Saveur

Photo: Kenny Braun

1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup quality dutch-process
   unsweetened cocoa
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2–3/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
12 tbsp. cold unsalted butter,
   cut into small pieces

1. Whisk flour, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. Put sugar, vanilla, and egg into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Add butter and continue to beat on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes more. Using your fingers, work flour mixture into butter mixture until dough is just combined.

3. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a 9" log. Wrap each log in parchment paper, twisting ends tightly to make a uniform cylinder. Freeze dough logs for at least 8 hours and as long as overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap dough and slice each log into rounds about 1/3" thick. Place rounds 1/2" apart on parchment paper–lined cookie sheets. Bake cookies until slightly puffed and tiny cracks appear on surface, about 8 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to let cool.

MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #81