Chocolate Pot of Gold Cookies

Ingredients

Chocolate Cookies

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened slightly
3/4 cups Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour*
1/3 cup cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Decorations

40 grams small round gold sprinkles
38 large green shamrock sprinkles, optional

*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar until creamy.
Add vanilla and egg and beat to combine.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt then stir it into wet ingredients just until combined.
Dust a silicone mat or cutting board with cocoa powder.
Roll dough out to 1/8-inch thickness.
Cut cookie dough using a 3-inch cauldron or pot of gold cookie cutter.
Set cut-outs on a prepared baking sheets.
Refrigerate for 5 minutes then bake for about 12 minutes until edges look set and the top no longer looks wet.
Remove cookies from oven and allow them to cool completely.
For the Chocolate Ganache, pour heavy whipping cream and corn syrup into a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Stir occasionally until bubbles just begin to form around the edges of the saucepan.
Remove from heat and pour cream into a shallow bowl.
Sprinkle finely chopped chocolate over top, making sure to submerge all chocolate in cream. Set aside for 3 minutes. Then begin to stir in the center of the bowl until the chocolate and cream come together.
Continue stirring as you make the circle bigger and bigger until all chocolate and cream have been combined.
Pick up one cookie, holding it flat. Turn it upside down and dip it into bowl of chocolate ganache so that chocolate coats just top surface of cookie.
Lift cookie out of ganache and shake cookie allowing excess chocolate ganache to drip off.
Turn cookie over and shake it a few more times to allow chocolate ganache to spread flat on surface of cookie.
Immediately sprinkle on some round gold sprinkles near top edge of cookie, creating a pile of gold coins. Repeat with each cookie.
If needed, you can reheat chocolate ganache in microwave on low power for 5-10 seconds. Then stir and continue glazing cookies.
Pour remaining chocolate ganache into a pastry bag fitted with a #4 round tip or into a zip-top bag with tip snipped off.
Pipe a curved line just below gold coins to create rim of the pot of gold. Pipe on a handle in center of cookie. If desired, add a shamrock sprinkle on each pot of gold cookie.