Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Valentine’s Day will be here soon and I want to share the recipe for these sparkly heart cookies with you. This recipe turns your favorite buttery sugar cookies into a chocolate sugar cookie, which couldn’t be more perfect for this February celebration of love. These chocolate cut-out cookies have a rich, smooth, chocolate flavor and a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Topped with a crackly sugar punch, they’re just too perfect and make a special Valentine treat for anyone needing a little reminder of just how much you love them!
Roll them out to your desired thickness. If you like them crisp and light, go for 1/8 inch. If you like a denser, fudgy texture with a little softness in the center, roll to ¼ inch. For the decorations, the simplest thing is to top with a little coarse or colored sugar before baking them. You can also use this recipe for royal icing and brighten them up with some color and a little more sweetness. Lastly, you can dust them with powdered sugar once they’re cool for a beautiful white/black look.
This is how you make chocolate sugar cookies:
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/4 tsp. salt, ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1-3/4 cups of flour. In a large bowl with beaters or in a stand mixer, on high speed, cream 1-¼ cups unsalted butter with ¾ cup of sugar for 3-4 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in one egg yolk and 2 tsp. vanilla extract. With beaters on low, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.
Divide dough into fourths and wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap for 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and center oven rack. Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before rolling. Dust a work surface with flour, as well as your rolling pin, and roll to desired thickness (1/4 – ½ inch, 3-6mm).
Cut with cookie cutters, using an offset spatula to remove cleanly, if needed, and place onto ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse or colored sugar, if desired. If using intricately-shaped cutters, chill dough on cookie sheets in refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking so they hold their shape.
Bake on center rack for 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking pan for a few minutes, before removing warm cookies to cool fully on cooling rack.
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
- coarse or colored sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/4 tsp. salt, ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1-3/4 cups of flour. In a large bowl with beaters or in a stand mixer, on high speed, cream 1-¼ cups unsalted butter with ¾ cup of sugar for 3-4 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in one egg yolk and 2 tsp. vanilla extract. With beaters on low, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.
- Divide dough into fourths and wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap for 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and center oven rack. Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before rolling. Dust a work surface with flour, as well as your rolling pin, and roll to desired thickness (1/4 – ½ inch, 3-6mm). Cut with cookie cutters, using an offset spatula to remove cleanly, if needed, and place onto ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse or colored sugar, if desired. If using intricately-shaped cutters, chill dough on cookie sheets in refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking so they hold their shape.
- Bake on center rack for 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking pan for a few minutes, before removing warm cookies to cool fully on cooling rack. Makes about 36 cookies.