CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES with CHOCOLATE ROYAL ICING

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Royal Icing

These Chocolate Sugar Cookies are my go-to recipe for the softest, thickest and most perfect chocolate sugar cookies for decorating - and the easiest Chocolate Royal Icing. For those times when you need a perfect chocolate sugar cookie that has an easy dough to roll out and work with, will hold its shape and edges, and have a wonderful surface for fun decorating, this is the one I use.  Perfectly fudgy, simple and wonderful!  

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Royal Icing

CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIE DREAMS...

These chocolate sugar cookies are consistently fantastic!  Not only are they the perfect balance of chocolate and buttery goodness, they’re incredibly simple to make. They’re crisp on the edges, soft in the center, and full of chocolate flavor - as rich as a brownie, but soft and chewy as your favorite soft sugar cookie.

Chocolate Royal Icing is also one of the challenges for most cookie decorators.  This recipe has been tested and tweaked more times that I want to admit - but the final result is perfection!  You will notice that it is a very dark chocolate when you first add the water, but after beating for several minutes, it will start to  lighten up.  Loaded with sweet chocolate flavor and tender bite, and it decorates like a dream!

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Royal Icing

CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIE SECRETS...

• COCOA POWDER:  For this recipe you can use either dutch-processed or natural cocoa powder.  Dutch-processed cocoa powder is typically paired with baking powder, but either works for this cookie recipe.  Always use the best quality baking cocoa for the best results!
• SIFTING :  Sifting the flour and cocoa powder together is imperative to ensure the two are perfectly blended and aerated, and eliminates any lumps!
• FOR THE BEST CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES:  I recommend sprinkling cocoa powder on your work surface and rolling pin for rolling out the cookie dough, rather than flour.  You may also find it helpful to dip your cookie cutters in cocoa powder between cutting cookies out.  Cocoa powder added extra chocolate flavor and chocolate color to these cookies (regular flour may make your cookies bake up with a white surface).

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Royal Icing

CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES with CHOCOLATE ROYAL ICING

These Chocolate Sugar Cookies are my go-to recipe for the softest, thickest and most perfect chocolate sugar cookies for decorating - and the easiest Chocolate Royal Icing. For those times when you need a perfect chocolate sugar cookie that has an easy dough to roll out and work with, will hold its shape and edges, and have a wonderful surface for fun decorating, this is the one I use.  Perfectly fudgy, simple and wonderful!  
​

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Royal Icing

INGREDIENTS:
CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES:
3/4 cup (172g) unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour 
3/4 cup (63g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder 
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
 
FROSTING:
CHOCOLATE ROYAL ICING:
4 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder (Rodelle Dutch Chocolate or Ghirardelli or Hershey’s Special Dark)
¼ cup Wilton Meringue Powder
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon corn syrup
10-12 tablespoons water (room temperature)
 
FOR DECORATING:  Holiday Sprinkles and Sparkling Sugar (both optional)
 
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

• Cookie cutter(s)
• Rolling pin (wooden Joseph Joseph Rolling Pin works the BEST for these cookies!)
• Large baking sheets
• Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper
• Piping Bags & Tips

 
HOW I MAKE THESE: 

1. Set butter and egg out to warm to room temperature.
2. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl, whisk in the baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes).  Add the sugar and beat on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat on high speed for another minute.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed between additions. 
4. On low speed, slowly mix half of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients just until combined; add remaining flour mixture and again mix just until combined.  This cookie dough will be really soft and creamy!
5. Cut two pieces of parchment paper that will fit your baking sheets.
6. Divide the dough into two equal parts.  Generously sprinkle your parchment paper and rolling pin with either flour or cocoa powder.  Place one piece of cookie dough on top of a parchment paper.  Roll each half to a ¼-inch thickness (you will need to re-flour or re-cocoa powder your rolling pin periodically to keep the dough from sticking).  The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.  We’re rolling the cookie dough out BEFORE chilling it, which isn’t typical for most sugar cookie recipes – but this is a great trick!  The dough is so much easier to roll out before it’s chilled.
7. Stack the pieces, with parchment paper between the two and a single piece of parchment paper on top, onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.  Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough, so that the cookies will keep their shape when baked.
8. The next day, preheat oven to 350°.  Line 2-3 large baking pans with parchment paper (I prefer parchment paper over silicone baking mats for these cookies). 
9. Remove one of the chilled cookie dough pieces from the refrigerator.  The dough will seem very hard, but it’s softer than it appears!  Immediately cut into shapes with cookie cutters that have been dipped in flour or cocoa powder.  Place each cookie about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.  Re-roll dough scraps until all the dough is shaped.  Repeat with remaining cookie dough.  Refrigerate cut cookie dough on baking sheets for 10-15 minutes before baking (this will help keep them from spreading).  HELPFUL HINT:  I usually place one completed pan in the refrigerator while working on cutting out the next pan, rotating between cutting, chilling and baking. 
10. For 3-inch cookies, bake for 10 minutes – the cookies will still appear soft.  Make sure you rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time.  If your cookie cutters are smaller than 3 inches, bake for about 9-10 minutes. If your cookie cutters are larger than 3 inches, bake for about 12-13 minutes.  Every oven is a little bit different, so watch your first batch when baking and time accordingly.  DO NOT OVERBAKE!  The cookies don’t spread much when they’re baking, so they will stay around ¼-inch thick. These are thick sugar cookies!  Be sure not to overbake these as they’ll lose their softness. 
11. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the parchment paper together with the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Once completely cool, decorate with either Bakery Frosting or Chocolate Royal Icing and sprinkles (Bakery Frosting is easier for little ones…)
12. TO MAKE CHOCOLATE ROYAL FROSTING:  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder before adding the liquid.  Add 7-8 tablespoons of room-temperature water, corn syrup and vanilla extract, and beat on high speed for 5 minutes until the icing is light and fluffy like meringue. (I always start with 7 to 8 tablespoons of water and usually need to add a tablespoon or two more, depending on the weather and humidity.)
13. After five minutes of beating, lift the paddle up off the icing - the icing should drizzle down in a ribbon and smooth out within 10-15 seconds with the frosting in the bowl. If it's too thick, add a little more water (a teaspoon at a time). If it's too thin, add a little more sifted confectioners' sugar (a tablespoon or two at a time).
14. If you haven’t made royal icing before, you maybe not be familiar that this icing crusts VERY quickly! When exposed to air icing forms a crust on the surface within 5-10 minutes.
15. To prevent this from happening, you need to cover royal icing when you’re not working directly with it - for the short term you can cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel or damp paper towel. 
16. FROST & DECORATE!   Pipe or frost completely cooled cookies and sprinkle with optional sprinkles or decorating sugar. 
17. This Chocolate Royal Icing completely dries overnight at room temperature.  If you're layering royal icing onto cookies for specific designs and need it to set quickly, place cookies on parchment paper lined baking sheets, with a large fan blowing at low speed to circulate air over the cookies to help speed it up – you’ll need at least 1 hour between layers.  This also keeps the icing shiny and prevents it from cracking or “sinking”. 
18. Allow frosting to set and dry completely before storing – keep parchment paper between each layer or place cookies in individual self-sealing bags for easy freezing and serving. 

YIELD:  Makes about 30 (three-inch) cookies (or 24 4-inch cookies)
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RECIPE NOTES: 

• COCOA POWDER:  For this recipe you can use either dutch-processed or natural cocoa powder.  Dutch-processed cocoa powder is typically paired with baking powder, but either works for this cookie recipe. 
• SIFTING :  Sifting the flour and cocoa powder together is imperative to ensure the two are perfectly blended and aerated, and eliminates any lumps!
• SOFT & CHEWY COOKIES:  These cookies will stay fresh in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• FOR THE BEST CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES:  I recommend sprinkling cocoa powder on your work surface and rolling pin for rolling out the cookie dough, rather than flour.  You may also find it helpful to dip your cookie cutters in cocoa powder between cutting cookies out.  Cocoa powder added extra chocolate flavor and chocolate color to these cookies (regular flour may make your cookies bake up with a white surface).
• MAKE AHEAD TIP:  Plain baked chocolate sugar cookies freeze well up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before decorating.
• TO KEEP THESE COOKIES SOFT:  I keep a slice of sandwich bread in the container to keep the cookies soft – replace every day or so, as soon as the slice of bread dries out.  It’s a sweet little trick!  These cookies will stay fresh in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Originally published December 2012; revised & republished October 2020.
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