Name: Chocolate Cut Out Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 167 min
Ingredients: 2 cups All purpose flour; ¾ cups Powdered sugar; 6 tablespoons Unsweetened dutch processed cocoa; ¾ cups +2 tablespoons Butter - softened; 1 large Egg - room temperature; 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla; 1 pinch Salt

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These chocolate cut out cookies are a delicious variation of traditional sugar cookies made with cocoa powder! These soft and chocolatey cookies hold their shape while baking so you can enjoy decorating them for holidays and special occasions!

Chocolate cut out cookies on a christmas tree plate.

Perfect for chocolate lovers, these chocolate cut out sugar cookies are the best combination of these cut out powdered sugar cookies and fudgy brownie cookies. They are soft and light while still being sturdy enough to cut out and decorate!

They are the perfect blend of sweet, buttery cookie meets chocolate sugar cookie and just as good as a holiday cookie as they are with a cup of coffee or tea anytime of the year.

Ice them with buttercream at Christmas or dip them in chocolate for Valentine’s Day, they are great either way and are the perfect way to satisfy chocolate cravings just like these double chocolate peppermint cookies or chocolate chip chunky cookies!

Table of Contents

Ingredients to Make Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

All-purpose flour: Adds structure to the sugar cookie dough.
Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners sugar, this sweetens the cookies and adds to their soft texture.
Cocoa powder: I used unsweetened dutch processed cocoa for the best fudgy cookie texture. Use a high quality brand like Hershey’s or Ghirardelli.
Butter: Unsalted butter is best but you can adjust salt accordingly if all you have is salted butter. Remember to bring your butter to room temperature!
Egg: One large egg that is also at room temperature will incorporate with the other ingredients best while mixing.
Vanilla: A quality pure vanilla extract adds rich flavor to this chocolate sugar cookie recipe.
Salt: To enhance taste.

Why These are the Best Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Perfect texture: This is a soft and chewy chocolate cookie recipe that has slightly crisp edges, similar to a vanilla sugar cookie but instead a rich chocolate version!
Flavorful: These chocolate cut out sugar cookies are the best combination of chocolate and buttery flavors, one of my favorite chocolate desserts!
Easy cookie recipe: Even if you are a beginner baker making cut out cookies, this easy chocolate sugar cookie dough recipe is easy to work with as it has 7 simple ingredients!
Versatile: At the holidays place on a Christmas cookie platter, share with loved ones on Valentine’s Day or use any shape of cookie cutter you would like to fit the holiday or occasion, you could even make Halloween cookies!

Chocolate cut out cookies on a cookie platter.

Decorating the Chocolate Cookies

Royal icing: If you like a sturdier icing for piping details onto your cookies, use this royal icing recipe from my gingerbread cookies.
Buttercream icing: If you love rich chocolate flavor, then you may want to frost your cookies with chocolate buttercream frosting.
Glaze: I often just use a simple icing glaze as a simple and quick option like I do in these strawberry scones.
Dip in melted chocolate: You could also just dip your cooled chocolate cut-out cookies in melted dark chocolate or white chocolate!
Festive sprinkles: Whether you ice them or dip them in chocolate adding sprinkles to fit the occasion is always a good idea!

How to Make Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

Sift dry ingredients: In a medium sized bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt.

Sifted dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Cream butter and sugar: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add vanilla, combine then add the egg and combine again.

Form dough: Add the sifted flour to the butter mixture and on low speed combine to form a compact chocolate sugar cookie dough. Scrape sides of bowl as needed. Move dough to a flat surface and form into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.

chocolate cookie dough formed into a ball.

Roll out dough: Remove dough from plastic wrap and place on a lightly floured flat surface. Roll to ¼-inch thick then cut out with cookie cutters and place the cookies on prepared baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Cookie dough flattened and cut out into christmas cookies and placed on a baking sheet.

Chill cut-out cookies: While the oven preheats, refrigerate chocolate cut-out cookies so they hold their shape while baking.

Bake: Bake cookies at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then move to wire racks to cool completely before decorating. Enjoy!

Baked chocolate cut out cookies on a baking sheet.

Expert Tips to Make Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

Dip cookie cutter in cocoa powder so the dough does not stick to the cutter.
Adjust baking time accordingly if you roll your cookies thicker or thinner than ¼ inch.
Measure flour correctly as too much flour will lead to dense dry cookies. I like to use scale for accuracy but you can use the spoon and level method which will add some fluff to the flour.
If using multiple cookie cutters, aim to bake similar sized cookies on the same cookie sheet so the cookies bake evenly. Smaller cookies will take less time!

Storage

Store cookies covered in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze baked cookies in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months.

Four chocolate stars stacked with one leaning on them.

FAQs

Why did my cookies spread and not hold their shape?

Do not skip the chilling time! The dough needs to be chilled and then after you cut out the cookies, chill the dough while waiting for the oven to preheat. This will help control the spread. If you find that your cookies are still spreading, add a few Tablespoons of cornstarch to the cookie dough.

What cocoa powder is best to use for these chocolate sugar cookies?

Any good quality unsweetened cocoa powder works in these cookies and the good news is that you can use natural cocoa powder or dutch process cocoa powder.

Why are my cookies dry instead of soft?

If your cookies have turned out dry and crispy rather than soft and chewy you probably baked them too long! It can be hard to tell when chocolate cookies are ready to be removed from the oven so if your oven runs hot, I would err on the side of caution and bake them for 9-10 minutes.

Can I freeze chocolate cut out cookies?

Yes! These cookies freeze beautifully. You can freeze chocolate cut out sugar cookies baked or you can freeze the dough. After baking, cool completely then store in an airtight container or freezer safe bag for up to three months. You can also wrap unbaked dough tightly in plastic wrap and store for up to three months.