The high fat content in this dough makes for very rich cookies. It’s great when you want to add crunch to a creamy dessert like panna cotta. Or you might break the cookies into pieces and make a parfait with fruit and whipped cream. I make these as round cookies, too, brushed with an egg wash and sprinkled with sugar and coarse salt before baking. Follow the method below, using a round cutter; don’t weight round cookies with a Silpat.

　　

Ingredients

makes about twenty-four 2 1/2-inch square

　　14 tablespoons (198g) unsalted butter, softened

　　6 large egg yolks

　　1 cup (200g) sugar

　　2 1/4 cups (280g) all-purpose flour

　　2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder

　　4 teaspoons (8g) unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona)

　　Coarse salt

　　

Step 1

Cut the butter into pieces and put it in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat at medium-high speed until fluffy.

　　

Step 2

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until frothy. Keep whisking as you pour in the sugar. Whisk until light and fluffy. Add to the butter and beat until combined.

　　

Step 3

Put the flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Whisk to combine. Sift into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed only until blended.

　　

Step 4

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a brick. The dough will be very soft. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate one package for at least 1 hour before rolling. Freeze the other for up to 2 months.

　　

Step 5

Roll the pastry between two sheets of parchment into a 12-inch square. The pastry should be 1/16 inch thick. Slide onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

　　

Step 6

Cut the pastry into 12 2 1/2-inch squares and separate them on the parchment, giving them room to spread. Refrigerate while you heat the oven.

　　

Step 7

Heat the oven to 375°F or 350°F on convection.

　　

Step 8

Lay a Silpat (top-side down) on the pastry to weight it. Bake until the pastry is cooked, about 12 minutes, longer if you’re not using convection. Let cool.

　　Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book.Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__