Chocolate Sugar Cookies
I have adored sugar cookies since I was a kid. There’s just something about those super soft, incredibly buttery cookies that did me in. Icing was always nice, but I’d eat them plain just as often as I’d eat them iced. They were a frequently requested item when my mom would send a care package to me in college. To be honest, I didn’t think that sugar cookies could get any better… then I made chocolate sugar cookies, and my world imploded. I’m not going to lie… they’ve stolen my sugar cookie-loving heart.
I started seeing chocolate sugar cookies on Pinterest last year around and made a mental note to give them a try. I never got around to them for the holidays, but thought that Valentine’s Day would be just as worthy an occasion. Truly, there is always a reason to make chocolate cookies; no special occasion is necessary. These cookies will, however, make your heart swoon. They are thick, incredibly chewy, and even more chocolatey. They have such a deep flavor and the perfect sugar cookie texture. They are, for all intents and purposes, perfect.
You can dress these up with fancy royal icing decoration for a special event, as they hold their shape exceptionally well, which makes them perfect for decorating. Unless there is a special occasion that calls for royal icing-decorated cookies, I much prefer slathering on some buttercream and digging in. No wait time and much, much tastier!
I’m going to have a hard time convincing myself to make vanilla sugar cookies now that the chocolate version is in my life ;-)
One year ago: Nutella-Hazelnut Cookies and Red Velvet Cheesecake
Two years ago: Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
Three years ago: Icebox Cake
Five years ago: Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake
Six years ago: Italian Wedding Soup
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 cups (750 g) all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups (107.5 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (454 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar
- 3 eggs, cold
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and mix to combine, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and again beat to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture, and beat until just combined, giving it a final mix by hand with a rubber spatula.
- Divide the dough in two and shape each half into a round disk about 2 inches high. Wrap both in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes (or up to 1 day).
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper (it's non-stick and eliminates the need for extra flour) to a ¼-inch thickness. Transfer the parchment and dough onto a cutting board or baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerate and cut out your shapes and place on the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between them. Gather up any excess dough, re-roll and repeat process until all of the dough has been used.
- Place the baking sheets with the cut-out cookies into the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.
- Bake until the cookie edges are set, about 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely. Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Cookies can also be frozen - I wrapped them in plastic wrap and placed in a ziploc bag.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Haven’t made the chocolate sugars yet. Can’t wait. Looks delish!!👍
Absolutely love your website and 99% of your recipes work out to be amazing but these were just purely terrible. The amount of ingredients was extreme and now I feel like I wasted so much money on these. Incredibly dry and hard after baked (and not over baked). They have no taste and even smell weird. Will never be making them again.
I have not baked these yet but wanted to make a couple of notes. This cannot be made in a 5 quart stand mixer. There is just not enough room.
Also, I am not sure how big your cookies are but I am sure I am going to get many more than 3 dozen cookies.
Thanks for an updated version of a favorite.
Chocolate sugar cookies, yum! We have written a sugar cookie round-up article and have included this recipe. You can view it here if you wish, https://www.diythought.com/5-delicious-sugar-cookie-recipes/ Please let me know if you would like me to make any changes. Thanks, Kelly
I was watching your tutorial on chocolate sugar cookies. I am starting my line of Halloween and Christmas cookies. Would a chocolate sugar cookie dough be more festive for these holidays or a traditional white sugar cookie?
Thank you,
Liz
These would be great with cinnamon, Mexican chocolate. How much cinnamon would you add, to taste but not overpower?
Made these again. This time I skipped all the fridge freezer stuff at the end and am happy to report that they turned out exactly the same as last time when I followed all the fridge and freezer stuff. Saved me some time and extra fuss, so the process was much quicker. Great recipe. Love these!
Really really yummy cookies and addictive! Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Michelle, I had good results with my first batch of chocolate sugar cookies! I would like to put your vanilla buttercream frosting on them to take to a party. How far ahead can I frost the cookies and how should I store them?
Thanks!
Hi Teresa, So glad you liked them, I love these cookies! I would frost them up to 3 days in advance. I would keep them in an airtight container and place a sheet of parchment between the layers. You could leave them at room temperature or put them in the refrigerator.
Hi, can I half the recipe? If so, how much flour should I use when converted into grams? Thanks!
Hi Frissia, Yes, you can halve the recipe. You would need 362 grams of flour for the halved recipe. Enjoy!
So i wrote previously about this recipe and I feel compelled to write again.
I just threw out the batch of dough that cost me a pound if butter and expensive european cocoa….i am a baker – i make sugar cookies daily and I measure accurately… This is not a useable dough. It is dry, crumbly and i could not even get one unicorn cookie because the legs kept breaking off. I got 3 cookies out of a whole batch. My kitchen was covered in crumbs. In desperation i spritz it with water and even tried adding a bit more butter, kneeding it. I finally gave up and threw it out…
Anyway a warning – this is not a useful recipe….
I love this site but i made a batch, measuring very precisely and they were a crumbly mess. Dough was hard to work with. They turned out alright after i battled with the dough – cookies were cracking and breaking….
I made these for a baby shower and received rave reviews-so thought I’d pass on the compliments! I did adjust the recipe to be GF and DF- but no one knew. Then I made an icing ( subbing organic coconut oil for butter) and sandwiched two little hearts- so irresistible and delicious. Baby heart shaped sandwich cookies-FUN!
Thanks, Michelle! I made these today and my family love it. Mine are round shaped cookies though. Best choc cookie recipe ever!
Thanks for sharing, they turned out pretty well! I made some changes to veganise these cookies, and just thought I’d drop by and share. :)
I reduced the total amount of sugar by about a cup, added some extra flour (if in doubt just keep going until it’s nice and kneadable), used vegan margarine instead of butter (though I’m sure coconut oil would work just as well), and replaced the eggs with 9-10 tbsp unsweetened applesauce.
Do you have a recipe for the buttercream frosting you use on the cookies? Also what brand of cocoa do you prefer? These look delicious and I plan to make them for Valentines Day.
Hi Gina, I used the vanilla buttercream recipe from these cupcakes, and tinted it pink: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/10/28/vanilla-cupcakes-vanilla-buttercream-frosting/. The Dutch-process cocoa that I’ve used and liked has been Penzeys (http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyscocoapowder.html) and Valhrona (https://www.chocosphere.com/default/cocoa-powder-3kg.html). Hope that helps!
Where did you get the cookie cutter with such a beautiful edge?????
Hi Paule, They actually came in huge set with like 100 different cookie cutters. I may have gotten it from Bed Bath & Beyond like 8 years ago or so?
I just made these egg free (as my 19month old has an egg allergy) as the base to my witches hats and they are amazing. They taste exactly how I would expect them too and you cant even tell they are made egg free. It is really hard to find a good reciepe that tastes the same with and without eggs. So happy I found them and my kids are going to love them too. Thank you again for the great cookies I will be using these again for sure.
Can you share how you made these egg-free? Both my little nephews are allergic to egg and we’re trying to find good cookie recipes that they can eat that actually taste good. Thank you!