These soft and chewy chocolate cookies are like a cross between a fudgy cocoa brownie and a classic, melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookie! They’re easy to make without chilling the dough, so you can enjoy a soft-baked cookie in 30 minutes or less. Once cooled, these chocolate cookies are ready for frosting and decorating, perfect for Christmas cookie platters.
Sugar cookies are a Christmas favorite, and for the chocolate lovers, I just know these soft chocolate cookies are going to be a holiday staple. If you’ve yet to sink your teeth into a soft-baked chocolate sugar cookie before, you’re in for a treat! This easy recipe blends rich cocoa flavor with a classic Amish sugar cookie-like texture that’s crispy at the edges and fudgy in the middle.
Add these to your baking list, ASAP! And if you’d like a cut-out cookie to decorate with icing, try my easy cut-out chocolate sugar cookies.
- Soft-baked and fudgy. With just the right amount of butter and cocoa powder, these are soft sugar cookies with a thick, tender texture and fudginess that reminds me of chocolate brownies.
- Perfect for decorating. Roll the unbaked cookie dough in sugar, or frost the finished cookies and top them with chocolate sprinkles for a bakery-worthy finish.
- No chill time needed. Just mix the chocolate cookie dough, scoop, and bake! These chocolate sugar cookies are perfect for holiday baking.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients in this soft chocolate cookies recipe. Be sure to scroll to the full ingredients list and printable instructions in the recipe card.
- Butter – Softened so it’s easier to mix. Take the butter out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead of time, or you can soften it quickly in the microwave for a few seconds.
- Oil – I like to use a combination of butter and oil in these cookies; butter for flavor, and vegetable oil for that tender texture that stays soft for days.
- Powdered Sugar – The secret to these cookies’ melt-in-your-mouth texture is to use powdered sugar. It makes the texture similar to a meltaway cookie.
- Eggs – For easy mixing, these can be at room temperature.
- Vanilla – Use real vanilla extract, or you can make mint chocolate cookies by swapping half of the vanilla with peppermint extract.
- Flour – Make sure to measure the flour correctly, using a kitchen scale or the spoon-and-sweep method. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup (don’t scoop) and level it off afterward to avoid overmeasuring.
- Cocoa Powder – Since this recipe uses baking soda, use natural cocoa powder, which is acidic and will react with the leavening. I use the unsweetened kind. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is neutral and won’t work the same in this recipe.
- Cream of Tartar – Cream of tartar creates an exceptionally soft texture with a hint of tang, just like it does in snickerdoodle cookies
- Prepare to bake. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper while the oven preheats to 350ºF.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Cream the butter and oil with both sugars, followed by the eggs and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the dry ingredients. Next, mix in the baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Slowly add the cocoa powder, and finally, add the flour. Mix until the dough is just combined.
- Scoop and sprinkle. Using a large cookie scoop, drop the chocolate cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheets. If you’d like, press a few chocolate sprinkles on top for a fun finish.
- Bake. Bake these cookies at 350ºF for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will look slightly underbaked in the center— that’s perfect! Let them cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Then, move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Don’t overmix. You’ll notice I add the flour last. That’s on purpose! The more mixing you do after the flour is added, the more the gluten develops in the cookie dough. Too much mixing leads to tough, dense cookies.
- Use the right cocoa powder. Again, Dutch-processed powder won’t work in these cookies. It doesn’t have the acidity of natural cocoa powder, and it won’t react with the baking soda. This impacts how the cookies rise in the oven.
- Don’t overbake! The key to soft chocolate cookies is pulling them from the oven just before they look fully baked. They should be just set at the edges and still soft (but not gooey) in the middle.
- Make it festive. Add holiday-themed sprinkles or drizzle these cookies with melted white chocolate for a seasonal twist.
- Easy add-ins. Try mixing in ½ to 1 cup of chocolate chips, chopped pecans, walnuts, or red and green M&Ms.
- Add frosting. Finish these cookies with a layer of creamy homemade chocolate frosting or heritage frosting. I also love these frosted with mint chocolate chip frosting!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Scoop and flash-freeze the chocolate dough balls on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer the dough balls to a zip-top bag and freeze them for up to 2 months.
No, these chocolate cookies shouldn’t spread much. The dough holds its shape well, resulting in thick, bakery-style cookies. If, for some reason, your cookies spread, a quick fix is to gently reshape them using a spatula (or the edge of a glass) right as they come out of the oven.
Proper Storage
- On the counter. Store these soft chocolate cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days
- Freeze. I love to freeze these chocolate cookies for longer freshness. Store them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. They’re great to grab and thaw whenever a craving strikes!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
These chewy chocolate cookies blend fudgy cocoa flavor with a soft-baked texture that melts in your mouth! Once baked, these chocolate cookies are perfect for Christmas cookie platters.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Cream together butter, oil and both sugars on medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla, scraping sides of bowl as necessary.
- Mix in baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in cocoa powder until combined evenly. Finally add in flour, mixing until combined.
- Using a large (3 tablespoon) cookie scoop drop dough onto lined baking sheet. Add sprinkles now if desired. Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges are set. Do not over bake.
- Allow to cool for 3 minutes on baking sheet and transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days for best freshness.
- Freeze airtight for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
i was going to make these tomorrow but can’t view the recipe. Where can I get it. Thanks
the link at the bottom is to the Imperial Sugar website… that’s where I posted the recipe 🙂
Okay, so I’m hosting a Ugly Christmas Sweater Party next week and I want the most gorgeous cookie appetizer tray as possible for my guests ~ these are totally going on the list! And I’m giving away the same $200 artisan wood board on my blog right now. Yay!
I was just talking with a friend the other day about how sugar cookies would be better if they were chocolate! Yum!
All we need is a glass of milk, and my son will never leave the house.
I have never had a chocolate sugar cookie – curious now so of course I will have to make these 😉