Chocolate Sugar Cookies
These delicious, foolproof chocolate sugar cookies are satisfying on their own and also perfect for decorating. Here's how to make them both ways.
Calories: 172kcal
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons (224 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 grams) sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 ¼ cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (21 grams) very good quality natural cocoa powder, such as Vahlrona
- ¼ cup (21 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat together the butter, sugar, baking powder, vanilla and salt until lightened and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down bowl as necessary.
- Beat in egg until well combined.
- Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa powders.
- Beat into wet ingredients all at once, just until well combined.
- Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. (Dough will keep in fridge for 24 hours if you want to prepare it the day before.)
- Preheat oven to 375°F with two racks close to the center. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Divide dough into two discs. Sprinkle with cocoa.
- Roll out each disc until dough is ⅛" thick and cut into shapes with cookie cutters.
- Transfer cookies to baking sheets, leaving space between cookies.
- Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges begin to firm.
- Cool on pan for a couple of minutes and then completely on a rack before serving or decorating.
Notes
- Use a really good-quality butter if you can. Here and virtually everywhere, I start with a cultured butter from grass-fed cows. This sounds fancy but doesn't have to be. Kerrygold, for example, is sold in most supermarkets at a reasonable price. I've called for unsalted butter and some salt in this recipe, but you can use salted butter and omit the extra salt if that's what you've got on hand.
- You'll use two kinds of cocoa powder to make these cookies, both unsweetened. Natural cocoa powder has its acidity intact. The better-quality your cocoa, the more pure and chocolatey your cookies will taste. Dutch process cocoa has been treated with alkali to neutralize its acidity. Don't substitute one for the other, since they behave differently in baking.
- Once completely cooled, these cookies will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for a week. Or make use of the freezer. You can freeze well-wrapped dough or baked cookies for a couple of months. Defrost dough in the fridge overnight before using, or thaw cookies at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.9g | Protein: 2.3g | Fat: 9.9g | Fiber: 1.1g