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These Chocolate Sugar Cookies have chewy centers, crisp edges, and the perfect amount of sparkly sugar on top. An easy cookie recipe that is a favorite in our house!
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I used an 2 1/2 cookie dough scoop, so the final cookie is 6 inches wide and totally delicious! Had to increase the baking time to 15-16 minutes.
- Incredible texture. These soft and chewy chocolate sugar cookies are one of our favorite cookie recipes. We fondly call them”earthquake cookies,” both because the crackly tops resemble “cracks in the ground” and because these cookies are so good they’ll rock your world.
- Easy. These cookies are incredibly easy to make. You’ll only need a few pantry staples and basic cookie-making techniques. The dough is simple to put together, and after it has chilled in the fridge it’s fun to roll into balls and then coat with sugar.
- Perfect for the holidays. These chocolate cookies are ideal for holiday baking, especially if you have little hands that want to help in the kitchen. Santa will definitely appreciate finding some of these on his cookie platter.
Are you ready to make some super satisfying chocolate sugar cookies? Here’s how to do it:
- Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients.
- Combine butter and sugars. Beat the butter and sugars together until they are light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. You can use a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Mix on low until no dry bits of batter are visible. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl.
- Chill. Cover your bowl with saran wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Prep your tools. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Shape and roll in sugar. Pour sugar onto a plate. Roll scoops of chilled dough into balls, then roll each ball in sugar, coating it well. Place on the cookie sheet, giving each cookie plenty of space to spread. I recommend baking 6 cookies in 2 rows on an 18×13 baking sheet.
- Bake. Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges of the cookies are set and they have crackly tops. The cookies will still be very soft when they are done, this is normal.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool for at least 10 minutes. This will give them time to firm up. After the initial cooling time transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
While this is a relatively simple cookie recipe, there are a few tricks I recommend:
- Chill the dough. Giving the dough at least an hour to chill before baking is important because the dough is quite sticky and chilling makes it easier to roll. Also, the cookies will spread too much if you don’t chill the dough. You can chill the dough overnight as long as you cover your bowl tightly with saran wrap to prevent the dough from drying out.
- Be generous with the rolling sugar. A thick coat of sugar gives these cookies a lovely sparkle. Roll each ball of dough in sugar at least twice.
- Don’t bake too many cookies at once. These cookies spread during baking so I never bake more than 6 at a time. This way they have plenty of room to spread out. I use an 18×13 baking sheet.
- Use two baking sheets. I recommend using two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. This is not for baking more cookies at once, this is so that each batch of cookies can be given enough time to cool. So while one set of cookies is cooling, you can pop a second baking sheet with more cookies into the oven.
- Let them cool. The cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven. This is normal and they will firm up as they cool. To that end, give them at least 10 minutes to cool before you attempt to move them to a cooling rack.
How to Store
- Counter: Let your cookies come to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
- Fridge: If you want to extend their shelf life, you can store cooled cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- Freeze the cookie dough: You can freeze the cookie dough on cookie sheets until they are solid, then transfer them to an airtight, freezer safe container. They will keep for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, simply proceed with the baking instructions in the recipe and add 2 minutes to the bake time.
- Freeze baked cookies: You can also freeze the baked cookies in a freezer safe, airtight container for up to 3 months. I recommend putting squares of parchment paper between each cookie to prevent them from sticking together in the freezer.
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These chocolate sugar cookies have chewy centers, crisp edges, and the perfect amount of sparkly sugar on top. An easy cookie recipe that is a favorite in our house!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Combine butter and sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until they are light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Beat on low until no dry bits of batter are visible. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl.
- Chill the dough. Cover your bowl with saran wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Prep your tools. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Shape and roll in sugar. Pour about 1/2 cup of sugar onto a plate. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and roll into balls, using about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll each ball in sugar, coating it well. Place on the cookie sheet, giving each cookie plenty of space to spread. I recommend baking 6 cookies in 2 rows on an 18×13 baking sheet.
- Bake. Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges of the cookies are set and they have crackly tops. The cookies will still be very soft when they are done, this is normal.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool for at least 10 minutes. This will give them time to firm up. After the initial cooling time transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
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Nutrition
Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 104mg | Potassium: 73mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 315IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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I used an 2 1/2 cookie dough scoop, so the final cookie is 6 inches wide and totally delicious! Had to increase the baking time to 15-16 minutes.
Thank you for trying the recipe and for coming back to share your notes! So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂