Chocolate Charms

I was in the mood to bake something, but needed it to be simple, and with few ingredients. I adore shortbread. Hubs would hook his arm up to a chocolate IV if he could. So I came across this recipe in my Martha Stewart Cookies book. It's a chocolate shortbread cookie. We could both be happy. It's not very sweet, I enjoyed it.

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature.
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt into a bowl.

Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and beat about 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.  Dough will look a bit crumbly but will stick together when squeezed with your fingers. Form dough into a flattened disk, wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a spoon, form dough into 1 inch balls; place on prepared baking sheets. Bake until firm, 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool completely on wire rack. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temp up to a week.