Chocolate sugar cookies are rich, fudgy, and deeply chocolatey. These soft, chewy cookies are quick and easy to make and are an excellent choice for holiday gatherings or any time you crave a chocolatey treat.
Why Should You Make This Recipe
If you love a soft, chewy chocolate cookie, these chocolate sugar cookies deliver. They combine the familiar crunch of a sugared exterior with a tender, fudgy interior for a comforting, well-balanced texture. This recipe is easy to follow, uses basic pantry ingredients, and requires minimal hands-on time—perfect for busy bakers and holiday cookie trays alike.
- Comforting flavor and texture. A fudgy chocolate base with a slight sugar crunch gives these cookies a classic yet indulgent profile.
- Simple and fast. Most of the work happens in one bowl, the dough needs only a short chill, and everyday ingredients are all you need.
Ingredients
These cocoa sugar cookies require a handful of common ingredients you likely already have. The list below covers dry and wet ingredients used in the recipe.
- Dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Wet ingredients: melted and cooled butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, one egg plus one egg yolk, vanilla extract, and Dutch-process cocoa powder.
Substitutions
If you need to make adjustments, here are some practical substitutions that keep the texture and taste close to the original.
- Gluten-free flour: Use a good 1:1 gluten-free flour by weight (about 270 g) to swap for all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder: If you don’t have baking soda, replace it with 2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder. Expect a slightly more cake-like texture.
- Butter: Salted butter can replace unsalted; omit the added salt in the recipe if you do.
- Sugars: You can use equal parts granulated or brown sugar interchangeably. For a refined sugar-free option, maple sugar can be used in place of granulated sugar.
- Eggs: The recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Vanilla: Vanilla enhances the overall flavor but can be reduced slightly if desired.
- Cocoa powder: Unsweetened natural cocoa powder can be used instead of Dutch-process cocoa, though Dutch-process yields a smoother, more intense chocolate flavor.
Variations
- Chocolate cut-out cookies: Use this dough with your favorite cut-out cookie technique. Reduce any almond flour called for in alternate recipes and add Dutch-process cocoa to keep a firm, rollable dough.
- Frosted chocolate sugar cookies: Top cooled cookies with a chocolate buttercream. A simple frosting is made by creaming 3/4 cup room-temperature butter with 2–2½ cups powdered sugar, 6 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 2–4 tablespoons milk to reach spreadable consistency.
How To Make
Follow these straightforward steps to make the cookies.
- Melt the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl for about 1 minute. It should be mostly melted but with a few unmelted bits. Transfer to the fridge and cool for about 20 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the cooled melted butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Cover the dough and chill while you preheat the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) for 20–30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour extra sugar into a small bowl for rolling.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) to portion the dough, roll each portion into a ball, and coat lightly in sugar. Place balls 3 inches (8 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet (about eight cookies per sheet).
- Bake 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are slightly puffed with some surface cracks. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
How To Store, Make Ahead, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Make ahead: The dough can be prepared up through mixing and refrigerated, covered, for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Freeze dough: Chill the dough briefly, scoop into balls, freeze on a tray for about 20 minutes, then transfer to a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling in sugar and baking.
- Freeze baked cookies: Arrange cooled cookies in a single layer in a freezer-safe container, separating layers with parchment if needed, and freeze up to three months.
- Thaw: Let frozen cookies come to room temperature, or microwave for 15–20 seconds for a just-baked warmth.
M’s Expert Tips
- Cool the melted butter: Let melted butter rest 10–15 minutes so it’s not hot when added to the eggs and sugar—this helps preserve texture.
- Don’t overmix: Combine dry and wet ingredients until just incorporated to keep the cookies tender and chewy.
- Rest the dough: Chilling briefly while the oven preheats helps the dough hold shape and develop texture.
- Shape while warm: If a cookie spreads irregularly, use a wide biscuit cutter within the first minute out of the oven to nudge edges back into a round shape.
FAQs
Can I make these chocolate sugar cookies smaller?
Yes. A 2-tablespoon scoop makes a nicely chewy cookie. For a smaller cookie (1 tablespoon), bake 8–10 minutes. For larger cookies (3 tablespoons), bake 12–14 minutes.
Should these sugar cookies be soft or crispy?
These are intended to be soft and chewy with a slightly crunchy sugar coating; they are not a crispy-style sugar cookie.
What makes sugar cookies too hard?
Over-measuring flour can dry out cookies. For best results, weigh flour (about 270 g) or use the scoop-and-level method when measuring by volume.
Other Holiday Cookie Recipes to Try
- Tiramisu Cookies
- Nutella Cookies
- Brownie Cookies
If you try this Chocolate Sugar Cookies recipe, please rate it and leave a comment. Tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram so M can see your results. Happy baking!
Chocolate Sugar Cookies Recipe
Megan
These cookies are fudgy, chocolate-forward, soft in the center, and finished with a sugared exterior—ideal for sharing or gifting.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time
20
20
Cook Time
10
10
Chill Time
30
30
Total Time
1
1
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 22 cookies
Equipment
- 1 microwave-safe bowl
- 2 mixing bowls
- 1 whisk and a flexible spatula or spoon
- 1 medium (2 tablespoon) cookie scoop (optional)
- 2 baking 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 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup (48 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar for rolling (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. It should be mostly melted with a few unmelted pieces. Cool in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the cooled melted butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Cover and chill the dough while preheating the oven. Dough can be refrigerated, covered, overnight if needed.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment. Pour rolling sugar into a small bowl. Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon portions, roll into balls, coat in sugar if using, and place about 3 inches apart on the prepared sheets (around 8 per sheet).
- Bake 10–12 minutes, until edges are set and centers are slightly puffed with cracks on top. Cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
Store: Place cookies in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.
See the Variations section above for frosting or cut-out cookie options.
Keyword Chocolate Cookies, Chocolate Sugar Cookies, Cocoa Sugar Cookies
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