MOCHA SHORTBREAD LOGS

Prep: 30 minutes / Chill: 1 hour / Bake: 13 minutes

Makes: 28 cookies

To gild the lily, drizzle these with a little melted white chocolate after the dark chocolate is set.

DOUGH:

1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar 2 to 3 tablespoons espresso powder, to taste 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Pinch salt

GLAZE:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 teaspoon espresso powder

1. Put all dough ingredients into the large bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until a smooth dough forms. Gather into a ball; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Pinch off a small nugget of the dough and roll in your hands to make a 2-inch log about 1/2-inch in diameter. Place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat to form all the cookies placing them on the sheets about 2 inches apart.

4. Bake until the bottoms are barely golden, 10 to 13 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.

5. For the glaze, put chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium (50 percent power) just until barely melted, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in espresso powder until smooth.

6. Dunk one end of each shortbread log into the melted chocolate. Set dunked cookies on a wire rack over a piece of paper toweling, and let the chocolate firm. (They can be refrigerated if the kitchen is warm.) Store in a cookie tin for up to a week.

Nutrition information per cookie: 62 calories, 4 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrates, 3 g sugar, 1 g protein, 6 mg sodium, 0 g fiber