Soft Chocolate Sugar Cookies for Cut Outs
These cut out chocolate sugar cookies give a fun twist on the classic everyone loves!
- Prep
- 20 mins
- Cook
- 8 mins
- Chill Time
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 28 mins
- Makes
- 48 cookies
These Chocolate Cut Out Sugar Cookies give a fun twist on the classic everyone loves! They're soft, chocolatey, and hold their shape well. Decorate with colorful sanding sugars or an easy buttercream frosting and sprinkles for a sweet treat to share with someone you care about.
What You Need
- Dry Ingredients. You'll need all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Wet Ingredients. Unsalted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and one large egg.
Helpful Tips
Room temperature ingredients. Items like the unsalted butter and egg mix in much more easily when they've warmed to room temperature.
The butter should be soft enough that you can press your thumb into it gently. If it sinks under your thumb with no effort at all, it's probably too soft.
The right size baking sheet. Make sure the baking sheet or jelly roll pan you chill the dough on fits easily in your refrigerator.
Use parchment paper. Plastic wrap works for rolling out the chocolate sugar cookie dough, but I like parchment better. You can reuse it later for baking your cutouts! If you plan to make the dough in advance, use wax paper instead.
Divide, then roll. Once the chocolate sugar cookie dough is made, shape it into one big ball, then cut it in half, much like you would with pie dough.
Roll each half out on lightly floured parchment paper. I also slide a silicone baking mat underneath so the parchment doesn't slip around.
Stack the second sheet of rolled out dough on top of the first.
Chilled dough is best. At least 1 hour is good. Overnight is even better, or you can chill it in the freezer for about half that time.
Whichever option you pick, the dough just needs to be cold enough that the cookie shapes are easy to cut.
Rolling out the dough. I suggest rolling the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. If you roll yours thinner, adjust the baking time, since they'll bake faster than the usual 7-8 minutes.
Flour the cookie cutters. Dip your cutter in flour every 2-3 cookies to help each one release more easily.
Don't over bake the cookies. The recommended baking time for these chocolate cut out sugar cookies is 7-8 minutes. I prefer to pull them out at 7 minutes. The edges and bottoms should be the same even color as the tops, not darker or burnt.
Darker brown, brittle, or hard cookies are a sign they've been over baked. Also see my next tip!
Use an oven thermometer. Every oven runs differently. To make sure yours is heating to the correct temperature, pick up an oven thermometer!
Cool the cut out sugar cookies completely. Before you add buttercream frosting, make sure the cookies have fully cooled.
Cookie Decorating
Here are three ways to decorate your chocolate cut out sugar cookies!
Buttercream frosting. This is an easy and fun way to decorate cut out cookies. I highly recommend medium piping bags and an offset spatula for spreading the buttercream.
You don't need decorating tips for the bags. Just snip the ends off when you're ready to start. Or you can skip the bags and use only an offset spatula.
If you're a more advanced baker or cookie decorator, try experimenting with different decorating tips and piping techniques.
Royal Icing. There are plenty of fun royal icing techniques to try, from beginner to advanced. You can see how I used royal icing on my classic cut out sugar cookies.
Sanding Sugars and Sprinkles. This is the easiest way to decorate sugar cookies. Add them before baking, or after baking on top of buttercream or royal icing.
Essential Cookie Decorating Tools
These are the tools you'll need to decorate your cookies with buttercream frosting. For the royal icing tools, see my super soft cut out sugar cookies recipe.
- Mixing Bowls. Ideal for coloring your vanilla buttercream. Metal, glass, or plastic bowls all work well.
- Piping Bags. I love my reusable piping bags from Wilton, but plenty of disposable plastic piping bags are available too. Choose whichever feels best in your hands. I recommend medium-size piping bags.
- Decorating Tips. I didn't use any tips on my chocolate cut out sugar cookies. For a more elaborate look, check out the Wilton Master Decorating Tip Set. I love mine and use it for piping cupcakes, cakes, and the occasional cut out sugar cookie.
- Offset spatula. Perfect for spreading buttercream frosting on cookies. Use it with or without the piping bags.
- Food Coloring Gel. I used the Chefmaster Natural Food Coloring Set to tint my vanilla buttercream. The Wilton Color Right System and McCormick brands are also good options. Powdered food coloring works too.
- Spatula. Great for mixing food coloring gel into the buttercream. You can use a spoon, but a spatula does a better job of scraping the sides of the bowl.
- Large pint glass. I use this to hold my piping bags upright while I fill them. Place the bag in the glass and let it drape over the sides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my cut out sugar cookie dough really soft?Keep in mind this chocolate cut out sugar cookie dough will be soft. The flour you dust on while rolling also gets absorbed into the cookies. If the dough still seems too soft for you, add a little more flour, one tablespoon at a time.
Do I have to chill my chocolate cut out sugar cookie dough?Yes, definitely. Chilling keeps the cookies from spreading in the oven and makes them easier to cut out.
Why do my cut out cookies have air bubbles in them?Overworking cookie dough can cause air bubbles to form in the cookies while they bake. If that happens, take them out of the oven and gently tap the tops with a spatula or turner.
My cut out cookies are a little puffy after baking.The bubbles will settle as the cookies cool, or you can gently tap the tops with a spatula or turner right after they come out of the oven.
How thick should I roll out my cut out sugar cookie dough?I prefer to roll my cut out cookies to a 1/4 inch thickness. If you would like to roll them out thinner, make sure to pay attention to the time you bake them because they’ll bake faster than 1/4 inch thick cookies.
Can I make vanilla buttercream frosting in advance?Yes! Once made, store it in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week. When you're ready to use it, put it in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a hand mixer works too) fitted with the paddle attachment and give it a few turns to loosen it up.
Can I make chocolate cut out cookies in advance?Yes, absolutely! To learn how to make them ahead, see my classic cut out sugar cookies recipe.
More Cookie Recipes to Enjoy!
If you make these Chocolate Cut Out Sugar Cookies or anything else from my site, please leave a star rating and share how it turned out in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!
Soft Chocolate Sugar Cookies for Cut Outs
These chocolate cut out sugar cookies take the classic cut out sugar cookie and make it even better. They're soft, chocolatey, and hold their shape well. Decorate with colorful sanding sugars or an easy buttercream and sprinkles for a sweet treat.
- Prep
- 20 mins
- Cook
- 8 mins
- Chill Time
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 28 mins
- Makes
- 48 cookies
Ingredients
Chocolate Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 Large Egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 4 cups Sifted Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/8 tsp of Salt
Method
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.
- Turn off the mixer, add the powdered sugar, and blend with the butter on low speed until mostly combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then on medium-high speed, add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until well blended.
- Lower the mixer to low speed and slowly add the whisked dry mixture until fully incorporated. The dough will be on the soft side and should start to form a ball that pulls away from the bowl's sides.
- Turn the chocolate sugar cookie dough out onto a clean work surface, shape it into a ball, and divide it into 2 sections. Roll the first section into a 1/4 inch thick slab on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper (or wax paper if you plan to freeze the dough for later).
- Move the slab onto a baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Repeat with the second section and place it on top of the first. Refrigerate the dough slabs for at least 1 hour, or overnight, which is my preference.
- Once chilled, set your oven rack to the 2nd position from the top, just above center, and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set them aside.
- Flour your cookie cutters and cut out your shapes. Space each cutout about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. If you're only using sanding sugar or sprinkles, add them now. Keep any cut out cookies not yet baked in the refrigerator or freezer while the first batch bakes.
- Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes at 350ºF. Let them rest on the sheet for about 5 minutes, then move them with a spatula (or server) to a wire rack. Let them cool completely before decorating with the vanilla buttercream frosting.
- To bake ahead, store the cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread for up to 3 days. You can also freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Let them cool fully before sealing them in an airtight container or freezer bag.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter for about 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.
- On low speed, alternately add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time with a splash of heavy cream. Keep going until all of the powdered sugar and cream are in and the buttercream reaches the consistency you like. For a thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Add the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt, then mix on medium-high speed until well blended.
- To color the frosting, add drops until you reach your shade. For multiple colors, divide the frosting into smaller bowls, add the food coloring, and mix with a spatula. Apply with piping bags, an offset spatula, or both. Finish with your favorite sprinkles or jimmies.
Baker’s notes
- Every oven is different, so check your cookies at the earliest recommended time.
- For decorating your cookies with royal icing, see my Cut Out Sugar Cookies recipe.
- Recipe adapted from a popular cut out sugar cookie recipe.
- This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies. The count depends on the size of the cookies and how thick you roll the dough.
- The vanilla buttercream frosting makes about 744 grams, or 1 pound and 10.2 ounces.
