These chocolate sugar cookies are a delicious treat whether you choose to decorate them or eat them as is with a cup of coffee. Based on my classic butter cookie recipe they are soft, crisp, and buttery. Also, they do not spread, making them ideal for shaped and decorated custom cookies. I use these for chocolate sugar cookies for decorating purposes all the time.
In a previous post, I shared my vanilla sugar cookie recipe with just a variation on the chocolate version. Some of you found that difficult. So, I'm just going to give you the recipe here. It's almost the same recipe but with cocoa powder added to the recipe.
This is my go-to recipe for all decorated cookie orders. Not only do my kids love to eat them on their own, but they also do not spread making them ideal for shapes and cutouts.
As I said, the secret to making these chocolate sugar cookies is not just the recipe but the process of how I make them. Creaming the batter well will make it more airy and light. That is why though there is no leavening these cookies are not dense. If you skip the creaming you will end up with cookies that are dense and hard.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Unsalted butter - I like to use unsalted butter in all my baking so I can control the amount of salt. And yet, if you must use salted butter just omit the salt in the recipe.
- All-purpose flour - I always use all-purpose flour with great success. You do not need any other flour.
- White granulated sugar - As a rule of thumb, whenever you need to cream sugar and butter - always use a fine grain sugar that will cream faster. If you have to use a coarse grain sugar - just pulse it in the food processor a couple of times and it will be fine. Cookies with butter and sugar that are not creamed will result in a very flaky cookie.
- Vanilla extract - I like using vanilla extract. And yet, it also has the tendency to color the dough. So, if you need a white or light color dough just add clear vanilla extract or rose essence.
Chocolate sugar cookies for decorating
If you see decorated cookies on this blog - almost all of them are these Vanilla Sugar Cookies or my Chocolate Sugar Cookies. They are the best..!! Sometimes I use an eggless version of these - and you can find my eggless vanilla or eggless chocolate sugar cookies along with all other cookies here. In fact, in fall I make a no-spread gingerbread sugar cookies which are also a variation on these sugar cookies.
I do have a video on how I make my Vanilla Sugar Cookies. The process is the same for these chocolate sugar cookies as well.
Step by step instructions (pin)
Prepare
- Make sure the butter and eggs are room temperature.
- Sift together the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt.
Dough
- Place butter and sugar in your mixing bowl and mix on medium until light and fluffy.
Do not skip this step or the cookies will be very dense. - Add eggs one at a time slowly, mixing each well until incorporated.
- When both the eggs are added. Continue mixing on medium heat for about two more minutes.
- Next, add the vanilla.
- Followed by the flour. Do not over mix once the flour is incorporated.
- Bring the dough together and divide into two discs.
- Wrap in cling/plastic wrap for at least 1 to 2 hours.
Roll
- Once the dough is chilled, roll dough on a lightly floured surface evenly.
- Cut out desired shaped cookies and place them on a cookie sheet one inch apart.
- I prefer to chill the cookies while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 356 F.
- Bake cookies for about 8 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the cookies.
- When baked let cool on the tray for 7 to 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool further.
- You can eat these cookies as is or decorate them with royal icing or fondant.
Storage
- This cookie recipe can be halved or double without any issues.
- The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days, or
- Frozen for up to three months. If frozen thaw in the fridge overnight before you roll out.
- The baked cookies will stay at room temperature for up t 4 weeks but best eaten within a few days.
Frequently asked questions & Troubleshooting
Sugar cookies for decorating need to be crisp, not soft. With a flat, not puffy top. You want sharply defined edges, not round edges. This recipe gives you just that, crips, flat and well-defined sugar cookies. These will make the most beautiful decorated sugar cookies.
Leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda make the cookie lighter but also puffy. The resulting cookies do not make the best canvas for chocolate sugar cookies for decorating purposes.
These cookies will cut and bake better when properly chilled. If you don't have enough time I highly recommend using my recipe for no-chill sugar cookies instead.
I have tested and tried these cookies if you follow the recipe and bake them at the right temperature they will not spread. You can also try my other no spread sugar cookies recipe
The oil will keep the cookies soft and chewy while butter will make them crisp. A nice crisp cookie is what you need for sugar cookies when you want to decorate them. But, if you are in the mood for soft sugar cookies substitute half the butter with ¼ cup oil. Read how butter affects cookies baking
I think it's best to use my eggless sugar cookie recipe that's been tried and tested rather than substituting the eggs. You can try my eggless vanilla sugar cookies as well as my eggless chocolate sugar cookies.
You can, but the texture and taste will be different. Brown sugar will keep the cookies soft, tender and chewy while white sugar will give them a crisp texture which is what you need in sugar cookie for decorating.
The cornstarch adds a tender, softer crumb with a melt in the mouthfeel. You can also use rice flour or all-purpose flour successfully
I have used Dutch-processed cocoa powder that works best for baking. I highly recommend using unsweetened cocoa powder but if you choose to use sweetened cocoa powder you will need to reduce sugar in the recipe accordingly.
Often the reason is too much flour. I highly recommend weighing your ingredients so you add the precise amount of flour needed in the recipe.
Having said that, all flour gets absorbed differently. A good guide would to that the cookie dough should be soft and needs to be refrigerated just as you can see in the video.
If the prepared dough is pliable and ready to roll without refrigeration means you have added too much flour. The cookies will still be delicious but a bit firm. Bake them for less time so they don't become too hard after cooling.
Rolling and cutting sugar cookies evenly work best with a rolling that has spacers. I have explained the process and alternate method in detail with tips here in this post - 10 Tips - how to roll and cut sugar cookies
You want sugar cookies for decorating purposes to hold their shape without spreading but still be crisp and tender to bite into.
I find 180 C / 360 F though high works best. The sugar cookies do not spread but also bake just enough to keep them crisp and tender.
Yes, hot and humid conditions can be a challenge especially with butter-based cookies.
The best way to work around this is to roll the dough between two parchment papers.
Let the dough chill before you roll the dough and
Chill again after you roll the dough.
Cut the cookies out of chilled dough. This will give clean precise cuts and handling chilled cookies are easier to transfer from work surface to baking tray.
If you bake the cookies at a very high temperature or if you bake them for too long the edges will get brown quicker. 180C is a guide I like to use but every oven is different so adjust temperature accordingly.
If you have cookies baking quicker with most recipes then perhaps its time to check if your oven temperature needs calibration.
Overbaked cookies when cool tend to be dry and hard. Which is why you need to bake them until they are just about to start getting some color on the edges. The cookies continue to cook and set as they cool too.
More sugar cookie recipes
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The Best Chocolate Sugar Cookie Recipe
Print Pin RateDescription
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup (310 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cup (100 g) Cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch (cornflour)
- 8 oz (226 g) Unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar white
- 2 Eggs large
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare
- Make sure the butter and eggs are room temperature.
- Sift together the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt.
Dough
- Place butter and sugar in your mixing bowl and mix on medium until light and fluffy. Do not skip this step or the cookies will be very dense.
- Add eggs one at a time slowly, mixing each well until incorporated.
- When both the eggs are added. Continue mixing on medium heat for about two more minutes.
- Next, add the vanilla.
- Followed by the flour. Do not over mix once the flour is incorporated.
- Bring the dough together and divide into two discs.
- Wrap in cling/plastic wrap for at least 1 to 2 hours.
Roll
- Once the dough is chilled; roll dough on a lightly floured surface evenly.
- Cut out desired shaped cookies and place them on a cookie sheet one inch apart.
- I prefer to chill the cookies while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 356 F.
- Bake cookies for about 8 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the cookies.
- When baked let cool on the tray for 7 to 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool further.
- You can eat these cookies as is or decorate them with royal icing or fondant.
StorageÂ
- This cookie recipe can be halved or double without any issues.
- The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days or
- Frozen for up to three months. If frozen thaw in the fridge overnight before you roll out.
- The baked cookies will stay at room temperature for up t 4 weeks but best eaten within a few days.
Equipment
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
