“My Other Half” Cookies – Guest Post

Black and White Shortbread Valentine’s Day Cookies Recipe

This is our guest poster, Christina Bodin! She was born and raised in Houston, Texas and graduated in the top 10% of Lamar High School with the International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2009. Recently she graduated from the University of Texas in Austin in December 2012 with a B.S. in Health Promotion and a minor in Business. She is an alumnus of Alpha Phi (we’re sisters!) and  is an active member of the UT Alumnus group, Texas Exes. She currently works at Polkadots Cupcake Factory in Austin and has been since September 2011. She currently bakes and ices cupcakes, makes birthday and wedding cakes, and of course cookies. She recently was accepted to a culinary school for this coming fall to gain an associates degree in the culinary arts.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ Cups (3 Sticks) Salted Butter (room temperature)
• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3 ½ Cups Flour
• Pinch Salt
• 12 oz melting dark chocolate
• 12 oz melting white chocolate

Instructions:

1)     Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

2)     In a mixing bowl, begin to cream the room temperature butter. Then add the sugar. Once the two ingredients are well combined, add the vanilla.

3)     In a separate bowl mix the flour and salt.

4)     Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar.

5)     Once combined, roll into two equal-sized balls with hands and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

6)     Take dough out of plastic wrap and roll out on lightly floured surface, until about ¼ inch thick.

7)     Cut out heart shaped cookies. Place cookies on parchment paper and bake for 20-23 minutes until edges begin to turn golden.

8)     Place cookies on wire rack with parchment paper underneath to cool.

9)     Meanwhile, melt dark chocolate on low heat on stove; be sure to stir constantly.

10) When chocolate has melted take one cookie at a time and dip half the heart in the warm dark chocolate. Continue until all cookies have been half dipped in chocolate.

11) Melt white chocolate on low heat on stove; be sure to stir constantly.

12) Place the melted white chocolate in a piping bag or a sandwich sized Zip Lock bag. Then cut a small size hole in one corner of bag.

13) Fill in the other side of the cookie (which has not been dipped in chocolate). with the melted white chocolate. *Any leftover chocolate can be used to make chocolate covered strawberries!

14) Let chocolate harden (a couple of hours). Place on serving dish and enjoy!

15) Store extra in airtight container.

Quantity: Approx. 2 Dozen Cookies

Tagged: Chocolate, cookie