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Chocolate sugar cookies are everything you love about a soft sugar cookie, but make it chocolate, and they have become my most-requested cookie of all. I baked the first batch on a rainy weekend when Maddie wanted something chocolatey and pillowy, and the chocolate frosting on top sealed the deal. If you love a soft, frosted cookie, you have to try our soft frosted lofthouse cookies too.
Soft, chewy chocolate cookies rolled in sparkly sugar and finished with a swirl of rich chocolate frosting.
Chocolate Sugar Cookies Quick Look
- đź•’ Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 30 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 192kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Deeply chocolatey, soft, and chewy with a sparkly sugar edge and rich chocolate frosting
- âś‹ Difficulty: Easy, no chilling required, like our cream cheese cookies
Quick Answer
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together. Cream melted butter with brown sugar, then beat in the egg and vanilla and stir in the dry ingredients to form a soft dough. Roll the dough into balls, coat each in granulated sugar, and flatten slightly on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes until set, then cool and swirl on a rich chocolate frosting. These chocolate sugar cookies stay soft and chewy for days.
Jump to:
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies FAQs
- Other Recommended Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Melted butter makes them chewy. Skipping the creaming step and using melted butter gives these cookies a dense, fudgy, chewy bite instead of a cakey one.
- Cornstarch keeps them soft. A spoonful of cornstarch tenderizes the dough so the cookies stay pillowy soft for days.
- Cocoa in the dough and frosting. Using cocoa in both layers doubles down on the chocolate so every bite is rich, not just sweet.
- Rolling in sugar adds crackle. That coat of granulated sugar gives the cookies their signature sparkly, crackly tops.
- No chilling needed. The dough is sturdy enough to scoop and bake right away, so you can have warm cookies in half an hour.
- Brown sugar for depth. Brown sugar adds moisture and a hint of molasses that makes the chocolate flavor taste even deeper.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are soft, chewy, and intensely chocolatey, the best of a sugar cookie and a brownie in one.
- There is no dough chilling and no rolling and cutting, so they come together fast for a last-minute treat.
- The rich chocolate frosting makes them feel extra special, just like our Christmas chocolate blossom cookies.
Key Ingredients
These soft, chewy cookies get their deep flavor from a few simple baking staples. Here is what each one brings.
- Cocoa Powder: Used in both the cookies and the frosting for a rich, double-chocolate flavor. Natural unsweetened cocoa works best.
- Brown Sugar: Packed brown sugar keeps these cookies soft and chewy with a subtle molasses note.
- Melted Butter: Melting the butter gives the cookies their dense, fudgy, chewy texture without any mixer.
- Cornstarch: A little cornstarch is the secret to extra soft, tender cookies that stay pillowy for days.
- Granulated Sugar for Rolling: Rolling the dough balls in sugar gives that signature crackly, sparkly sugar-cookie top.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These chocolate sugar cookies are easy to customize. Here are a few of our favorite twists.
- Skip the frosting: They are delicious plain with just the sugar coating for a simpler cookie.
- Add chips: Fold in chocolate or white chocolate chips for extra melty pockets.
- Mint chocolate: Add a little peppermint extract to the frosting for a holiday version.
- Sprinkle them: Top the frosting with sprinkles or chopped nuts for color and crunch.
- Swap the frosting: Use our American buttercream or a peanut butter frosting instead of chocolate.
How to Make Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Stir the melted butter and brown sugar together, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
- Scoop and roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls.
- Roll each ball in granulated sugar until fully coated.
- Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and gently flatten each one with the bottom of a glass.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes until set. Cool completely, then beat the frosting ingredients together and swirl it onto each cookie, finishing with chocolate sprinkles.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not overbake. Pull them at 10 minutes when the edges are set but the centers still look soft; they firm up as they cool.
- Measure the flour right. Spoon and level it so the cookies stay soft instead of dry and cakey.
- Use a glass to flatten. Pressing each ball gently with a flat-bottomed glass gives even, round cookies.
- Cool before frosting. Warm cookies will melt the frosting, so let them cool completely first.
- Room temperature butter for frosting. Softened butter whips into a smooth, fluffy chocolate frosting.
- Store them soft. Keep cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread to keep them extra soft for days.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These chocolate sugar cookies are a chocolate lover’s dream with a tall glass of cold milk or a hot cup of coffee. Stack them on a plate for an after-dinner treat, tuck them into lunchboxes, or set them out on the dessert table where they always disappear first.
For a cookie platter with variety, arrange them next to our soft frosted lofthouse cookies and a batch of raspberry thumbprint cookies so guests get a mix of chocolate, vanilla, and fruity. The contrast of colors makes a beautiful spread.
They are also a fantastic make-ahead and gifting cookie. Frost them the day of and box them up, or stack a few in a treat bag with a ribbon next to our chocolate blossom cookies for a sweet, chocolatey gift friends will love.
Chocolate Sugar Cookies FAQs
The most common causes are too much flour or overbaking. Spoon and level your flour rather than scooping it, and pull the cookies at around 10 minutes when the centers still look slightly soft. The cornstarch and brown sugar in the dough are there to keep them tender, so measure carefully and do not overbake.
No, that is one of the best things about this recipe. The dough is sturdy enough to scoop, roll, and bake right away with no chilling required, so you can go from craving to warm cookies in about half an hour. If your kitchen is very warm and the dough feels sticky, a quick 15-minute chill helps.
Yes. Bake the cookies and store them unfrosted in an airtight container for up to four days, then frost the day you plan to serve. You can also freeze the unfrosted cookies for up to three months, or freeze scooped dough balls and bake them straight from frozen, adding a minute or two.
Natural unsweetened cocoa powder, like Hershey’s, gives a classic chocolate flavor and works perfectly in both the cookies and the frosting. Dutch-process cocoa will give a darker, smoother, less acidic flavor; either works here, so use what you have on hand.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature and tuck in a slice of bread, which the cookies absorb moisture from to stay soft. The melted butter and cornstarch in the dough already help them stay tender, but the bread trick keeps them pillowy for several days.
It is best to freeze them unfrosted, since frosting can change texture when frozen and thawed. Freeze the baked cookies in a single layer, then transfer to a container for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature and frost fresh for the best look and taste.
Craving more frosted cookies? Try our soft frosted lofthouse cookies next.
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbs cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling
- For the frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 Tbs heavy cream
- Chocolate sprinkles for garnish optional
Instructions
- Place the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and stir together until combined, set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 Tbs cornstarch, 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- In a large bowl whisk together the butter with the brown sugar until smooth.3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- Add in the egg and vanilla, stir until smooth.1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until combined. This will take a few minutes and will seem like the mixture doesn’t want to go together but it will. The dough will be thick.
- On a parchment paper-lined sheet tray, place 1.5 tablespoon-sized dollops of the dough close together but not touching, I like to use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop for this. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight to chill.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper, set aside. Roll the dough into round balls, the dough will be very stiff at first but will soften slightly. Roll the dough in the granulated sugar and place them on the lined sheet trays 2 inches apart.1/3 cup granulated sugar
- With the bottom of a flat object, I like to use a small drinking glass, press down the cookies to form a disc.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until they are slightly puffed and no longer look raw. Let the cookies cool on the sheet tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies cool, make the frosting by placing the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and stirring it together until combined.
- Add the butter to the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or into a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar mixture a little at a time until fully combined, the mixture will be thick.
- Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream, stir to combine then whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, for 3 minutes. If the frosting looks a little thick, add the additional 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and whip for 1 additional minute.
- When the cookies are cool, frost with the frosting, about 1-2 teaspoons per cookie. Immediately decorate with sprinkles if using, serve immediately.
Notes
- Use a parchment paper lined tray to prevent sticking and make cleanup easy.
- Don’t skip the chill time! Cold dough helps the cookies keep their shape.
- Melt the butter and let it cool slightly for the best texture.
- Use a medium bowl to mix the dry ingredients before adding to the wet.
- Whip your frosting on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- For uniform cookies, use a cookie scoop to make even-sized cookie dough balls.
Nutrition
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These were so much fun to make and tasted delicious.