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Chocolate Sugar Cookies are the ultimate cookie for when you need a deep chocolate fix without the hassle of rolling out dough. These are easy drop sugar cookies, meaning no rolling pin and no chilling required! With a soft, chewy center and a rich cocoa flavor, they are delicious plain, rolled in sparkling sugar, or topped with a thick layer of chocolate buttercream.
I have been making drop sugar cookies for years (they’re actually my favorite kind – no rolling or mess!) and I decided I needed a chocolate version. After numerous tests I settled on this delicious soft and chewy recipe. Whether you make them with frosting or simply roll the dough in sugar before baking, they’re rich and chocolatey and so good.
What makes this the best chocolate sugar cookie recipe is the specific combination of cream of tartar and an extra egg yolk. The cream of tartar provides that classic sugar cookie “tang” and prevents the sugar from crystallizing, while the extra yolk ensures the cookies stay fudgy and soft for days. It’s a simple “one-bowl” method that delivers bakery-quality results in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients for Soft and Chewy Cookies
- Softened unsalted butter is the backbone of any sugar cookie recipe. (If you’re in a rush, learn how to soften butter quickly.) You can use salted butter, just reduce the amount of added salt by 1/4 teaspoon.
- Large egg and an egg yolk: Eggs help create chewy cookies. The protein and fat in the extra yolk interfere with gluten formation, creating a fudgy (rather than cakey) cookie.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: This recipe was tested with regular cocoa powder, not Dutch process. You can use any brand you like, but I prefer Hershey or Ghirardelli.
- Why Cream of Tartar? In this recipe, cream of tartar acts as the leavening stabilizer. It gives the cookies a slight puff and that signature “crinkle” look if you roll them in sugar, distinguishing them from a standard chocolate butter cookie.
- All-purpose flour: Be sure to measure it correctly.
Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions. See below the recipe card for even more information: process shots, variations, FAQ and more.
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Chocolate Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies
- ¾ cup (170g) 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.
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How to Make Chocolate Sugar Cookies Step by Step
- Make sure your butter and sugar are creamed properly (light and fluffy) before mixing in the eggs, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla.
- Once the butter mixture is smooth, then mix in the cocoa. Make sure to mix until no lumps remain before mixing in flour.
- Scoop two tablespoons of dough to form each cookie dough ball. You can roll them in granulated sugar in a small bowl and then place them on the baking sheet. If you plan to frost them, you can skip the sugar.
- Bake the cookies in a preheated oven on silicone baking mats or a parchment-lined baking sheet until the tops of the cookies are no longer glossy.
- While the cookies are baking, make the chocolate frosting if you’ll be frosting them. Make sure to sift together you’re cocoa powder and powdered sugar. This helps remove any lumps from either. Alternately, you can sift the cocoa powder directly into the butter. Beating the cocoa into the butter first can help prevent cocoa clumps and ensure a darker, richer color.
- The “No-Gloss” Doneness Test: Knowing when a chocolate cookie is done is tricky because you can’t see them brown. The secret is to look for the surface to go from glossy to matte. Once they are no longer shiny on top, pull them out! They will firm up as they cool to create that perfect chewy edge.
FAQs
You can add unsweetened cocoa powder to sugar cookies, but the amount will depend on the recipe. My tried and true chocolate sugar cookie recipe has the perfect amount to make soft and chewy cookies rich with chocolate flavor.
The ratio of ingredients place a big part but also the baking temperature and time. For the best soft and chewy cookies, don’t overbake the cookies, which will cause them to dry out.
I use one whole egg and an extra egg yolk for my drop chocolate sugar cookies. That extra egg yolk adds more moisture giving the cookies a great texture.
No! This recipe is designed to be “drop and bake.” However, if your kitchen is very warm and the dough feels oily, a quick 15-minute chill can help them stay thick.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. These cookies stay remarkably soft thanks to the extra yolk!.
Absolutely. Scoop the balls and freeze them on a tray, then transfer to a bag. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
These are so good!! The cookies are nice and soft and very chocolaty. The frosting is simple and quick to make and perfect for these cookies. Next time I make them I will double the recipe. So very hard to just eat one. Thank you!!!
These cookies were so good and easy to make. They were like little brownie cookies. However, I am not a fan of frosting so I didn’t use any, and I didn’t miss it at all.
These cookies are just as described: easy, quick, superbly delicious. I was tired of making oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip so these were a nice change. In the summertime these are easy to transport in a picnic basket or golf bag…if they make it that far. I made the recipe exactly as written, used silicone mats and rolled in sugar. I didn’t frost them because I needed them to be portable but I will definitely frost them next time, particularly in light of the comments from other bakers. I baked them for 10 minutes and they were perfect. I got 24 cookies. Next time I will have to double the recipe!
Amazing! The softest chocolate sugar cookie. Simple and quick!
Made these today for the August Challenge. They came together fairly quickly and baked nice and soft, just like a sugar cookie should. The grandkids didn’t want to wait for frosting but they don’t really need it. Yummy nice and very chocolate.
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