saving most of them for friends and family. That is not the case with these babies. I ate another, then another... whoops, one more just to quality check... eeks, one more. Before I knew it- POOF! Seven cookies gone. Must be my Irish roots craving that luscious Baileys Irish Cream. They're that darn tasty.

Yield: About 50 Cookies

INGREDIENTS

FOR COOKIES

• 2 Sticks Salted Butter, Room Temperature

• 1 Cup Powdered Sugar

• 1/2 Cup Granulated White Sugar

• 1 Egg, Room Temperature

• 50 mL Baileys Irish Cream (one mini bottle)

• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, plus extra for rolling dough

• 1 Tsp Baking Powder

• 2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

FOR ICING

• 25 mL Baileys Irish Cream (1/2 mini bottle)

• 1 Egg White

• 2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted

• 1/2 Tsp Green Food Coloring

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream Butter. Add Powdered Sugar and beat until smooth. Add Granulated Sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add Egg, Baileys and Vanilla and beat to combine.

2. Add Cocoa Powder and Baking Powder and continue mixing until combined. Add Flour 1/2 cup at a time. Mix until incorporated. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with a rubber spatula during process to ensure all ingredients are combined. Kick mixer up to high speed for a few seconds to finally incorporate all ingredients.

3. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a dough ball and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for one hour.

4. Remove dough from fridge and preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a rubber baking mat or other flat surface, roll out chilled dough onto surface dusted with cocoa powder (cocoa powder won't change the gluten content of your cookie and adds an additional depth of chocolate to the flavor). Dust hands with cocoa and sprinkle on top dough to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. Use shamrock shaped cookie cutter (or other shape) to cut cookies from dough. Cut as many cookies as possible out of each rolling of dough. Then reform into a ball, re-roll (dusting as needed with cocoa) and cut more cookies until dough is almost gone.

5. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and lay cookies on the sheet. Chill cut cookies on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes (this helps them retain their shape during cooking).

6. Remove cookie sheet from fridge and cook each set of cookies for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. While cookies are cooking and cooling begin making icing. In a large mixing bowl whip together Baileys and Egg White. Once well blended, add Powdered Sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating continuously. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add Food Coloring for green icing and mix to combine.

8. Once cookies are cooled smooth on Baileys Royal Icing with a smooth edged knife. Allow cookies to sit so icing can firm-up.

9. Serve cookies at room temperature. These cookies store at room temperature for days, and can also be made in advance and frozen if needed. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cookie Dough