Chocolate Cut Out Sugar Cookies

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These Chocolate Cut Out Sugar Cookies are the ultimate chocolate sugar cookies!  Full of deep chocolate flavors and delivering a rich buttery texture, these easy cut out cookies hold their shape, are ideal for decorating and icing and turn our perfect every time.

These Chocolate Cut Out Cookies are the ultimate soft baked cut out cookies that hold their shape, are ideal for decorating and turn our perfect every time.

Chocolate Cut Out Sugar Cookies

You know those really pretty cut out cookies that look amazing with their elaborate royal ice designs but taste like crap?

Yeah, those aren’t THESE! Now, let me say this so we are all on the same page..  if I had a baking nemesis it would probably be cut out cookies. 

I swear, for the longest time I believed that:

  • A) the Cookie Universe was against me PERSONALLY
  • B) you needed to have some kind of advanced degree in engineering and physics to bring forth a tasty, soft baked cut out cookie

My cut out cookies would stick the counter, I would roll them too thin, they would break, they would burn, they were blah … (it may appear that 99% of these issues were due to operator error but we aren’t dwelling on the specifics, are we?)

Well… NO MORE! These soft baked Chocolate Cut Out Cookies are so amazingly delicious! They cook up to perfection on a parchment paper lined baking tray every time.  Every. Freaking. Time.

These Chocolate Cut Out Cookies are the ultimate soft baked cut out cookies that hold their shape, are ideal for decorating and turn our perfect every time!!

Chocolate Sugar Cookies FTW

The secret to an easy chocolate cut out cookie recipe isn’t rocket science, it’s planning.

There is no willy-nilly throw some baking stuff in a bowl, mix it together really good, plop the batter on the tray and now you have perfect soft baked sugar cookies. 

The Universe is kind but it’s not THAT forgiving. With just a little bit of easy planning and proper execution, you will be rewarded with the best chocolate cut out cookies you could ever ask for… Promise!

Why You Will Love Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Easy – These chocolate cut out cookies are really easy to make! They don’t require a ton of ingredients and what you do need you probably already have on hand in your pantry.

Tasty – This cut out cookie recipe delivers butter, deep chocolate flavored cookies perfect to pair with your favorite icing. The cookies are sweet but not TOO sweet so the frosting on top won’t be overpowering with sweetness.

Shape – These sugar cookies hold their shape! You can see from the pictures that the cookies I made that day were thick and this cut out cookie dough held their shape with no problems whatsoever.

Chocolate and coffee

I am a HUGE fan of adding coffee or espresso powder to my chocolate treats. But if you are not a fan of coffee or if you just prefer to no add it, feel free to leave it out. 

I add a bit of espresso powder or instant coffee to almost everything I bake that is chocolate .. like my Best Brownies and My Favorite Chocolate Cupcakes.. 

because it adds a deep rich flavor that compliments the chocolate flavor perfectly.  It’s not a deal breaker if you don’t add it into these Chocolate Sugar Cookies.

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies espresso

HOW DO I DECORATE CUT OUT COOKIES?

You can decorate your Chocolate Cut Out Cookies in a variety of ways.  

You can leave them naked, you can grab some frosting from your grocery store or some decorating icing if you want to make designs. 

Royal icing is always nice to use as it dries hard and you don’t have to worry about your designs smudging. The possibilities are endless.

HOW DO YOU MAKE CHOCOLATE CUT OUT SUGAR COOKIES?

  • So easy!! To make your Chocolate Cut Out Cookies, start by mixing together your butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. 
  • Mix in the eggs, one by one.  In a small bowl, add in your vanilla extract and then your espresso powder to your vanilla. 
  • Mix the two together until all you have left is a combined liquid and then add that into your cookie batter.

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies vanilla and espresso

  • Sift together your flour, salt, and cocoa powder and then slowly incorporate your dry ingredients with your wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl one or twice.

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies sifted flour

  • Once your Chocolate Cut Out Cookie batter is mixed, measure out two pieces of parchment paper the same size as your baking tray.
  • This Chocolate Cut Out Cookies recipe works great using one large jelly roll tray or TWO 9 x 13 baking trays.
  • Move your cookie batter to one of the sheets of parchment paper and add the second piece on top of your batter.
  • Using a heavy rolling pin, lightly tap the ball of Chocolate Cut Out Cookie batter into a flat rectangle you can work with. 
  • Roll out the cookie batter to fit your baking tray. Then gently slide your parchment paper and cookie batter onto the baking tray and move to the refrigerator for one hour.

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

  • After that hour, remove from the fridge and slide off of the tray and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
  • Cut your cookies with your cookie cutters. Add cut cookies back to the cooking tray, again lined with parchment paper.

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies on a baking sheet

  • Once you have all of your cut out cookies on your tray(s), move the tray(s) back to the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  • This helps the Chocolate Cut Out Cookies keep their shape. After 15 minutes passes, pop your tray(s) into the oven and bake for 10 – 12 minutes.
  • Remove and let sit on the tray for one minute before gently moving to a baking rack to cool completely before decorating. 
  • Re-roll and repeat the steps with any unused cookie dough remaining.

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies on a tray

PRO TIPS FOR MAKING CHOCOLATE CUT OUT COOKIES

  • Don’t skip parking the cookie dough in the refrigerator.  This step helps your cut out cookies keep their shape.  Super important!
  • Don’t roll your Chocolate Cut Out Cookies too thin.  You want them to be a bit fat. I rolled my dough to about 1/4 inch thick before cutting out the cookies.
  • When rolling your cookie batter out in-between the two sheets of parchment paper, take note of the paper itself.  I found when rolling out my batter, if the batter was even under the top layer of paper, it imprinted on the parchment paper differently than the places where it was uneven or thinner (edges).  Watching the differences in the parchment paper will help guide you to an even layer of cookie batter.
  • When you remove these Chocolate Cut Out Cookies from the oven, even after letting them sit on the tray for a minute, these cookies are very delicate until they cool completely.  Be gentle.
  • Last but not least, be mindful of your cookie cutter shapes.  I fell in love with this little skull and crossbones cookie cutter for Halloween, You can see what happened when I actually tried using it.

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies sad cookie cutter

The crossbones were too narrow, to small and my cookie didn’t come out.  Choose cutters that have some girth to them 🙂

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies happy cookie cutters

Looking for more easy cookie recipes to share with your family and friends?  Check a few of my favorite cookie recipes below.

MORE COOKIE RECIPES!

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies stacked up

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I would love for you to leave a rating and a comment below! Let me know, how’d you do?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Chocolate Cut Out Sugar Cookies

These Chocolate Cut Out Cookies are the ultimate soft baked cut out cookies that hold their shape, are ideal for decorating and turn our perfect every time.
These Chocolate Cut Out Sugar Cookies are the ultimate chocolate sugar cookies!  Full of deep chocolate flavors and delivering a rich buttery texture, these easy cut out cookies hold their shape, are ideal for decorating and icing and turn our perfect every time.
Heather - A Wicked Whisk
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Serving Size 36

Ingredients

  • 2 cups butter softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
  • 1 ounce espresso powder
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • To make your Chocolate Cut Out Cookies, start by mixing together your butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the eggs, one by one.  In a small bowl, add in your vanilla extract and then your espresso powder to your vanilla.  Mix the two together until all you have left is a combined liquid and then add that into your cookie batter. Sift together your flour, salt, and cocoa powder and then slowly incorporate your dry ingredients with your wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl one or twice.
  • Once your Chocolate Cut Out Cookie batter is mixed, measure out two pieces of parchment paper the same size as your baking tray. This Chocolate Cut Out Cookies recipe works great using one large jelly roll tray or TWO 9 x 13 baking trays. Move your cookie batter to one of the sheets of parchment paper and add the second piece on top of your batter. Using a heavy rolling pin, lightly tap the ball of Chocolate Cut Out Cookie batter into a flat rectangle you can work with. Roll out the cookie batter to fit your baking tray and when done, gently slide your parchment paper and cookie batter onto the baking tray and move to the refrigerator for one hour. 
  • After that hour, remove from the fridge and slide off of the tray and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut your cookies with your cookie cutters and then add your now cut cookies back to the cooking tray, again lined with parchment paper. Once you have all of your cut out cookies on your tray(s), move the tray(s) back to the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This helps the Chocolate Cut Out Cookies keep their shape. After 15 minutes passes, pop your tray(s) into the oven and bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Remove and let sit on the tray for one minute before gently moving to a baking rack to cool completely before decorating. Re-roll and repeat the steps with any unused cookie dough remaining.

Nutrition

Serving: 36g | Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.7g | Protein: 2.4g | Fat: 10.9g | Saturated Fat: 6.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.2g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 70.6mg | Potassium: 72.1mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 11.2g | Vitamin A: 400IU | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

Update Notes: This post was originally published in October of 2018 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in October of 2023.

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