I know that name is a mouthful…”Easy Chocolate Sugar Cookie Cutouts”. But the recipe is simpler, I promise. Quick and easy, with a chocolatey, tender crumb, this recipe is the perfect way to change up your usual sugar cookie routine.
This recipe was born out of: “I wonder if I can…”
I was curious if I could take my regular sugar cookie cut out dough, and make it chocolate.
Turns out, I can in fact do that thing!
These cookies are delicious on their own, almost like a shortbread…not quite as crumbly or as buttery…but in that general, shortbready, direction. They also pair beautifully with buttercream frosting, royal icing, or drizzled with chocolate.
I would know. I’ve tried all three:
Mom liked the drizzled with chocolate for a more shortbread approach…
The Husband prefers royal icing because he’s a monster and has to go and pick the frosting I feel least comfortable making/using…
And I prefer buttercream. So, you do you, boo boo.
Key Ingredients
- Cocoa – I’ve use the “square, plastic, brown container” and the “fancy, only at the organic market” cocoa powders. Both worked well in this recipe.
- Butter – I use regular ol’, grocery store, unsalted butter when I make these cookies. Be careful when using something like a European-style butter, as the moisture/fat content may differ. Also, this is NOT the place for margarine, for the same reason.
- Sugar – You’ll notice, this recipe uses powdered sugar in the dough. That’s not a typo.
The Process
Start by creaming the butter and sugar together, before adding the egg and flavoring(s).
Then add the remaining ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.
Note – If using, start SLOW with that mixer as powdered sugar and cocoa powder go EVERYWHERE.
Once you have everything mixed, lay a piece of parchment paper on your counter and top it with about half of the dough.
Roll the dough out to about ¼in thickness and cut the cookies, but do NOT try to pick them up yet.
Once you’ve cut everything out, place the parchment paper on a baking sheet and pop it in the fridge for about 5min (or long enough for you to repeat the cutting process with the remaining dough).
Now that the dough has chilled, it is a bit more firm. You can more easily remove the extra bits of dough from around the cut cookies and the cookies will be less likely to break or warp if you need to move them around.
Once you’ve got the sugar cookies placed, you’re ready to bake!
Cool on a wire rack before frosting.
Easy Chocolate Sugar Cookie Cutouts
Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer (optional – these can be mixed by hand)
- 1-3 Baking Sheet Pans
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar do not pack, measure like flour
- 1 large egg
- 2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and powdered sugar.
- Add the egg and flavoring and mix well.
- Next, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Mix gently to combine thoroughly. Do not overmix.
- On a piece of parchment paper, roll out the dough about ¼ inch thick. Cut the cookies using your preferred cookie cutter(s).Do not remove the excess dough (yet).Gently place the the parchment paper on a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for about 5min (or while you roll and cut any remaining dough).
- Once the dough has firmed up a little, remove the excess dough from around the cut cookies (I find a toothpick helps with this).Set excess dough aside.Pick up the cut cookies and arrange them evenly on the parchment-lined baking sheet, at least ½ inch apart.
- Bake at 400°F for 7-8 minutes or until very slightly golden brown around the edges. Repeat the rolling/cutting process with remaining dough.(NOTE: I also let my cookies just hang out in the fridge while they're waiting their turn in the oven, but I've skipped this extra chilling time and they've been just fine as well. I just have limited counter space and stashing them in the fridge helps free up some room).If your cookies are a little thicker, you may need to add 1 minute.If your cookies are a little thinner, you may need to start checking them around 6min to prevent over baking.
- Cool baked cookies on the baking sheet for about 5min before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
Notes
