Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Active Time: 35 MinsTotal Time4 Hours 45 Mins
Yield: 2 dozen (4-inch) cookies

What’s tastier than a regular sugar cookie? A Chocolate Sugar Cookie. We love the versatility of this recipe. Simply pick your favorite cookie cutter or turn it into a cookie cup that can hold a tasty filling. The cookie dough can be made ahead and chilled a day or two before baking. We’ve included our recipe for frosting, so you can decorate your cookies. We chose various dog cookie cutters and gave each one a festive holiday sweater. This Chocolate Sugar Cookie recipe will be a hit with your cookie swap friends and Santa.

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

  • 3/4unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting

  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • Red and green food coloring gel, candy sprinkles

How to Make It

Step 1

Prepare the Chocolate Sugar Cookie Dough: Beat butter and sugar with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium until combined, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

Step 2

Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. With mixer running on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until just incorporated.

Step 3

Shape dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Step 4

Prepare the Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll chilled dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with desired dog-shaped cutters, rerolling scraps as needed. If dough becomes warm and sticky, place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Place cookies 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets, and chill 20 minutes.

Step 5

Bake in preheated oven until tops of cookies are dry to the touch, about 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Step 6

Prepare the Frosting: Beat powdered sugar, warm water, and meringue powder with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer on medium speed until smooth and glossy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and almond extract, and beat until combined, adding up to 2 Tbsp. water, 1 tsp. at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Divide frosting between 2 small bowls. Tint 1 bowl of frosting with desired amount of red food coloring gel; tint remaining bowl with desired amount of green food coloring gel.

Step 7

Decorate cookies with icing and candy sprinkles. Let dry completely, about 1 hour.

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