Recipe: Chocolate-Tipped Butter Cookies

From Denny: Found this easy and kid-friendly recipe from the food archives of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It does contain hydrogenated vegetable shortening which tells me it's an old recipe. Though I haven't tested this recipe yet I'd prefer to use clarified butter which gives it loads of flavor and kills the cholesterol problem. As far as sweets go this recipe is also listed as low calorie at 107 calories per cookie! The sodium level is respectably low too.

Chocolate-Tipped Butter Cookies

Hands on time: 25 minutes
Total time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Serves: Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 (6-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels

1 tablespoon hydrogenated vegetable shortening


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With electric mixer, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla. Gradually add flour, mixing well with a wooden spoon or the hands. Dough will be dry. Shape dough into sticks about 2 1/2 inches long, 1/2 inch wide and 1/2 inch deep (thick). Place on ungreased cookie sheets about an inch apart. Flatten 3/4 of each cookie lengthwise with fork to 1/4 inch thickness, leaving the patterns of the fork tines in the dough.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until set but not brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Combine chocolate morsels and shortening in microwaveable dish; microwave on high (100 percent power) 45 to 60 seconds, or until melted. Or melt in top of double boiler or in a heavy-bottom pan.

Put melted chocolate in a small, deep glass. Dip the thick, plain end of each cooled cookie in chocolate mixture and let excess drip back into the glass. Place cookies on wax paper until chocolate is firm. Store in airtight containers between layers of wax paper for 3 days or freeze.

Notes: Total time includes cooling and firming time.

Nutrition:

Per cookie: 107 calories (percent of calories from fat, 59), 1 gram protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 7 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 14 milligrams cholesterol, 1 milligram sodium.