Spiked Coffee Cookies

Are there two ingredients that bring out the best in each other better than coffee and chocolate?  OK.  There might be, but are there any more enjoyable?  They're like Batman and Robin, Ginger and Fred, Sanford and Son, Demi and Ashton.....maybe not the last one, but you get my drift.

These are intensely chocolatey, cakey cookies with just a whisper of coffee.  It's subtle, but it's there.  Perfectly.  As for the glaze, I may or may not have doubled the amount of Kahlua because that's the way I roll.

I think I'll make these this summer and forego the glaze and sandwich two cookies together with some coffee ice cream in the middle.  What the heck....why wait until summer!

Spiked Coffee Cookies

King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua)

1 large egg

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

glaze:

1 cup chocolate chips

6 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon coffee liqueur

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F.  Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

To make the dough:  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar,  Add the liqueur, egg, baking soda, salt and espresso powder, beating until smooth.  Beat in the cocoa and flour.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets.  Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until they appear set and you can begin to smell the chocolate,   Remove them from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.

To make the glaze:  In a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl, or in a saucepan set over very low heat, heat the chocolate chips and cream, stirring until the chocolate melts.  Continue stirring until you made a smooth glaze then stir in the liqueur.  Spread the tops of the cooled cookies with the glaze.