Description
These Softest Chocolate Sugar Cookies are tender, rich, and perfectly thick, with a luscious chocolate flavor enhanced by cream cheese and cocoa. They are chilled for firmness, rolled out carefully to maintain thickness, and baked just until set to ensure a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Finished with decorative black icing spider webs, they make an ideal festive treat for Halloween or any chocolate cookie craving.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 3/4 cup salted butter (1 & 1/2 sticks), softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
Decorating Ingredients
- Black decorating icing
- #1, #2, #3, or #5 piping tip (for decorating)
Instructions
- Beat Butter: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the softened butter on medium speed until soft and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Cream Cheese: Add softened cream cheese and beat for 1 minute until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Mix in Sugar: Add granulated sugar and beat well for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is fluffy.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and optional coconut extract until well combined. Scrape down the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Add salt, unsweetened cocoa powder, and flour. Beat until just barely combined, avoiding overmixing to keep the dough tender. The dough will be sticky.
- Chill Dough: Transfer the dough to plastic wrap or a sealed container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight, or in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Splitting dough in half can speed chilling.
- Preheat Oven: When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Prepare Baking Sheets: Line 2-3 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper for easy release.
- Prepare Work Surface: Lightly spray counter with nonstick spray or use silicone mats to roll dough without flour. Avoid flour so cookies stay chocolatey and clean-looking.
- Divide Dough: Split dough into manageable halves if not already done. Keep unrolled dough refrigerated.
- Roll Out Dough: Spray hands if needed to handle sticky dough. Roll dough to about 3/8 inch thick (slightly less than 1 cm) for soft, thick cookies.
- Dust Cookie Cutters: Lightly dust cookie cutters with cocoa powder to prevent sticking, especially for small or intricate shapes.
- Cut Out Cookies: Firmly press cutters into dough, wipe edges clean, then carefully transfer cut shapes onto lined baking sheets, spacing at least 1 inch apart.
- Chill Shaped Cookies: If dough has warmed, chill baking sheets with shaped cookies in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to keep cookies firm before baking.
- Re-roll Excess Dough: Gather scraps, knead gently once or twice, roll back out to 3/8 inch thickness, and cut more cookies. Refrigerate dough as needed.
- Bake Cookies: Bake at 350°F for about 9 minutes for smaller cookies, or 10-11 minutes for larger ones. Remove when the shiny top just loses its gloss, avoiding overbaking.
- Cool Cookies: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before storing.
- Frost Cookies: Once fully cooled, frost with buttercream icing flavored with vanilla or your preferred extract.
- Decorate: Use black decorating icing with various piping tips (#1 for thin webs, #5 for thicker) to create spider web designs or other patterns on the cookies.
Notes
- Do not overmix the dough once flour is added to prevent tough cookies.
- It is important to chill the dough thoroughly before rolling and baking to maintain thickness and softness.
- Rolling surface should not be floured to avoid white spots on the cookies; use nonstick spray or silicone mats instead.
- Bake cookies at 350°F and remove them just as the shiny sheen disappears to keep them soft.
- If in a hurry, split dough into smaller portions to chill faster.
- Use cocoa powder to dust cutters to prevent sticking, especially with small shapes.
- Decorating icing can be homemade or purchased; black icing is used here for a spider web effect.
