Yields 4 dozen 2-inch cookies

Ingredients

4 ounces white chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 pound unsalted butter, cut into 1-ounce pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semisweet chocolate mini-morsels

Equipment

Cook's knife, cutting board, measuring cups, measuring spoons, double boiler, rubber spatula, 1-quart bowl, table-model electric mixer with paddle, wax paper, 4 nonstick baking sheets, plastic cookie storage container with lid.

Make the Dalmatians

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat 1 inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. With the heat on, place the white chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate until completely melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer the melted chocolate to a 1-quart bowl and set aside until needed.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on medium for 4 minutes until soft. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on high for 4 more minutes until light (but not fluffy). Add the vanilla extract and the melted white chocolate. Beat on medium for 1 minute. Operate the mixer on low while gradually adding the flour and salt; mix for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the chocolate mini-morsels and mix on low for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Portion the dough into 48 slightly heaping tablespoon-size pieces (approximately 1 ounce per piece) onto a large piece of wax paper. Gently roll each portion in the palms of your hands to form a ball (this is not a sticky dough, so you should not need to dampen your hands as recommended in other recipes). Divide the dough balls onto 4 nonstick baking sheets, 12 evenly spaced balls per sheet. Place the baking sheets on the top and center racks of the preheated oven and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to center halfway through the baking time (at that time also turn each sheet 180 degrees). Remove the cookies from the oven and cool to room temperature on the baking sheets, about 20 minutes. Store the cooled cookies in a tightly sealed plastic container.

Kelly