CHOCOLATE SNOWFLAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine sugar, 2/3 cup butter, corn syrup, egg and vanilla in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add all remaining cookie ingredients; beat at low speed until well mixed.
• Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.
• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Combine all frosting ingredients in bowl until smooth. Place frosting in plastic resealable food bag. (For best results, place only half of frosting in bag at a time.) Cut very small tip from one corner or fill pastry bag with #3 writing tip.
• Roll out dough, one half at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated) on lightly floured surface, to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 2 1/2-inch cookie cutters (for example, snowflake, circle, diamond, star, etc.). Place 1-inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Decorate cookies with frosting to create snowflake designs. Sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake 5-8 minutes or until set. If desired, sprinkle with sugar again while still warm. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to cooling rack.

Steps:

• Make the dough: Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Cream butter until smooth in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speed. Add the sugars and beat until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Reduce mixer speed to medium low, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, and mix until a soft dough forms. Add chocolate chips and mix to incorporate. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Bake the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper and set aside. Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl and set aside. Keeping dough well chilled, shape 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball. Roll the ball in the confectioners' sugar to coat generously -- do not shake off excess sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking pans. Bake until cookies have puffed and cracked and are slightly firm to the touch -- 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.