Chocolate Shortbread Cookies with Icing

Ingredients:

Cookie

• 115 g of butter at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup premium flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Royal icing

• 3 tbsp. dry egg white
• 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons of warm water
• Food coloring

Preparation:

1. For shortcrust pastry, beat butter with granulated sugar and powdered sugar until white, about 3 minutes.
   
   In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter and mix until smooth. Form the dough into a ball, flatten it, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for an hour (the dough should firm up).
2. Preheat oven to 160°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
3. Unroll the dough and knead it slightly to make it softer and easier to roll out. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a thickness of 3-5 mm. Cut out cookies using pastry cutters (preferably 5-6 cm corrugated ones) and place them on a baking sheet. Knead and roll out the remaining dough, then shape the cookies.
4. Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes, until they come out easily when pried out with a spatula. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet before serving.
5. For royal icing: Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until combined, about 5 minutes.
   
   To make the icing thinner and allow it to spread smoothly over the cookies, thin it slightly with water. You can adjust the thickness of the icing by adding water or powdered sugar as needed. Add a little food coloring, if desired.
6. Spoon the icing into a pastry bag with a narrow tip or a parchment-lined cone. Draw an outline on the surface of the cookie and then fill it with icing. Alternatively, draw dots of different colors and use a toothpick to mix them together. Let the icing set for 2-3 hours. In an airtight container, cookies will keep well for up to 5 days.. You can make some cookies from this one sandwiches.