Bakers, you know I aim to bring you only the very best when it comes to sugar cookies. (I solemnly swear on my cookie cutters.) They need to hold their shapes in the oven, have a nice flat surface for decorating, and, obviously, taste amazing! So developing a chocolate version of this popular recipe was not a task I took lightly. Not only are today’s cookies the perfect balance of chocolate and buttery goodness, they’re also easy to make!
Tell Me About These Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Texture: These cookies are soft and thick with slightly crisp edges. Flavor: Chocolate and buttery flavors are front and center here, reminding you of chocolate butter cookies or even homemade brownies. Both icing options are sweet, and pair wonderfully with the cookie’s deep chocolate flavor. Ease: Even if you’ve never made cookie cutter cookies before, this is a great place to start. You only need 8 ingredients for the cookie dough and the steps are ordered in such a way to make rolling and shaping EASIER. Time: Set aside a few hours for these because the dough does need to chill—I recommend setting aside an afternoon for baking and decorating fun. You can also make these ahead of time if it’s easier (see Note).
You can use this recipe to make any shapes like hearts and stars. By the way, you can use this exact dough when making Halloween cookies, my reader-favorite homemade thin mint cookies, and holiday-perfect peppermint bark cookies. They also look great decorated as fireworks cookies or football cookies. This is a very versatile chocolate sugar cookie dough! And if you’re looking for a drop-style chocolate cookie recipe, you’ll love these double chocolate chip cookies or my popular chocolate chip cookies.
Why This Chocolate Sugar Cookie Recipe Works
There are a few tricks to making sure your chocolate sugar cookies hold their cookie-cutter shapes in the oven (rather than spreading into unrecognizable blobs)
Choosing the Right Ingredients: Natural Cocoa Powder or Dutch-Process?
Cocoa powder is the key ingredient in these chocolate sugar cookies. But which one should you use: natural cocoa powder or dutch-process? If you’re not sure about the difference between the 2 and are interested, you can read more on my dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder page. Though dutch-process is typically what you would use when paired with baking powder, for this cookie recipe—and actually for these brownie cookies, too—it’s OK to use either dutch-process or natural cocoa powder. So choose whichever cocoa powder you like best! I typically use Hershey’s or Ghirardelli brands.
Icing for Decorating These Cookies
I have 2 cookie icing recipes and you can use either based on your skill level and decorating needs. Here are the basic differences:
Sturdy icing for piping sharp detail and fine designs Sets on the cookie in just 1–2 hours Dries firm but still soft, not a hard cement-like texture Make with an electric mixer Meringue powder eliminates the need for raw egg whites Decorate with piping bags (reusable or disposable) and tips
The pictured chocolate sugar cookie hearts are decorated with royal icing using Wilton piping tip #4, the same tip I use when decorating these Valentine’s Day cookies and these Halloween cookies (pictured next). 2. Easy Glaze Icing: Another option is this easy cookie icing, which I typically use on these Christmas sugar cookies. This glaze-style icing is great for beginners and much easier to make than royal icing because you don’t need an electric mixer or the perfect icing consistency for success. It isn’t as sturdy as royal icing, though, so you won’t be able to pipe concise details. It also takes a good 24 hours to dry. In a nutshell:
Easy to make with just a fork/whisk and bowl Just 5 basic ingredients Can decorate with piping tips or a squeeze bottle (good for beginners and young bakers) Sets on the cookie in 24 hours
For more decorating inspiration, here is my full tutorial (video included) on how to decorate sugar cookies. You could also top these cookies with buttercream, like I use on these St. Patrick’s Day cookies. And if you’re not into piping tips, you can just dunk the tops of the chocolate sugar cookies into the icing like when making mini animal cracker cookies. A fun option if you’re baking with kids! A Note on Tinting Your Icing: Liquid food coloring can alter the consistency of the icing, so I recommend using gel food coloring. This Americolor Soft Gel Paste Color Kit is handy if you decorate a lot and want a variety of colors. (Note: The pictured cookies do not use food coloring, but you can absolutely use it if you’d like colored icing!)
Chocolate Sugar Cookie Tips & Tools
Before I leave you with the recipe, let me suggest some useful chocolate sugar cookie tools. These are the exact products I use and trust in my own kitchen:
Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) Baking Sheets Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets Rolling Pin or this Adjustable Rolling Pin Piping Tips/Squeeze Bottle: If you’re using royal icing, I recommend Wilton piping tip #4 for outlining and flooding. This is a wonderful basic piping tip to have in your collection. If you’re using my easy glaze icing, I recommend using a squeeze bottle. Piping Bag: If you’re using a piping tip, you need a disposable piping bag or reusable piping bag. Couplers: Couplers are handy if you have multiple colors of icing and only 1 tip, and need to move the tip to the other bags of icing. Cookie Cutters: I like this heart-shaped cookie cutter and these star-shaped cookie cutters, but you can use any shape!
For even more recommendations you can see this full list of my favorite cookie decorating supplies.
