Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Chocolate sugar cookies are my favourite kind of sugar cookie!

Why do I make these? I’m not a fan of sugar cookies but these, oh my, these are more like a cookie brownie. They are soft and chocolatey. It’s hard to eat just one (I usually break one up into pieces and eat it slowly).

These are the cutout cookies I decided to make this year for E to decorate. As I said, I’m not a huge sugar cookie fan and you always end up with so many cookies in a batch that I wanted something I could munch on.

(I do have a fantastic sugar cookie recipe if you don’t want chocolate cookies too!)

I haven’t made these in years, I forgot how easy and tasty they are! I’ve also adapted them to be slightly healthier if that’s possible.

I heard that the average person gains 9lbs over the Christmas holiday season. I don’t know if this is true but I don’t want to find out, so I’m being picky about what I eat. This means cutting back on sugar when possible. I want to enjoy Christmas desserts but I also want my pants to fit in January!

So I’ve reduced the sugar in these cookies a bit. They have a rich cocoa flavour but aren’t overly sweet, just perfect.

They are great for decorating too. They hold their shape and don’t spread while baking.

And of course, you don’t have to have these just for a Christmas treat. They would be perfect for birthday parties or any other event that needs cut-out cookies. I think they would work well as a sandwich cookie too.

So if you’re on the hunt for a good sugar cookie recipe and love chocolate (like me) I highly recommend these Chocolate Sugar Cookies!

Your kids won’t care if they’re Christmas shapes!

Makes 36 medium sized cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar, scraping down the sides, about one minute (don’t over-mix).
Add egg and mix until combined. Add vanilla and mix.
Add flour and cocoa powder, one cup at a time and mix slowly to incorporate (cocoa powder is notorious for puffing up everywhere if mixed in too quickly).
Once everything is mixed together and smooth, lay it out on your counter and roll to approximately 1” thick. I roll it out on parchment paper to save cleanup.
Cut out desired shapes and place on prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 8-12 minutes. It can be hard to tell when they are done, mine took about 9 1/2 minutes. You want them to be slightly soft to the touch but not doughy.
Let them cool on the pan and then move to cooling rack.
Decorate or eat as is!

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Or freeze, I’ve frozen them and used then 3 months later and they were fine but usually 1 month is best for quality.