These chocolate sugar cookies are such a treat, there’s no reason to relegate them to the holidays! They have the perfect blend of sweet, salty and of course CHOCOLATE! I love them with some white chocolate on top but royal icing, buttercream, or easy sugar cookie icing are great options too. For you chocolate lovers, make sure to check out my chocolate chocolate chip cookies recipe!
How to Make Chocolate Sugar Cookies
1. Sift the flour, salt, corn starch, into a large bowl. If you’re using measuring cups just subtract two tablespoons from the second cup of flour. If possible use a kitchen scale, they’re so much more exact and you really get better, more consistent results.
2. Add the cocoa powder then sift and whisk together to combine and set aside.
3. Add the room temperature butter, and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment then beat together until well combined. You can use an electric hand mixer instead if desired.
4. Beat in the egg and vanilla, scrape the bowl down and mix once more.
5. Add the flour in and mix on low until just combined.
6. Dump the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and press down then place another sheet of paper on top.
7. Roll out to 1/4″ thick. Slide onto a baking sheet and chill for about 20 minutes or until firm.
8. Heat oven to 350F. Peel off both layers of paper then replace the bottom piece, this helps your cookies pop out easier. Cut shapes out and transfer to a parchment-lined sheet.
9. Bake on the center rack for about 8-12 minutes or until the centers are set. The cookies will be soft out of the oven but will firm up when cooled.
10. Once your cookies are room temperature they can be decorated. I love adding some white chocolate and a but of crushed candy cane for an easy and delicious finish.
Pro Tips for this recipe
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Make sure to scrape the bowl down several times when making the batter. Stray pieces of unmixed butter of flour will disturb the texture of your cookies.
- This is a great dough to make in advance and freeze for on demand cookies later. I like to freeze the dough after rolling out so if defrosts quickly. Make sure to wrap very well before freezing.
- I rolled these cookies to 1/4 inch but they could be thicker or thinner. Adjust baking times accordingly.
- If you only have salted butter then just use that and reduce the salt added to 1/4 tsp. Unless you love salty chocolate baked goods like I do, then add the full 3/4 tsp.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I add to them?
I LOVE adding toasted pecans to my chocolate sugar cookies but there are so many options! Shredded coconut, a coating of sugar, cocoa nibs, a drizzle of chocolate on top or decorate with a smear of buttercream. Add any flavors you enjoy.
How do you get them to hold their shape?
The BEST way to get cookies to hold their shape is to add a few tablespoons of cornstarch to the dry ingredients. This will drastically cut down on the chill time while also making the dough easier to handle and of course spread less.
Are they supposed to be soft?
This is a bit of personal preference, some people demand a soft and chewy chocolate sugar cookie while others enjoy a crisper one. Cookies will also harden up over time so fresh out of the oven has a very different texture from a two day old cookie. This recipe makes a slightly crisp cookie with a softer middle.
Can I leave them out overnight?
You can definitely leave these cookies out overnight but it’s best to keep them in an airtight container or well-wrapped in plastic. Exposure to air can degrade the texture and flavor over time.
What type of cocoa powder is best for chocolate sugar cookies?
I love using a high-quality Dutch processed cocoa powder. Dutch processed cocoa powder is darker, less acidic and fudgier in baked goods making it PERFECT for brownies! My go to company is Valrhona but there are lots of great brands out there, including Callebaut, Ghirardelli and lots of organic and fair trade options too! I often make these cookies with a cocoa powder from my local supermarket that’s a blend of natural and Dutch processed and they turn out great!
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this chocolate sugar cookie recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Video
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Mixer
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour subtract 2 tbsp, 220g
- 2 tbsp corn starch 20g
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cups cocoa powder Dutch processed preferred
- 1 cup sugar 200g
- 1 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla 15mL
Instructions
- Sift the flour, corn starch, cocoa and salt into a large bowl then whisk together to combine.
- Combine butter and sugar in a bowl. Mix on medium-low speed with a paddle attachment. Mix until incorporated. Don’t over mix.
- Add egg and vanilla then mix and scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Add in flour mixture to the bowl. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds.
- The dough is ready when it sticks to the paddle mixture. Do not over mix.
- Roll out the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper.
- Put on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes or until centers are set.
- Allow to cool completely.
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Make sure to scrape the bowl down several times when making the batter. Stray pieces of unmixed butter of flour will disturb the texture of your cookies.
- This is a great dough to make in advance and freeze for on demand cookies later. I like to freeze the dough after rolling out so if defrosts quickly. Make sure to wrap very well before freezing.
- I rolled these cookies to 1/4 inch but they could be thicker or thinner. Adjust baking times accordingly.
- If you only have salted butter then just use that and reduce the salt added to 1/4 tsp. Unless you love salty chocolate baked goods like I do, then add the full 3/4 tsp.
These cookies are so beautiful and delicious my dad doesn’t eat a lot of sweet but he said, ” Wow these are so good”, and asked for another one! Everyone in the family enjoyed them and they where gone the day I baked them! I was so impressed with this recipe and loved these cookies so much
Great recipe! Super easy, delicious, and beautifully defined edges as promised. Thank you!
Excited to try! I want to try it with toasted nuts. What should I use to make them stick? Melted white chocolate, bittersweet any other options?
Thank you John for this recipe!
These cookies have everything you can ask for: delicate texture with intense cocoa flavor – and cuts like a dream. I thought I messed up my recipe because I forgot to add the corn flour and used superfine 00 floury mistake, but they still turned out perfect. Chilling the dough is so important for smooth edges – everyone should take the recommended 1 hr seriously!
Happy Holidays,
Rob
Hi John, how long will these cookies last in an airtight container?
Thanks!
Denise
Good Morning from Germany!
Honestly I love your sugar cookies! And my husband loves them too! I make my version of thumbprint cookies out of it. Now today -raining cats and dogs- and I have to colour my hair -time consuming- I am going to try the chocolate version. While usually you give the „grams“ Version in your receipes, instead of Cups, here ist is again: a Cup of butter. I always struggle when ist comes to butter. How do people measure a CUP of butter??? Do People KNOW how much is a cup of butter? Or sometimes a stick of butter?! I have been to the states a lot, I have all kinds of measuring cups, but this „butter situation „ bothers me. Also I find cups very inaccurate. I use a scale all the time!
So one cup of butter is: 226 grams???
So please enlighten me on that matter! ?
Thank you for all your videos and tutorials. They are helpful, entertaining and funny at times, fortunately you always come to the receipe fast, without talking forever about personal things.
Trying to bake these for a holiday Christmas party… where can i find the exact ingredient measurements? Am I totally overlooking it?
In the recipe card towards the bottom
Tried this recipe last night and it was absolutely delicious. I’ve done the regular sugar cookie recipe before and it was nice, but this is even better! Was concerned the cocoa might be a tad too strong/dark but it was just right. I cut my cookies a little thick and baked for just 10 minutes and they were soft and tender and richly chocolatey in flavour, while still keeping their shape perfectly! Also that trick to lift the baking paper up one first, then flip it to the bottom so the cookies don’t stick when you remove them is genius!
These cookies are great so me and my grandchildren will be making them, as we love trying new and delicious recipes, Thankyou for sharing. Merry Christmas to you 🙂