Chocolate Sugar Cookies

The best Chocolate Sugar Cookies that are easy to make and delicious plain or with frosting! These are easy drop sugar cookies with a rich chocolate flavor and soft and chewy texture. 

Classic sugar cookies are amazing, but what about chocolate sugar cookies? I am here to tell you they’re even better. Soft, chewy, and all about the chocolate flavor – you are going to love this easy recipe.

BEST Chocolate Sugar Cookies

These are chocolate sugar cookies without brown sugar so they have the best texture. They have the same look and texture of a regular sugar cookie, but with chocolate.

These are drop sugar cookies which means we’re keeping it simple. There’s no rolling or cutting out the dough – just drop it onto the cookie sheet and bake.

I love them coated in sugar for an extra lightly crunchy coating or you can skip the sugar and make double chocolate sugar cookies and top them with my chocolate frosting.

Ingredients in Chocolate Sugar Cookies

• Softened unsalted butter: If you’re in a rush, learn how to soften butter quickly.
• Granulated sugar: This is a classic in sugar cookies, so I’m keeping it the same.
• Large egg and an egg yolk: The egg gives structure and the extra yolk adds chewiness to the cookies.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: This recipe was tested with regular cocoa, not Dutch process.
• Vanilla extract: Always buy PURE vanilla!
• Baking soda: Normal for cookies.
• Cream of tartar: Helps them be nice and soft.
• Salt: Needed since we’re using unsalted butter.
• All-purpose flour: Be sure to measure it correctly.

How to Make Chocolate Sugar Cookies

• Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
• Mix until combined, and then mix in the cocoa powder.
• Add the flour and mix until the dough is smooth.
• Scoop two tablespoons of dough to form each cookie dough ball. You can roll them in granulated sugar and then place them on the baking sheet. If you plan to frost them, you can skip the sugar.
• Bake the cookies for nine to 14 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are no longer glossy.
• While the cookies are baking, make the frosting if you’ll be frosting them.

Chocolate Frosted Sugar Cookies

If you opt for frosting them, you will love my easy chocolate frosting. One batch is enough to frost all the cookies.

To make the chocolate buttercream: Beat softened butter, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar in a bowl until the mixture is crumbly. Add salt, vanilla, and a little milk and mix until smooth. Add more milk, if needed, so the frosting is spreadable.

Frost the cooled chocolate sugar cookies and then decorate with sprinkles or leave them plain.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Learn how to make the best chocolate buttercream frosting! I’ve been making this frosting for years and am sharing all of my tips and tricks so you can make delicious fluffy chocolate frosting from scratch that turns out perfectly every time. You’ll never need another buttercream recipe again once you have this one – it’s…

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Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipes

• Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies are a family favorite.
• We make Cutout Sugar Cookies every Christmas.
• Sugar Cookie Bars are probably my favorite recipe ever!

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

4.91 from 32 votes

Chocolate Cookies without brown sugar. Different ways to frost cookies or leave them plain as well!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes

Total Time 39 minutes

Yield 23 servings

Serving Size 1 serving

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Ingredients

 

Cookies

• ▢ ¾ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 egg yolk
• ▢ ⅓ cup (27g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups (217g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ Granulated sugar for rolling (optional; see note)

Frosting:

• ▢ 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups (141g) powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons milk
• ▢ Sprinkles optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• Cream butter and sugar for about a minute, or until fluffy, using a hand or a stand mixer.
• Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt and mix until combined, then mix in cocoa.
• Add flour and mix until smooth.
• Scoop 2 tablespoon size balls of cookie dough and place on cookie sheet 2-inches apart. If desired, roll them in granulated sugar beforehand.
• Bake 9-14 minutes, or until no longer glossy. If you’ve rolled them in sugar, those will be slightly cracked. Do not over bake. Cool before frosting.
• Make frosting: beat butter with cocoa and powdered sugar until crumbly. Add salt, vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk; mix until smooth, adding more milk as needed for spreadable consistency.
• Frosting cookies as desired. Top with sprinkles if you want.

Recipe Notes

• These cookies spread more on parchment than they do on silicone, so for puffier cookies bake on a silpat baking mat.
• I roll the cookies in sugar prior to baking if I’m not frosting them. It makes them prettier.
• If you’re frosting them, you don’t need to roll them in sugar.
  Frosting recipe is enough to frost entire batch of cookies.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 94mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 281IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Dorothy Kern

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Easy Chocolate Sugar Cookies without brown sugar – this is a classic drop sugar cookie recipe turned chocolate – make them plain or with easy chocolate frosting!