Braided cocoa cookies, simple two-color shortbread cookies, very delicious and crumbly… they are perfect for breakfast, with milk or coffee, but they are irresistible at any time of the day. The preparation is very easy, you mix the two doughs, the plain and the cocoa one, let them rest in the refrigerator, then you form the cookies by braiding the white and black strips. Try this recipe, the cookies are delicious and keep for several days!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 25-30 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 166.37 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 19.68 (g) of which sugars 7.54 (g)
- Proteins 2.52 (g)
- Fat 9.17 (g) of which saturated 5.70 (g)of which unsaturated 3.37 (g)
- Fibers 0.74 (g)
- Sodium 56.57 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 25 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg yolk
- 5 tbsp butter (softened)
- 7 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- vanilla essence (to taste)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 egg yolk
- 5 tbsp butter (softened)
- 4 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- Stand Mixer or mixing bowl
- Baking Tray
- Parchment Paper
Preparation
Start by preparing the light dough: mix in a stand mixer (or a bowl, or using a food processor) the softened butter with the powdered sugar until it forms a cream.
Add the egg yolk, a pinch of salt, and half a teaspoon of vanilla, if desired.
Mix, then finally add the sifted flour.
Blend until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator.
Now proceed in the same way for the dark dough: mix the butter and powdered sugar, add the egg yolk, salt, and finally the sifted flour together with the cocoa.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator as well.
Let both doughs rest for about 2 hours.
After that time, take the two doughs and form strips of even thickness and the same length. The strips should be the same number for each color.
Braid the white with the black ones, being careful not to crush them.
Cut the braided strips to the desired length (mine measured about 2 inches each).
Place the braided cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Prepare more trays if they don’t all fit.
Put them in a static oven at 356°F (338°F if using a fan oven) and bake for 12-13 minutes.
Times vary depending on your oven’s power and the thickness of the cookies. Keep an eye on them as they should not brown too much on the surface.
The braided cocoa cookies are ready, let them cool well before serving. They stay crumbly for several days if stored in a tin or glass cookie jar.
Tips and Notes
When forming the cookies, work with a little dough at a time to avoid the shortbread getting too warm.
Sift the flour and cocoa well to avoid lumps.
Use a little flour if you notice that the dough tends to stick (this can happen if the egg yolks used are large).
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