Name: Latte Art Cookies
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT1H15M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT3H0M0.000S
Yield: about 18 cookies
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (see Cook’s Note); 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder; 2 tablespoons dry milk powder; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar; 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt; 1 large egg, at room temperature; 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract; 2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar; 3 tablespoons meringue powder; 3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder

Directions

Special equipment:

a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter; a disposable piping bag; toothpicks

Whisk together the flour, espresso powder, milk powder and baking powder in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.
Combine the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of the salt in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until evenly combined (not light and fluffy), about 1 minute, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the egg and vanilla on medium speed until smooth. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing just until a dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic and press into an even flat disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes (see Cook’s Note).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch thick. Use a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to stamp out as many cookies as possible. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets leaving 1 inch between each. Gather the dough scraps and firmly press them together. Reroll the dough, cut out as many more cookies as possible and transfer them to the baking sheets.
Bake the cookies, rotating the pans halfway through, until the edges are light golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 20 minutes.
Once the cookies are cool, make royal icing by whisking the confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder and remaining 1/4 teaspoon fine salt together in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Whisk 1/4 cup hot water into the mixture until smooth. The mixture should be the consistency of thin pancake batter, and when the whisk is lifted a ribbon of the icing should be visible for 2 seconds on the surface of the bowl; add more hot water a tablespoon at a time if needed. Transfer 1/2 cup of this white royal icing to a disposable piping bag and tightly close the bag with a food clip or rubber band.
Whisk the cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon hot water into the remaining icing in the bowl, adding more hot water a teaspoon at a time until smooth and the consistency of thin pancake batter; when the whisk is lifted a ribbon of the icing should be visible for 2 seconds. Avoid whisking too vigorously to prevent bubbles in the icing.
With scissors, cut a very small hole (about 1/4 inch) from the tip of the piping bag with the white icing. Outline the edge of the cookies with white icing to create the edges of coffee cups. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons chocolate icing evenly over the cookies without covering the white edge. Pop any bubbles with the tip of a toothpick and gently shake side to side to even out the chocolate icing.
Proceed with your choice of design using the white royal icing and a toothpick:
For a heart wreath design, dot 8 small circles about 1/2 inch in diameter near the edge of each cookie. Run the tip of a toothpick through the middle of each white dot, tracing a circle around the cookie and turning each dot into a small heart.
For a leaf design, pipe 1 small dot about 1/4 inch in diameter close to the edge of a cookie, leaving 1/4 inch of coffee as a border. Pipe 1 small V shape about 1-inch wide directly underneath the dot about 1/4 inch away from the dot. Continue piping wider Vs underneath each, keeping the points of the Vs in a straight line, until you have about 4 Vs lined up. Run the tip of a toothpick starting just above the small dot and through the middle of the Vs to create a leaf pattern.
Transfer the finished cookies back to the cooling rack. Repeat the same process with the remaining cookies, gently stirring the chocolate icing after each cookie. Let the decorated cookies sit at room temperature until the icing is completely set and hard, about 1 hour. The cookies can be stored up to a week in an airtight container.

Cook’s Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.) You can make the dough 3 days ahead of time, but if you refrigerate it for longer than 30 minutes it will need to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before you roll it to prevent it from cracking.