Chocolate sugar cookies are rich and fudgy, deeply chocolatey sugar cookies. These soft and chewy chocolate cookies are quick and easy to make and are the perfect cookie for any holiday gathering.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
There are few things I love more than a soft and chewy chocolate cookie. My Triple Chocolate Cookies, Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies, Hot Chocolate Brownie Cookies, Turtle Cookies, and Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies are few of my favorite cocoa cookie recipes from the blog. I know you’ll love these chewy chocolate sugar cookies just as much because:
- Layers of cozy flavors and textures. The soft, chewy and fudgy chocolate sugar cookie with a crunchy sugar coating taste like a classic sugar cookie, with a rich chocolate flavor.
- Easy to make, bake and eat. These cocoa cookies come together in almost one bowl, need a short chilling time and use a handful of simple pantry basics to make.
Ingredients
These sugar cookies with cocoa require only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking soda and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather melted and cooled butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, an egg and egg yolk, vanilla extract and cocoa powder.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these chewy chocolate if you need them.
- All purpose flour: Make these chewy sugar cookies with chocolate gluten free by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based on weight (270 g) rather than volume in cups.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda gives these sugar cookies chewiness. If needed, replace the baking soda with 2 teaspoons double acting baking powder. The overall texture will be more cake like, but the cookies will still be delicious.
- Melted Butter: Feel free to use an equal amount of salted butter in place of the unsalted butter. Just make sure to omit the added salt.
- Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugars: Feel free to substitute one for the oher or maple sugar would also work well to make these cookies refined sugar free.
- Egg and Yolk: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Dutch Process Cocoa Powder: Feel free to use unsweetened cocoa powder instead of Dutch processed cocoa powder if needed. I prefer using dutch processed cocoa powder because it has a smoother and more intense chocolate taste.
Variations
- Chocolate Cut Out Cookies: Follow my Marbled Sugar Cookies recipe with these changes. Replace ¾ cup almond flour with ¾ cup dutch processed cocoa powder (75 g) and omit the almond extract. Keep the marble glaze if you like. It’s very similar to royal icing.
- Frosted Chocolate Sugar Cookies: Prepare the chocolate sugar cookies as written. Once cooled top the cookies with a chocolate buttercream. Recipe below:
- ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) room temperature butter
- 2 - 2 ½ cups (240 - 300 g) powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 - 4 tablespoons room temperature milk, as needed
- Cream the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) milk on low, increasing to medium speed until smooth and well combined. If needed, add up to 2 tablespoons more milk. Top the cookies with the buttercream once the cookies have cooled to room temperature.
How To Make
Learn how to make chocolate sugar cookies in a few easy steps.
- In a small bowl, melt the butter for 1 minute in the microwave. The butter should be mostly melted with some unmelted pieces. Cool the butter in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk in the cooled melted butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until well combined. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and cocoa powder until smooth and well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Cover the chocolate cookie dough and chill in the fridge while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for about 20-30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the sugar into a small bowl and set aside. Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, 30 ml), scoop the chocolate sugar cookie dough into the palm of a clean hand. Roll the dough into a ball. Roll the cookie dough ball into sugar and place the cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. There should be about 8 cookies per baking sheet.
- Bake the cocoa sugar cookies at 350 F (177 C) for 10 -12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are slightly puffed and some cracks have formed across the top of the cookie. Cool the sugar chocolate cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature and enjoy!
How To Store, Make Ahead, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Place the chocolate sugar cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Make Ahead: Although this easy chocolate cookie recipe comes together quickly, the cookie dough can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookies according to the recipe directions up to mixing the dry ingredients into the wet and decide which storage method meets your needs.
- Freeze Dough: Prepare the chocolate sugar cookies through the resting step. Chill for 30 minutes then scoop the dough into balls onto small lined baking sheet or large plate. Freeze the balls for 20 minutes then transfer them to a freezer proof container for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookie dough balls in the fridge overnight and proceed with the cookie recipe as written starting with rolling in the sugar and baking.
- Freeze Baked Cookies: To freeze, place each of the cookies in a freezer proof container in a single layer. If more than one layer is needed, line parchment paper between each layer. Freeze for up to three months.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the sugar cocoa cookies is to let them sit out at room temperature. Heat them in the microwave for 15 - 20 seconds for a “fresh from the oven” taste.
M’s Expert Tips
- Cool the melted butter. To make these cookies extra chewy, the butter is melted. However, it needs to cool for about 10 - 15 minutes before using in the recipe. I like to melt mine right after turning on the oven and then transferring it to the fridge while I gather the other ingredients.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Rest the cookie dough. Rest the dough while the oven preheats. Resting the dough allows the cookie dough to set enough to more easily flatten into a disk and roll around the marshmallow.
- Give your cookies a “cookie scoot.” Within the first minute of removing the cookies from the oven, use a large biscuit cutter (wider than the cookies) to help shape any cookies back into a more round shape. Place the cutter over the cookies so the edges of the cookie are inside the cookie/ biscuit cutter. In a circular motion, gently nudge the edges back into a round shape.
FAQs
Can I make these chocolate sugar cookies smaller?
I find that a medium cookie scoop, with about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough makes the perfect chewy sugar cookie. However, you can make a smaller (1 tablespoon) cookie if you like. Bake this size cookie for 8 - 10 minutes. For a larger (3 tablespoon) cookie, bake for about 12 - 14 minutes.
Should these sugar cookies be soft or crispy?
Unless explicitly stated in the recipe as being “crispy,” sugar cookies are meant to be soft, tender and chewy. These chocolate sugar cookies are soft and chewy with a crunchy sugar coating.
What makes sugar cookies too hard?
This happens when too much flour is added to the dough. The best way to measure flour is with a food scale. The next best way is to fluff the flour in the container, scoop the flour into the measuring cup (don’t pack it in) and level the top.
Other Holiday Cookie Recipes to Try
If you try this Chocolate Sugar Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Chocolate Sugar Cookies Recipe
Chocolate sugar cookies are rich and fudgy, deeply chocolatey sugar cookies. These soft and chewy chocolate cookies are quick and easy to make and are the perfect cookie for any holiday gathering.
Equipment
- 1 microwaveable bowl
- 1 whisk and flexible spatula or spoon
- 1 medium (2 tablespoon, 30 ml) cookie scoop optional
- 2 baking sheets
- 2 sheets parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- 2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (48 g) Dutch process cocoa powder
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar for rolling, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, melt the butter for 1 minute in the microwave. The butter should be mostly melted with some unmelted pieces. Cool the butter in the fridge for about 20 minutes.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside for now.2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk in the cooled melted butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until well combined. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and cocoa powder until smooth and well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Cover the chocolate cookie dough and chill in the fridge while the oven preheats. The dough can remained covered in the fridge up to overnight.1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 1 large egg, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract , ½ cup (48 g) Dutch process cocoa powder
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for about 20-30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the sugar into a small bowl and set aside. Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, 30 ml), scoop the chocolate sugar cookie dough into the palm of a clean hand. Roll the dough into a ball. Roll the cookie dough ball into sugar and place the cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. There should be about 8 cookies per baking sheet.¼ cup (50 g) sugar for rolling, optional
- Bake the cocoa sugar cookies at 350 F (177 C) for 10 -12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are slightly puffed and some cracks have formed across the top of the cookie. Cool the sugar chocolate cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature and enjoy!
Notes
Store: Place the chocolate sugar cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
See the Variations section of the blog post to make a rich a creamy chocolate frosting to top the chocolate sugar cookies or to make these as a cut out chocolate sugar cookies.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram
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