Chocolate Spiderweb Cookies

Chocolate and Halloween!  What a fun pair!

This month’s Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club’s theme is “Spooks”, perfectly appropriate for this time of year.  Although I’m a chocoholic, I’ve never, ever made chocolate cookies . . . always brownies or a cake.  So this was a first for me.  The cookie dough itself is like buttery fudge and truthfully could be devoured as such and not even baked into cookies!  Yum!

Now I must admit that I didn’t have the steadiest hand to make perfect icing spiderwebs . . . after all, I’m not a spider or a professional baker!  In the end after the big ‘photo shoot’, I just filled two chocolate cookies with the icing and enjoyed what I think could really rival an Oreo cookie!  Mr. M. and P. will be so happy when he gets home to nosh on these chocolate treats!

Chocolate Spiderweb Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg white
Cooking spray
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons low-fat milk

Preheat oven to 350º.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, stirring well with a whisk.
Place shortening in a large mixing bowl; beat with a heavy-duty mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until well blended.
Add vanilla and egg white; beat well.
Add flour mixture; beat until well blended.
Turn dough out onto wax paper; shape into a 6-inch log.
Wrap log in wax paper.
Freeze 2 hours until very firm.
Cut log into 1/4-inch slices, and place slices 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350º for 7 minutes.  These will harden as they cool, so do not over bake.
Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
Combine powdered sugar and milk in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk until smooth.
Spoon into a small zip-top plastic bag; seal.
Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag.
Working with 1 cookie at a time, pipe 2 to 3 circles onto each cookie.
Starting at center circle, pull a wooden pick through other circles at regular intervals to create a "web."

Note:  For the glaze, snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag. If it's too small, you can always make it bigger.


For more recipes from this month's Cooking Light group, head on over to Val's blog More Than Burnt Toast!

Our host this month is Jerry from Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants prepared Dracula's Revenge (Baked Penne with Sausage and Garlic)

Sandi of The Whistlestop Cafe started us off with Devilish Eggs.
Mary Ann of Meet Me in the Kitchen brought Sweet Potato and Black Bean Empanadas.
Val of More Than Burnt Toast contributed Roasted Squash Soup with Turkey Croquettes.
Jamie of Mom's Cooking Club made Devilishly Divine Peanut Butter Caramel Corn.

Lots of super-delicious autumn and Halloween fare to enjoy!

Boo!
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