Chocolate Sugar Cookies are crisp yet soft and perfect for any cut-out shape. The dough is easy to roll and holds its shape during baking. I love spreading them with melted chocolate and sprinkling chopped candy canes for a festive touch, but the decorating options are endless—dip them in dark or white chocolate, fill with rich chocolate ganache, or decorate with royal icing for any occasion.
SUMMARY
- Easy-to-work dough: Soft yet manageable, the dough rolls easily between sheets of parchment paper without sticking.
- Endlessly customizable: Decorate with dark or white chocolate, fill with rich chocolate ganache, pipe royal icing, or sprinkle with chopped candy canes for a festive Christmas touch.
- Make-ahead friendly: These chocolate cookies freeze beautifully and can be decorated just before the holidays or special occasions.
- Any shape you like: Cut into squares, rectangles, circles, hearts for Valentine’s Day, or classic Christmas tree shapes—the options are endless.
- Texture: Crisp on the edges with a soft, tender center.
Chocolate sugar cookies are baked until crisp, then dipped in melted dark chocolate and topped with crushed candy canes. This festive treat combines the irresistible flavors of chocolate and peppermint—much like peppermint hot chocolate — and makes a perfect addition to any Christmas cookie exchange.
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Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (127.5 gms)
- 5 tablespoons cocoa powder (31.5 gms)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick or 113.5 gms) at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar (100 gms)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg white (use one whole egg if doubling the recipe)
To decorate
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
- crushed peppermint candy canes as needed
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Cream. Add the butter, sugar and vanilla extract into a medium bowl and beat with an electric beater, until smooth and creamy (1 to 2 minutes). Add the egg white and beat for about 30 seconds.
- Finish dough. Add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for 30 seconds. The dough should be slightly firm, but not overly stiff.
- Roll and chill. Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper until it is slightly less than ¼ inch thick. Transfer the dough, still between the parchment, onto a large baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) until firm.
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut into squares. Cut the dough into 2-inch squares or use your favorite cookie cutter to create any shape you like. Transfer the cut cookies to the baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart, as they won’t spread much during baking. If the cookie dough has softened during this time, then chill it briefly before baking. 👉 Gather the dough scraps, re-roll them, chill again until firm, and cut out more cookies.
- Bake. Bake for 15–20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The cookies are done when they feel slightly firm in the center. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate
- Melt chocolate. Melt the chocolate chips and oil in the microwave, stirring until smooth and fully melted.
- Decorate. Spread melted chocolate over about half of each cookie, then place the cookies on parchment paper. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Let the cookies sit at room temperature for a few hours until the chocolate sets, or place them in the fridge to set more quickly.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
How to make chocolate sugar cookies?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
Add flour, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk until evenly combined.
Beat butter, sugar and vanilla together for about 2 minutes. Add the egg white and beat to combine.
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Add the flour mixture and mix to combine.
Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and then chill overnight. Cut into 2-inch squares. Bake.
Crush 2 to 3 candy canes, until coarsely chopped.
Spread some melted chocolate on half of a cookie and sprinkle crushed candy canes on top. Let the chocolate sugar cookies sit until the chocolate has set.
Tips for Success
- When doubling the chocolate sugar cookies recipe, use one whole egg instead of two egg whites.
- If your cut outs has softened, then chill them before baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
To crush candy canes for decorating chocolate-dipped chocolate cookies, start by removing the wrappers from the candy canes. Place them in a resealable plastic bag. Then, use a rolling pin or mallet to gently crush the candy canes. Crush them to your preferred size—I recommend a coarser chop with no large chunks, as this creates the perfect texture for decorating your cookies.
This chocolate sugar cookie dough is incredibly versatile! While it's delicious dipped in melted chocolate and topped with crushed candy canes, you can easily customize it to your taste. Not a fan of candy canes? Simply swap them for red and green sprinkles to keep the cookies festive and fun.
When cutting out circles, spread melted chocolate over the top, leaving a small ¼-inch border. Then, sprinkle crushed peppermint candy on top. It will look more like the peppermint chocolate bark.
For a simpler touch, skip the dipping and drizzle melted white or dark chocolate over the cookies using a fork. Alternatively, sandwich two cookies together with rich chocolate or Nutella ganache, as given in the butter cookies recipe for a decadent treat. Also, you could try cutting them into triangles as we did for the pie crust cookies recipe.
Skip the melted chocolate and instead top your cookies with royal icing or a simple powdered sugar glaze, just like in the almond flour lemon cookies.
To freeze cookie dough: The chocolate sugar cookie dough can be frozen for up to 2 months. Simply wrap the dough in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer-safe zippered bag. When you're ready to use it, just transfer the dough to the fridge overnight to thaw.
To freeze baked cookies (without any decoration): Baked and cooled cookies (without any decoration) can be frozen for up to two months. To thaw, simply leave them at room temperature for a few hours before decorating. These make the perfect holiday cookie—ideal for busy Christmas preparations!
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
These cookies are definitely holiday ready! I love the new spin you put on them. Totally perfect for Christmas! I so love this time of year! Xoxo
Maria Doss
Thank you Kelly:)
Ashika | Gardening Foodie
These look so festive and delicious Maria. And absolutely loving your recipe, with chocolate chips and peppermint candies, it must taste amazing !
Maria Doss
Thank you Ashika:)
Deepika|TheLoveOfCakes
Buttery divine chocolate cookies!! Dipped in chocolate and that peppermint candy! I am sure the kids and adults both are gonna love these!
Maria Doss
Thank you Deepika:)
Karly
These are SO stunning. And obviously look delicious too. Really cannot wait to try- bring on the holiday baking!
Maria Doss
Thank you dear:)
Kim | The Baking ChocolaTess
Chocolate on chocolate with peppermint!! Yes! I'm ready for cookies, adding to my list! 😀
Maria Doss
Thank you Kim:)
Katherine | Love In My Oven
This is definitely a very happy season!!! Hooray! I love these cookies so much. Chocolate and peppermint is just perfect!!
Maria Doss
Totally! Thank you Kathy:)