kinako dark chocolate sugar cookies.

Saw this cookie idea on Instagram some time back and thought it was too cute not to replicate.

The original creator didn't reveal her method nor ingredients used to create the faces so I decided to just wing it based on my intuition and I guess the results aren't half bad at all!

For the cookie dough I turned to Sweetapolita's tried-and-tested sugar cookie recipe. She has both plain and chocolate versions; I used the latter since the cookies in the picture I saw are chocolate ones and also because I've already tried the plain sugar cookie recipe. I mixed some kinako (Japanese soybean powder) into the dough to make things a little bit more exciting and I'm loving the flavour. These taste like chocolate peanut butter cookies with a less assertive nuttiness.

P.S. The dough tastes awesome raw.

Kinako Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies
makes around 13 1-1/2 inch cookies
original recipe from Sweetapolita

1 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp dark cocoa powder
40g kinako
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, cold
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

white, milk and peanut butter chips for making the faces (optional)

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, kinako and salt together. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until just combined. Stir in the flour mixture. Blend in the vanilla extract.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, flatten and chill for about 45 minutes.

Roll dough out to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Return to refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325F.

Cut out 1 1/2 inch circles with a cookie cutter and place on a baking tray lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat. (If you're making the faces, stud two white chocolate chips into each cookie to form the eyes and a peanut butter chip for the nose, and use an appropriate-sized piping tip to stamp a semi-circle that will be the mouth.) Freeze cookies for 15 minutes.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are browned.

(While the cookies are still warm, insert a milk chocolate chip on top of each white chocolate chip. Take the piping tip again and press it into the carved lines to make them more defined. If you plan to stack these cookies up I suggest you chill them until the chocolate chips are firm before doing so or else the chips might be smudged.)