Piped Chocolate Butter Cookies

You need just 9 basic ingredients and a large piping tip to make these melt-in-your-mouth chocolate butter cookies. There’s no leavening, so the texture is similar to shortbread cookies. Review recipe Notes before beginning, and I strongly recommend chilling the piped cookies for at least 20–30 minutes before baking.

Ingredients

1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1/3 cup (27g) natural or dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk, warm
1 teaspoon espresso powder*

Optional Toppings

4 ounces (113g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped*
maraschino cherries
sprinkles or coarse sugar

Instructions

Read through the recipe and recipe Notes before beginning. Make room in your refrigerator for a baking sheet so the shaped cookies can chill for 20–30 minutes. Without chilling, the piped cookies will overspread. If you chill the dough prior to shaping, the dough will be too cold/stiff to pipe.
Line 2–3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, or leave unlined. If unlined, do not grease the pan.
In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until very soft and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add granulated sugar to the butter, and beat together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamed, another 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
On low speed, beat in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Turn up to high speed and beat until completely combined.
Warm the milk to about 150°F (66°C)—about 20 seconds in the microwave—then mix in the espresso powder until it dissolves. Add the warm espresso-milk mixture to