Brownie Cut-Out Cookies

Yield: Approx. 2.5 dozen

Ingredients:
250 mL Soft Margarine or Butter
375 mL White Sugar
5 mL Vanilla
2 Eggs
750 mL Flour
2 mL Baking Powder
2 mL Salt
160 mL Cocoa

Directions:
Day 1:
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream margarine and sugar until
mixture is light and fluffy. Stop and scrape the sides down with
a rubber spatula as you go.
2. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and the vanilla. Continue
beating until the mixture is light and fluffy again.
3. Remove the beaters from the electric mixer and wipe down the
mixer.
4. Combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder and
cocoa) in a separate bowl.
5. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir in the dry ingredients into
the sugar mixture (wet ingredients) and mix well.
6. Combine the cookie dough into a ball and wrap dough tightly in
plastic wrap. Label your dough and chill (at least 4 hours).
7. Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for approximately 1
week or may be frozen and thawed as needed.

Day 2:
8. Preheat oven to 180 ˚C (350 ˚F).
9. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Work the dough with your
CLEAN hands to warm it up and soften it before trying to roll it
out.
10. Place a piece of dough on a piece of wax paper and put
another
piece of wax paper on top. Using a rolling pin; roll out the
dough to
 approximately 5 mm thick. (You could also use a lightly
floured work
surface instead of the wax paper.)
11. When the dough is a consistent thickness, use cookie cutters
cut out
Similar sized shapes and use a flipper to place cookies on a
parchment lined cookie sheet (can also be lightly greased
instead of
using parchment paper.) Remember to leave space between
the
cookies for them to expand.
12. Reform the dough into a ball and roll it out again to create
more
cookies.
13. You can sprinkle the tops with sprinkles for decoration or
leave them
plain. Bake 6 – 9 minutes (depending on the thickness or
the cut-
outs and the size of the shape). Cookies will not look shiny
and the
centre will not remain indented when touched.
14. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately
take the
cookies off the baking sheet and place them on a wire
cooling rack.
15. Repeat the process until all the dough is cooked or until you
enter
the last 10 minutes of class. Extra dough may be
refrigerated and
then take home to bake or freeze.
16. Allow cookies to cool and then decorate with butter icing.