• I use butter straight out of the fridge, cubed for easy mixing.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• I bake on my favorite perforated baking mats to eliminateany chance of spread, for even baking and pretty undersides of our cookies!
• In your mixer bowl (or large bowl with hand-mixer) cream butter and sugar until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
• Beat in vanilla and egg
• In a separate bowl. combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and espresso powder. Add to wet mixture a small amount at a time.
• Mix until dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl
• Chilling the dough is not necessary! Although, you're welcome to chill your dough if you prefer. You'll achieve perfect designs regardless of whether you chill this dough or not.

If using a wooden cookie stamp:

• I usually divide the dough into 3 chunks and roll out each onto a floured surface, use my Joseph Joseph rolling pin to roll to 1/4" thick.
• Use wooden stamp to gently press down into the dough to create the design.
• Use a round cookie cutter to cut the dough and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes.
• Cool cookies on cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to cooling rack.

If using a metal cookie stamp:

• Roll dough into balls slightly larger than golf ball size.
• Roll dough balls in granulated sugar. Dip stamp in sugar.
• Using cookie stamp, center over ball and push down hard. Dough will squeeze out around stamp. Slowly lift/remove stamp.
• If dough sticks to stamp, use a lip of the dough to carefully peel the cookie dough off the stamp and place on cookie sheet.
• Trim any excess dough around the stamped design, using a circle cookie cutter or pen blade for baking.
• Bake at 350 for 11-12 minutes.
• Cool cookies on cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to cooling rack.