Cocoa Cookie Slices

The perfect cross between cookie and brownie, these cookie slices from Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break are as delicious as they are beautiful! The final result looks impressive, but I cannot stress enough how simple these are to put together. They are crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside, making them pretty close to perfection. Serve these with coffee or bring them to your next party - you'll be a hero.

Ingredients:
Dough:
1 cup unsalted butter at room temp
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder

Topping:
1 egg, beaten (unless topping with icing - see Tips & Variations)
Pearl sugar (or sprinkles)


Tools:
2 mixing bowls
2 baking sheets
Hand mixer
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Sharp knife
Fork (for optional design)


Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk two eggs and then add to creamed butter and sugar along with vanilla. Mix until blended. 
   
   
   
   
   
3. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder.
4. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix until dough forms. 
   
   
   
   
   
5. Cover and let sit in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Divide dough into 4 equal parts and roll each into a 12-inch log. Place each log on the baking sheet leaving 2 inches between each. Press the logs to flatten out to 2 inches wide and about 1/2 inch thick.
8. Brush each log with a beaten egg (unless topping with icing - see Tips & Variations) and sprinkle with sugar. 
   
   
   
   
   
9. Bake for 15 minutes.
10. While still warm, cut each log diagonally into ~12 slices, then let cool completely.

Tips and Variations:

• Instead of pearl sugar (or sprinkles, in my case...), top with raw sugar before baking.
• In place of sprinkles or sugar, drizzle icing over the top by combining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3-4 Tbsp of milk or water, and 2 tsp vanilla extract.
• Make the dough ahead of time and freeze for an emergency batch!