Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are delicious! I did make some changes though. I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup, threw in a handful of ground flax, and added the zest of half an orange to the dough. I made these into sandwich cookies, and for the filling I whipped together margarine, confectioners sugar and the zest from the other half of the orange. Quite possibly the best cookies I have ever made and I bake a lot!

The dough is really dry and crumbly,due to the fat reduction, making it extremely difficult to cut shapes. This even after increasing the fat by 1/2 a cup. I will not make this recipe again. Actually if you add the extra fat and don't mind a bit of a hassle cutting these out they are super yummy, oh and sub all AP flour for the wheat!

Made these as written and they came out totally charming and great chocolate taste! They were crumbly to work with as other reviewer stated. But as the scraps were re-rolled, it held together better and better. Maybe next time will knead a few times before cutting out. Was going to serve to adults, so wanted them to look professional - I went around all the edges with a knife to smooth out the little crumbs. I live in a warm climate, so kept the dough and raw cut-outs in the freezer as I was working. After a little practice with the frosting, they came out looking just like the photo. Made some draculas and phantom of the operas - cute! A very fun and creative project.

I plan on making these again this year. They were a hit and turned out perfectly. This is a "sturdy" cookie as well. I wrapped them carefully and mailed to grandkids across the country. They arrived in perfect condition!