This new recipe has been a looong time coming, and I’m so excited to share it with you! Batches and batches of experimentation – playing with flour and delicious cocoa powder amounts, some input from readers over the years (especially Marina who tried a similar version of my sugar cookies – thank you!), and finally, the yummiest chocolate sugar cookie recipe!
I was happy to put the final touches on the recipe for Go Bold With Butter, a must-see baking and savoury recipe resource for those serious about all-natural ingredients and excellent buttery taste. You can find my chocolate sugar cookie recipe here as well, and enjoy all the other mouth watering recipes there!
I have a few notes to share with you about baking cookies in general as well:
Notes:
- One of the reasons I experimented with this recipe so much, is that I wanted to find the best ratio of butter to flour etc., to create the perfect cut out cookie which holds its shape. This one definitely does, but no matter what recipe you use, these tips on how to prevent cookies from spreading are important to know.
- Use the best quality ingredients you can. The cocoa powder will make a big difference in the final taste of your cookies.
Enjoy baking and nibbling on decorating these!
xo,
Marian
Chocolate Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer on low to medium speed (Use a paddle attachment). Mix until thoroughly incorporated – for about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula and mix again for a few seconds more. Over mixing the butter and sugar in this step will cause too much air to be incorporated into the dough. If you’d like a light and fluffy cookie, that’s ideal, however the dough will spread more during baking; not ideal if you’d like the cookie to hold its shape.
- Add eggs slowly and mix. Scrape down the bowl with your spatula at least once and mix again.
- Add liquid vanilla extract. Stir briefly.
- Sift your dry ingredients together. (Flour, cocoa powder and salt).
- Add all of the flour mixture to the bowl. Place a large tea towel or two small tea towels between the edge of the bowl and the electric mixer so that the flour won’t escape. Mix on low speed for 3o seconds. Remove the tea towels and observe the dough mixing; when it clumps around the paddle attachment it’s ready. It’s also important at this stage not to over mix the dough.
- Roll the dough out between 2 large pieces of parchment paper. Place on a baking sheet and into the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.
- Roll out the dough further if you need to, and cut out cookie shapes. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Re-roll scraps and repeat.
- Put cookie dough shapes back into the fridge for 10 minutes to 1 hour to chill again. They will then hold their shape better when baked.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F or 176°C.
- Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes or until the center of the cookie no longer looks wet. The baking time will depend on the size of your cookie.
- Let cookies cool to room temperature and decorate!
Paige says
I was wondering if you can use the Hershey’s “Special Dark” cocoa powder. The difference is that the Special Dark is dutch chocolate.
Carrie says
I’ve used both the Special Dark and regular cocoas and both batches came out perfectly!
Heather says
My dough was completely awful. It was runny like brownie batter.. not good cookie dough at all. I’m not sure what went wrong, but I’ve baked dozens of batches of vanilla cookie dough and was hoping this would be a good recipe to try for my kids, but it was terrible.
Marian (Sweetopia) says
Hi Heather,
I’m sorry to hear that. With all due respect, something must have been off in your measurements, the dough is not runny.
Anna says
I just made this and mine wasn’t right either. It was not runny but there was no way that I could roll it out. The dough does taste delicious though as I’m eating it on my kitchen floor while drinking champagne. Heartbroken because I was excited to make these.
marian says
Hi Heather,
Perhaps it’s the measurements or the butter quality? Baking can be finicky and like a science. If I try new cookie recipes and the dough is too sticky, I just add flour until I like the texture. Glad you liked the taste and hope the baking experience is better next time!
Danyel says
This is the BEST. My go to recipe and always requested by family members. Love the way the dough holds its shape! Also it is worth it to go for the more expensive dutch cocoa. Thanks so much for this amazing recipe!
Kathy B says
Perhaps your butter was not at room temperature but melted. That would probably cause it to be runny.
Rebecca Rodriguez-Teater says
I was wondering if this recipe is firm enough to use house cutouts as if to make a gingerbread house? If not, what would I change to make a more solid/firm cookie. Not a big fan of gingerbread, but these cookies are similar in color so I thought maybe I could try to make a house using this recipe?
Thanks!
Robin Robertson Stammer says
I too am interested in finding out if this would work for a gingerbread house.
reevadrind says
I just made my first two batches. They came out beautifully and taste amazing. The cookies I have are very fragile. I can’t imagine making a house out of these.
Jennifer hughes says
what brand of Coca powder did you find to be best for these cookies?
Kathy B says
I used the Rodelle Organic Baking Cocoa (Dutch Processed) that I purchased at Costco. The flavor cannot be beat and the smell is simply heaven. It’s very dark chocolate looking.
Kim says
I just finished making these cookies and they turned out beautifully! The first batch was almost eaten by the Kids before the second batch was out of the oven! I’ll definitely be saving this recipe to use again! Thanks!!
Tina says
Best cookies to hold shape and the flavour is wonderful. I use best quality cacao over cocoa powder. Much better.
There’s no way on the planet that the dough is runny. You should triple check your measurements if this dough is runny…… you’ve made an error.
This is my go to recipe for chocolate sugar cookies. The best.
Marni says
I made these as part of my cookie extravaganza I make every holiday for the fam. I have never made a chocolate sugar cookie…no idea why? This recipe is going in my recipe roster though. They were one of the best sugar cookies I have ever made! Thank you a million times for this one!
marian says
Glad to hear it Marni! Merry Christmas!
Rebekah @ Making Miracles says
Made these tonight – they are amazing! What a fun twist for a shaped sugar cookie!
Kim Marvin says
Want to try these. I’ve read a lot of sugar cookie recipes that have cream cheese in them. Have you tried adding cream cheese to these cookies? If so, how much would you add?
marian says
Hi Kim,
I’m sorry, I haven’t tried them with cream cheese. If you do, I’d love to hear about the results! Happy baking!
April says
Made these today and they were amazing.. smells and tastes just like brownies.. the batter wasn’t thin at all but the perfect thickness for rolling out.. I rolled them out pretty thick and they cooked up just perfect and would be perfect for a replacement to gingerbread for a house.. will be making these again.. wish I could post a pic!!
Nicole says
I’m excited to try these cookies! I was wondering though if you put icing on these or if you just leave them as is?
marian says
Hi Nicole, sorry for the delayed response, just saw your comment now. I have served them as is, but mostly I decorate them with royal icing. Delicious either way, I just love decorating.
Carrie says
I’m not a huge fan of hard royal icing myself, so I use a higher quality buttercream-style fondant (e.g., Fondarific) or modeling chocolate to decorate these and it tastes wonderful – the perfect amount of sweetness to complement the slight bitterness of chocolate.
Kathi says
Hi I don’t see a recommended thickness for rolling out the dough. How theck do recommend for cutting out the cookies?
marian says
Hi Kathi,
Here is a post I wrote about that; https://sweetopia.net/2013/11/how-thick-or-thin-do-you-roll-your-cookie-dough-how-do-you-make-the-dough-even/
Happy baking!
Lauren says
This is the best recipe ever. I made it last year and the cookies were such a hit I am making them again. It’s fool proof. Your instructions were spot on. They really keep their shape. It’s amazing and so delicious. THANK YOU!
marian says
Wonderful to hear Lauren, glad you like them!
Kris says
I made these tonight. They are the best cookies ever, and they’re not even frosted yet!
Tiffany says
I am really confused how anyone came out with a runny product, this dough is so thick that it bent my whisk attachment on my Kitchen Aid (my fault, should have used the paddle, thats what I get for being lazy). The dough tasted absolutely delicious! I am going to bake the cookies today, I let the dough hang out in the fridge overnight which of course has caused it to be even more firm. I will likely let it sit out for a little bit to allow it to get more pliable. For those reading about the runny results, dont let that deter you, something had to have gone wrong with their measurements. I can tell by the dough consistency that these are going to make a beautiful cutout cookie.
Jonathan Plumb says
I made a half batch of these a few weeks ago and used Green and Black’s organic cocoa. I rolled them out 1/4 inch thick. They looked beautiful and tasted fantastic! I have already transferred this recipe to my “favourites” recipe book. I’m planning to make more this weekend and will decorate the snowflake shapes with royal icing, sanding sugar and silver dragees. Thanks for all your work in perfecting this recipe!
marian says
Wonderful to hear, thank you Jonathan!
Samantha says
I made these last Christmas and I’m making them again now! They are great for cutouts, but I don’t know about a house (mine were soft but chewy like brownies). My little girl can’t wait to decorate them with me again!
Jonathan Plumb says
Just made another half-batch today, which yielded about 42 4″ snowflakes. Again, everything worked out perfectly. I decorated some with Royal Icing, sanding sugar and silver dragees. See my Instagram posting, jdpb82, for a look if you’d like.
Lori O’Leary says
These are the best. The cookie I’ve always dreamed of. None have ever been chocolatey enough. These are like unfrosted Oreos. I can’t stop eating them! Thank you!!!
marian says
Yay! Glad to hear it!
Robbie says
I made these with my girls last night. We chilled them overnight and plan to bake and decorate them today. When I pulled the dough out it is rock hard! I am hoping that it softens up and will be just fine – any tips on softening hard dough quickly? Also, did I chill it too long maybe?
marian says
Hi Robbie,
Yes chilling makes dough hard, but it should soften enough to cut in about 15 mins. I actually like cutting my cookies when the dough is cold, I find it easier to cut them (except for small, skinny pieces on detailed cookie cutters, for those I wait until the dough is warmer). After the pieces are cut, if I have time I’ll chill them again until they harden… they keep their shape better when baked that way.
Becky says
I’ve made this recipe for the past three years and it turns out great every time. I do have a question – could I bake the cookies and then freeze before using royal icing to decorate? I have an event coming up, but I’m not sure I’ll have enough time to bake and then decorate in one weekend 100 football jersey cookies for my son’s banquet! I’m hoping to bake/freeze one weekend and decorate the next.
Thanks in advance for any guidance!
marian says
Hi Becky,
Yes I’ve done that before! Happy decorating!
Dani C says
Hi! I know this is quite awhile after the original comment, but is there a good amount of time to let the (baked) cookies sit out after being taken out of the freezer before decorating??
marian says
Hi Dani C,
I wrote a post on that here if you like:
https://sweetopia.net/2015/07/how-to-thaw-frozen-undecorated-cut-out-cookies/
Happy decorating!
Kathy B says
So I was making cookies to decorate for Christmas and a friend was going to help me decorate them. I had three recipes I was making. This recipe was my third type of sugar cookies. I made the dough and placed it between two sheets of parchment paper and rolled it out. I put it in the freezer to chill for a while. Then I found out my friend needed to postpone. Since things are crazy anyway before Christmas, I left the dough in the freezer where it stayed for a week (and broke into three pieces). I took it out once and let it soften and patched it back up (no big deal) and put it back in the freezer. Several days later I took it out and let it soften a while (didn’t take long). By now it’s already New Years and this cookie dough was so easy to work with, smelled fantastic, looked great and tasted delicious. I really believe this is going to be my “go-to” recipe for cut out cookies. Wonderful! I love them just plain. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
marian says
Yay! Great to hear Kathy! I’m so glad you liked them! 🙂
Kathi K says
I wanted to do a version of a candy cane for my granddaugther’s birthday since her name starts with a J making a regular sugar cookie twisted with a chocolate sugar cookie but decided the cutout of this would be better. Instead of vanilla can I use almond or caramel extract?
marian says
Hi Kathi, yes, sure! Please let me know how you like the flavour!
Judy says
Can’t wait to try these. I would like to know what brand/type of cocoa powder you used Marian, and others who already made them. Thanks
Kathy B. says
I used Rodelle Organics, Organic Baking Cocoa (Dutch Processed) that I purchased at Costco. This gave them a fantastic rich chocolate taste and smell.
Meg says
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I’m just beginning my royal icing cookie decorating hobby and trying to learn all I can. Funny, but I was actually more worried to make the cut-outs than I was to decorate them (my mistake!)
These cookies were amazing—no spreading, and absolutely delicious! My husband said they are his new favorite cookie.
I definitely need a lot more royal icing practice though—I need to learn the consistency tricks (so thanks for all the help with that, too.)
I’ll try again next week—Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Practice, practice, practice! ❤️
marian says
Hi Meg, that’s wonderful to hear! Have fun practicing!
Kimberling James says
What icing recipe do you use on your chocolate cookie cutout? Can’t wait to try! Thank you!
marian says
Usually royal icing, which is in my recipe section. Happy baking and decorating!
April says
Can I make the dough and then roll it out tomorrow if I store it in a air tight container?
marian says
Hi April,
Yes you can.
I roll mine out, cover, then put in fridge overnight.
Alex says
Could you sub in hot chocolate mix for the cocoa powder? Should I adjust the sugar if so? I’d like to use the abuelita nestle hot chocolate 🙂
marian says
Hi Alex,
I haven’t tried that one, so am not 100% sure, but I’m guessing that it would work. I would hold off on adding the full amount of flour at first. For example, just add four cups of the flour, mix, and then see if is a wet dough, then add the 5th cup of flour. If it still is a wet dough then add more flour than the recipe calls for.
I’m also guessing the flavour might not be as intense as a cocoa powder. Please let me know how it goes, I would love to know! Thanks!
Sarah says
This recipe tastes fantastic! I’d recommend either rolling it out to the desired thickness before refrigerating or let it warm up a bit after removing it from the fridge to roll it out. It is almost impossible to roll directly out of the fridge. Beautiful consistency and amazing flavour! Will be my go to for chocolate sugar cookies!
Bobye says
I noticed that there is no baking power or baking soda in this recepe. I made them as written. They did not lose their shape and are very dense. I did use the “Special Dark Coco” and they are very chocolate. The dough was sticky. Rolled it out between 2 pieces of parchment paper and chilled and the cut out cookie came off the parchment easily.
Maria says
Hi
Thank you for sharing your recipe. May i ask why it doesn’t contain baking powder or baking soda?
marian says
Hi Maria,
I take the levening agent out to prevent the cookies from spreading. Still taste good and they hold their shape better!
Peggy Chesnutt says
Where do I start? I made these for the first time and I followed you recipe EXACTLY…..except we have to eat gluten free in our home, so I used my fantastic cup for cup flour and they came out PERFECT!! I still have tears in my eyes. From another recipe I have an almost exact copy of Oreo filling. For the 1st time in 15 years I had a gluten free oreo that tasted like the original. Such a fantastic chocolate taste, they are great without icing. So if you have any questions about can these be made GF….YES, yes they can. Thank you for this gift.
Kathy B says
Awesome!!! So happy, my niece is also GF so it’s nice to know.
Marian says
Hi Peggy,
Happiness! I’m so glad to hear it!! Would you mind sharing what GF flour you used for other readers please?
Peggy Chesnutt says
The GF flour blend I rely on for everything is from Kate Chan’s website glutenfreegobsmacked. Here is a link
http://www.glutenfreegobsmacked.com/my-gf-flour-blend/
And if anyone wants to turn your perfect chocolaty cookies into an oreo I used the recipe for the filling from Annalise G. Roberts Gluten free Baking the Classics. And so we have gained a few pounds after eating too many of these cookies!!! Beware.
Peggy Chesnutt says
I forgot the most important part of the gluten free flour. You have to use Authentic Foods superfine rice flours. It makes ALL the difference. No other flour will give you the result.
marian says
Thanks so much Peggy!
Pina says
I have now made these cookies twice and they are beyond delicious !!What I love the most is how easy the recipe is.I can see you some can have a runny dough if you beat the butter to much..I also found that leaving the rolled dough i the fridge longer make the cookies hold their shape.They came out thick and last party,they finished in a blink of an eye!!Thanks for such a great recipe
marian says
Thanks for sharing Pina!!
JUdy Lanza says
Just to confirm, there is no baking powder or baking soda needed for this recipe?
marian says
Hi Judy,
No, I don’t use a leavening agent as it makes the cookies spread too much for a cut-out cookie. Still tastes great!
Pauline Miller says
I love this cookie recipe. I have been making these for about a year now and it’s my go to cookie dough for chocolate.
I add about a tsp of espresso powder to this recipe and sometimes mashed up Oreo cookies chocolate/chocolate or chocolate/vanilla cream.Love this and thank you for posting!
marian says
Nice idea to change the recipe up with espresso powder or Oreos! Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie says
When you scoop the flour, do you dip and sweep or spoon it in to the measuring cup? I found the dough to be very sticky to work with. I used 500 grams of all purpose flour and I think it needs a bit more than that.
Marian says
Hi Stephanie,
There are a lot of factors that could make a difference; the fat content of the butter, temperature of the butter etc. My rule of thumb if I’m making a cut out cookie dough and it’s a bit too sticky, add 1/4 cup of flour at a time until I’m happy with the consistency. Hope that helps!
Debbie says
Made these cookies for Thanksgiving. They are absolutely fantastic. They taste just like a brownie. Shared them with friends at a tailgate party. They were the biggest hit. Love your recipes….
marian says
Hi Debbie,
Glad to hear it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Michele says
What a great recipe! Mine came out PERFECT! I used special dark cocoa powder for a deeper color. White icing with gold and/or silver sprinkles made the trees look elegant! Thank you for sharing.
marian says
Hi Michele, that’s great to hear! I’m so glad. Thanks for sharing!
Melanie Jones says
I was wondering if I could use salted butter and leave out the salt that is in the recipe? Would that be the same or would that be too much salt in the recipe? Thank you!
marian says
Hi Melanie,
Yes, that works no problem. Happy baking!
Rosalee Inman says
I am not sure if I sent this (I don’t remember clicking submit). I made the chocolate cut out cookie. My cookies looked just liked the picture, DOUGH WAS WONDERFUL TO WORK WITH. The cookie tasted bitter, strong of chocolate, and dry…though beautiful. I am a good cookie baker for many years and make a lot of candies and cookies for gifts. I checked and went over the recipe to see if I made a mistake. When I saw the 1 and 1/2 cup of cocoa, I thought that was a lot!….and the recipe was wrong but pulled the recipe off my PC again and that was the amount it called for. The only thing I came up with…was Hershey’s powdered cocoa a wrong choice? (the cocoa was dated 2021). The reviews were wonderful! I wish I could taste one someone else made….I am having a hard time accepting that it was my baking that ruined this fabulous looking cookie…smiling. Any suggestions or advice I would love to know about. Please send to my email [email protected] Merry Christmas and may God bless you and yours.
marian says
Hi Rosalee,
I’m not sure, it doesn’t have a bitter flavour when I make them. Are you sure the other ingredients were measured correctly?
Courtney says
This is the first recipe I’ve wanted to try of the chocolate cutout cookies and noticed you use egg! I’ve never used egg before and was curious why the eggs and what makes the difference using egg?
marian says
Hi Courtney,
I’ve always used eggs in my sugar cookies, and this recipe is a version of my sugar cookies. My shortbread cookies don’t have egg though. In this recipe, the liquid helps bind the cookie together.
Kiki says
Delicious! Perfect recipe! Follow the “chilling instructions.” I will make these again.
Marian says
Thanks, Merry Christmas Kiki!
Teresa Martin says
Such a good cookie, and holds it’s shape excellent. Just need to chill the dough as the instructions say. Best to chill each time you roll it dough out. If it gets too warm it gets sticky.
Marian says
Thanks and Merry Christmas Teresa!
Jen says
I was wondering if these cookies are hard or soft. The comments show different results. I like my cookies softer and I didn’t know if they would be crispy.
marian says
Hi Jen,
It depends on how long you bake them. If you bake them longer, they will be crispy.