Cooking Instructions
1.
Whisk
All-Purpose Flour (1 1/2 cups)
,
Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder (3/4 cup)
,
Baking Powder (3/4 tsp)
, and
Salt (1 tsp)
in a medium bowl to combine. Set aside.
2.
Beat
Granulated Sugar (1 cup)
and
Unsalted Butter (3/4 cup)
in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
3.
Add
Large Egg (1)
and
Pure Vanilla Extract (1 tsp)
and beat to incorporate about 1 minute.
4.
Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients. Beat just until the dough comes together.
5.
Divide the cookie dough in half and pat each into a disk; wrap tightly in plastic. Chill just long enough so that the dough is rollable and no longer sticky, about 30 minutes.
6.
Working with one disk at a time, roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper until 1/8-inch thick. Slide onto baking sheets, still sandwiched between parchment, and chill until very firm, about 1 hour.
7.
Place rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
8.
Carefully peel away top sheets of parchment from the dough and punch out cookies with larger cutters. Punch out centers of half of the cookies with smaller cutters.
9.
Carefully transfer whole cookies with a spatula to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing 1-inch apart.
10.
Sprinkle remaining cut-out cookies with
Sparkling Sugar (to taste)
then transfer to another parchment-lined baking sheet.
11.
Bake cookies until edges are set, 7–10 minutes. The cut-out cookies will require slightly less time in the oven, 6-9 minutes.
12.
Let cool on baking sheets. Repeat process with scraps (if necessary, chill the dough again before punching out shapes).
13.
Melt
White Chocolate Chips (1/2 cup)
and
Tahini (2 Tbsp)
in a bowl in a microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring after each, until chocolate is melted (or melted in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water; do not let bowl touch water). Stir to combine.
14.
Spread filling over whole cookies not quite to the edge, top with matching cut-out cookies. Enjoy!
