Chocolate Cookie Hearts

• 1 pound butter at room temperature (if you prefer to bake with unsalted butter, add ½ salt to the recipe)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 5 cups of unbleached all purpose flour (to up the health and whole grain count, sub at least ½ the white flour for white wheat flour)
• 2Tbsp unsweetened coco powder

1. In the bowl of a large standing mixer (or just a large bowl if using a hand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar.
2. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well incorporated. Add the vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, coco powder baking powder and salt, if using. Use a whisk to aerate or sift the dry ingredients together.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and eggs in three parts, mixing well between each addition.
5. Divide the dough into 4 even portions and shape into a disc. Wrap each separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using. You can also freeze the dough for up to 3 months.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper of a baking mat.
2. Roll the dough on a lightly floured board to the thickness of 1/8 inch. Using floured cookie cutters of your choice cut the cookies and transfers them to the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on the cookies sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. Make sure cookies are completely cool before you go to the next step.
4. In a small pot, melt the chocolate chips until creamy and smooth. Working quickly, dip half a cookie into the chocolate and lay down on a parchment lined cookie sheet to harden. Repeat the process until all the chocolate is used up. If there are some cookies remaining, dust with powdered sugar to dress up.