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These chocolate sugar cookies are crisp on the edges but soft in the center and pack a chocolate punch which makes it perfect for any holiday.
Everyone has had homemade sugar cookies, but have you had chocolate ones? It's so good on its own, you don't even need icing but if you want to make it look pretty I won't stop you!
For those that follow my blog, you know my mom runs a cookie business - Heartsong Cookies. One of her most popular cookies is her sugar cookie, which she makes a ton of during Christmas, Valentine's Day and pretty much any holiday.
However when I reached out to her recently I asked if she had every made chocolate sugar cookies and to my surprise she hadn't.
I immediately decided o tackle it and create something my mom could potentially use for her business. I'm not going to lie, when the dough went into the oven, I was super nervous on how it would turn out.
I took my mom's regular sugar cookie recipe and changed a few things including adding a little more sugar and substituting cocoa powder in place of a percentage of the flour. Needless to say, when I took a bite, I knew I had a winner.
These chocolate sugar cookies are definitely chocolate forward, which I love. As I mentioned above as well, you really don't even need icing for these but it doesn't hurt to add them.
So if you're looking for tasty but easy chocolate sugar cookies for the holidays, I would give these a try. I might be biased, but they really are the best sugar cookies. Oh and since making these, they now appear on Heartsong Cookies.
Jump to:
- Ingredient Notes
- Ingredient Swaps
- Step-by-Step Photos
- FAQs
- Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Other Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter - I use more butter than usual so the cookies just melt in your mouth when you bite into them.
- Sugar - traditional sugar cookies use granulated sugar for the the sweetness and mouthfeel. Powdered sugar is used for the icing.
- All-purpose flour - has the right amount of gluten to give the cookies a good structure.
- Cocoa powder - the Dutch cocoa powder gives a rich chocolate flavor.
- Meringue powder - important in royal icing as it helps stabilize and harden the icing quickly.
Ingredient Swaps
Like any recipe, you can mix up what you use. Some variations include:
- While I use granulated sugar, light brown sugar can be used instead. They will spread more however.
- Whole wheat flour can be used instead of all-purpose flour if you want a more nutty flavor.
- I mentioned above that I useDutch cocoa powder, but natural cocoa powder works if you a less chocolatey flavor.
- If you don't want to use meringue powder, you can make royal icing with egg whites.
Step-by-Step Photos
Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy before adding in the egg yolks and extract. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
With mixer on low speed, add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Add some powdered sugar to the rolling pin and parchment paper. Roll to ¼" thickness and place in fridge for an hour.
Once ready use cookie cutter to cut to desired shapes and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
Now make the royal icing by whisking together all of the ingredients on high speed for 5 minutes or until you reached desired consistency. If too thin, add more powdered sugar and if too thick, add more water. Decorate the chocolate sugar cookies.
FAQs
What is the Best Thickness for Sugar Cookies?
¼ inch is best. That way they are durable enough to handle and decorate but delicate enough where they are slightly crunchy on the outside but soft in the middle.
How Do I Know the Cookies are ¼ Inch Thick?
So I use a rolling pin that tells me the thickness that I'm rolling out. While you can use a ruler, if you bake at all, I wouldn't use anything else.
Can I Use a Different Icing?
Yes. I've actually also made a peppermint royal icing. It's the same ingredients but replacing the vanilla extract with peppermint extract. Just keep in mind, it is much stronger so only put in about ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract.
You could also use a simple icing that works great as well.
How Do You Keep the Cookies from Spreading?
Two important factors are making sure your dough is chilled and using parchment paper. If you handled your dough for too long while cutting out shapes, just place the baking sheet in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm back up.
How Do I Know When the Cookies are Done?
You know cookies are done when the edges are firm, but the middle is slightly soft.
Can I Freeze the Cookies?
Plain or decorated cookies freeze well up to 3 months. You want to wait for the icing to set completely before layering between sheets of parchment paper in an air-tight container.
When you are ready to eat, thaw the cookies in the fridge or at room temperature
You can also freeze the sugar cookie dough for up to 3 months before rolling out. Just prepare the dough through step 2 and shape into two discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge. When you are ready to prepare, thaw at room temperature for 1 hour before rolling out and following the remaining steps.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use dark cocoa powder to give a more intense chocolate flavor.
- Allrefrigerated itemsshould be atroom temperature, which helps thedough mix easily and evenly.
- Use parchment paper and add powdered sugar to rolling pin when rolling out cookie dough so it doesn't stick.
- Roll out chocolate sugar cookie dough first before placing in fridge for 1 hour so it is easier to get to ¼" thickness.
Other Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Hazelnut Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Gingerbread Men Cookies
- Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms
If you’ve tried this chocolate sugar cookies recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You could also try these chocolate chip sugar cookies. You can also follow meonFacebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
These easy sugar cookies are crisp on the edges but soft in the center and pack a chocolate punch which makes it perfect for any holiday.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Chilling Time1 hour hr
Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 20 medium cookies
Calories: 215kcal
Author: Ryan Beck
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened natural dark cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Royal Icing
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon meringue powder
- 3-4 tablespoon room temperature water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cookies
In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 4-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Sift the flour and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl and whisk in salt. On low speed, slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture. Do not over mix but make sure all the flour is incorporated.
Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Add some powdered sugar to rolling pin and parchment paper. Roll each portion out onto a piece of parchment to ¼″ thickness. Chill in fridge for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from fridge and use a cookie cutter to cut in shapes.Transfer the cut cookie dough to the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. You will know the cookies are done when the edges are firm but the middle is still a little soft. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on pan and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the cookies however you'd like the with royal icing recipe below. The icing should be set in about 2 hours so you can stack them. The cookies should last about 5 days at room temperature.
Royal Icing
In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat all of the icing ingredients together on high speed for 5 minutes until stiff peaks form. Always start with 3 tablespoon of water to be safe, but you'll probably need 4 for right consistency. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar and if too thick, add more water. Once desired consistency beat in vanilla extract.
Notes
- Use dark cocoa powder to give a more intense chocolate flavor.
- Allrefrigerated itemsshould be atroom temperature, which helps thedough mix easily and evenly.
- Use parchment paper and add powdered sugar to rolling pin when rolling out cookie dough so it doesn't stick.
- Roll out chocolate sugar cookie dough first before placing in fridge for 1 hour so it is easier to get to ¼" thickness.
- You know cookies are done when edges are firm, but middle is slightly soft.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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