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To me, sugar cookies are the ultimate holiday cookie. They’re soft, chewy, rich, and easy to make. These Chocolate Sugar Cookies take it up a notch! They call for cocoa powder and instant coffee, which enhances the cookies’ chocolate flavor. However, they still have that crunchy sugary exterior the classic cookie’s known for!
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These easy chocolate sugar cookies start like most other cookies: creaming butter and sugar until they’re light and fluffy, then adding the dry ingredients and mixing until a dough forms. The rest of the recipe is simple too! Unlike cut-out sugar cookies that have to rest in the fridge and then be rolled out, these are chocolate sugar cookies no chill! That means after making the dough, you just have to portion it into balls, roll in sugar, and bake. These cookies are so chewy and delicious!
This recipe is part of our monthly Cooking Challenge for December 2024!
Recipe At a Glance
Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Oven
Dietary Info: Vegetarian
Key Flavor: Chocolate, vanilla, and sugar
Skill Level: Easy
Why This Is So Good
- Fast: Because these cookies require zero chilling, they’re ready in less than 30 minutes.
- Easy technique: These chocolate sugar cookies call for just scooping, rolling, dropping them on the baking sheet, and baking. There’s no need to break out a rolling pin or cookie cutouts!
- Simple chocolate flavor: Instead of melted chocolate (or even chocolate chips), these cookies use cocoa powder, which easily adds chocolate flavor to each bite.
Ingredients to Make Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- All-purpose flour: This adds structure, allowing the cookies to easily bake up and not fall apart. Just swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free blend.
- Cocoa powder: You can use regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder. If you go with the latter, the cookies will be darker and have a fudgier texture.
- Baking powder: This helps the chocolate sugar cookies soft rise and spread.
- Unsalted butter: I like to use unsalted butter to control the final amount of salt in the recipe!
- Granulated sugar: You’ll use this in the cookies and to coat them. To make the cookies even chewier, you can use dark brown sugar in place of the granulated sugar in the cookies (but not the coating!).
- Instant coffee or espresso powder: This is optional, but it doesn’t make the cookies taste like coffee! Instead, it just enhaces the chocolate flavor.
- Egg: I like to use a room temperature egg so it’s easier to mix into the rest of the ingredients.
- Vanilla: If you’re a fan of vanilla, you can double the amount of extract the recipe calls for.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Add a little heat. Sprinkle a bit of dried cayenne into the dry ingredients for a sweet-spicy treat.
- Add spices. Nutmeg, cinnamon, or cardamom would all be delicious and compliment the chocolate so well.
How to Make Chocolate Sugar Cookies
If you’ve baked before, making these chocolate sugar cookies will be familiar! I actually really love rolling the cookies in the sugar, too—it makes them look all sparkly.
Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Cocoa Powder
- Start with softened not room temperature butter. Softened butter will easily and more quickly mix with the sugar. I also find that softening butter takes less planning ahead than waiting hours for butter to come to room temperature!
- Use a parchment-lined baking sheet. This will allow the cookies to come off of the baking sheet easily! Don’t try to just grease the baking sheet—the cookies are likely to stick and brown too much.
- Make sure the cookies are evenly sized. This will ensure they bake at the same speed! I like to use a portion scoop, so I know every single ball has the same amount of dough.
- Let the baked cookies cool on the baking sheet first. The residual heat of the pan will help the cookies cook a bit more and set so they won’t fall apart when you transfer them to a cooling rack!
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend storing these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days!
Yes! You absolutely can. A hand mixer might take a little longer to properly cream and mix the ingredients, but it’ll work fine.
When the cookies are fully baked, they will puff up in the center and be set around the edges. However, they should still be soft! The cookies will continue to set as they cool, so you want to avoid overbaking.
More Cookie Recipes:
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Blueberry Cookies
- Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
If you try this feel good Chocolate Sugar Cookies recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee or espresso powder, optional
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add softened butter, 1 cup of the sugar, and instant coffee. Cream the butter, sugar, and coffee on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Continue mixing for another 2-3 minutes to combine well.
- Add the flour mixture gradually, mixing until just combined and no flour streak remains.
- Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of the sugar into a small bowl.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon-size spring loaded cookie scoop, scoop 9 dough balls on each prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Gently roll into even balls, then coat each in the sugar.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies puff in the middle and set around the edges. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
These were so easy and delicious! Will be making them a lot!
Yay, so glad you liked them!! Thank you, Gail!
So yummy! The perfect amount of chocolate goodness.
Yay! So happy you liked them, Amber!
These look so festive! Bet they’re incredibly delicious, too!
They are! I hope you’ll try them!
I finally made these today! I have to admit it was a challenge since I do not own a mixer. I used a good ole spatula and my hands. I also measured with my heart for the 1.5 tsp balls at the end. They are sooo good! I absolutely love them! I wish I could post a picture! I’ll tag y’all on it! My new favorite cookie!
Aww, that makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you, Patricia!
I’d love to try this recipe! I’ve never been a huge sugar cookie fan, but add in some chocolate and I’m here for it. I wonder if it has the same rich taste as a chocolate chip cookie?
Yay, I hope you’ll try it!! They are very rich thanks to the cocoa powder and coffee. Enjoy!
What a delicious cookie! Soft and chewy and so chocolatey. I will make them again, and add a small amount of heat with a dash of cayenne pepper and maybe a little cinnamon.
SO GOOD!
Oooh yum, love the idea of a little kick with cayenne! Thanks for the inspiration, Betty! So happy you liked the cookies!!
This recipe is a keeper. I wasn’t sure the kids would like the coffee flavor but they did! So did the adults.
Aww, so glad adults and kids all loved them! Yay!! Thank you!
I made a batch of these cookies and they tasted amazing. They were perfectly gooey on the inside and rich with chocolate flavor. The batch of cookies that I made were flatter than what you’ve shown but they were a hit and disappeared in no time! Will make again.
Yay, so happy everyone loved them!! Thanks so much, Mike!
I made these gluten free using Bob’s Red Mill GF flour. They are soft and crispy, and the coffee gives them the perfect kick.
Yay!! So happy you liked them, Amy! I’m glad they worked with gluten-free flour, that’s great news!! Thanks!
Love this recipe. It tastes so good and super easy to make. My 12 and 10 years old kids made it on their own! Thanks for not letting them down 🙂
Aww, that makes me so happy!! Thank you, Racelle! So glad you all loved it!!
Ahhmazing! Thank you so much for this recipe. It was easy and delicious. I’m going to make the thumbprint cookies tomorrow. I love your recipes!
Yay, so glad you loved them!! Thanks so much, Francine! I hope you enjoy the thumbprint cookies too!
Although I am not into cookies, I decided to try this recipe because it sounded delicious and simple. I was not disappointed. The cookies were heavenly. My hubby loves cookies, he wanted to devour the whole batch. I will be sharing with the neighbors. As always, Yumna nailed it! Thank you.
Aww, so happy to hear you liked them!! Thank you so much, Katia!
Absolutely delicious! These will become a staple during the holidays.
Yay!! Aww, that makes me so happy to hear! Thanks, Natalia!!
We made these for our cookie decorating party, and they turned out wonderful! Everyone loved the subtle hint of coffee and the chocolate option in addition to regular sugar cookies. I chilled the dough, then rolled it out very thin, then chilled again before baking. They held their shapes very well. Everyone ate the cookies as they decorated so there are no pictures, oops!
Yay, so glad they were a hit at your party!! Love the idea of giving both regular and chocolate sugar cookie options for decorating. So thoughtful!
These are AMAZING!!! I made them this morning for my husband’s work cookie exchange. They turned out so pretty and the center of the cookie is delicious!!!! Thanks for posting these for us.
Aww, so happy you like them!! I hope all of your husband’s coworkers love them too! Thank you!!
Love these cookies! The coffee really enhances the taste and they’re really easy to make, which is a huge plus!!
Thank you! So glad you liked them and found them easy to make!!
Love this delicious and easy cookie! It has great chocolate flavor and the little bit of espresso powder really amps it up! It was a perfect addition to my cookie trays this year!
Yay! So happy you liked the recipe!! Thanks!
Hello, I was just wondering if you could make the batter ahead of time and freeze it instead of baking it right away?
I haven’t tried this myself yet but I think it would work well. Please let me know how it turns out if you end up trying it!
Erica- yes! I did this & wrapped the dough in plastic wrap and froze for over a week. It thawed & baked wonderfully. I also froze the baked cookies and those thaw out well too! 🙂
I had family over this evening for dinner and I made these for dessert. They were A M A Z I N G! They came out just like the recipe says: crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I was a little worried because I decided not to add the coffee or espresso but no need…:they were DELICIOUS! The recipe was easy to follow, and the tips helped make the perfect cookie! We always bake with my mom for Christmas and I’m definitely adding these.
Aww, thank you!! So happy you and your family liked them! I hope you enjoy baking the second round with your mom—how fun!!
Made these super yummy chocolate sugar cookies today! Any tips on how to achieve that puffier look as shown in the pictures?! While mine turned out delicious, they were a little flatter & more spread out, thank you for a great recipe! It’s a keeper!
Hi Beth, it’s possible your butter melted too much. If the butter is too soft, it can cause the cookies to spread out as they bake. They could also be flat from overmixing—if you beat the butter and sugar for too long, it can cause air bubbles that quickly rise when heated and then collapse.
Perfection!
Love the hint of coffee! Love the crunchy outside but chewy inside.
Yay!! So happy you loved them, Arwa! Thanks!!
I made these with my daughter and they were so easy to make. They were so soft and we all thought they were incredible! Definitely impossible to just eat one!
Love that!! Aww, so happy you all liked them! Thanks, Erica!!
Enjoyed making these with my 3 year old daughter! Turned out “so good” and the recipe was so easy to follow!
Aww, how sweet!! So happy you and your daughter had a great time making them! Thank you!!
I really enjoyed making this recipe with my family, it was so easy and fun.
Yay, so glad to hear you found it easy and fun!! Thank you!
Very delicious Christmas cookies 🤤 Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome!! So happy you liked them!
I was a bit nervous since the only instant coffee I had was the Nescafé but it wasn’t in super fine powder form and when mixing you could still see the bits. But when it baked, it all turned out great! And honestly so easy to make! Next up, attempting your gingerbread recipe while still working through all the recipes in the cookbook!
Yay, so happy your instant coffee option worked well!! Thank you, Sahr! I’m sure your gingerbread will turn out amazing! Happy holidays!!
So these cookies were a showSTOPPER in my house 😊 perfect for this time of year with the sugar dusting around them. Will be making again!
Yes, they’re perfectly snowy for the holidays!! So happy you liked them, Alexis!! Thanks!
Just made these for my in laws and everyone loved them! Best enjoyed fresh out of the oven. I will be adding these to my cookie trays for Christmas!
Yay!! Yes, they’re best when they’re still warm. So happy everyone loved them! Thanks, Lindsay!!
These cookies were soft and chewy. The perfect Christmas cookie. Easy to make. My kids ate them all. Definitely keeping this recipe on rotation all year round.
Aww, sounds like they were a big hit!! Thank you so much, Rania! So happy you and your kids loved them!
I made this recipe today, and we loved them! Super easy and quick to make them. Definitely making them again! Thank you!
Yay! So happy you loved them, Sarah!! You’re so welcome!
These were so easy to make and really tasty! Will definitely be making these again to bring to a Christmas party in two weeks!
Yay, I’m so glad!! I hope they’re a hit at your Christmas party! Thank you!!
Made these cookies yesterday and they were absolutely delicious! The whole family loved them! They looked like they were underbaked when taking out of the oven, but after cooling they were perfectly set. The cookies had slightly crisp edges, but soft and chewy centers. Also, quick and easy to make. Will be making a double batch next time!
Yay!! Sounds like your bake was perfect. So glad you and your family loved them!! Thank you, Alina!
These reminded me of the Archway Dutch cocoa cookies that I loved as a kid! They came out perfect.
Aww, love that!! So happy you loved the cookies and found them nostalgic!! Thanks, Brenna!
I made this recipe today, I loved it. Super easy and yummyyyyy
Yay!! So happy you liked it, thank you!!
I’ve been following Feel Good Foodie for a very long time and not once have her recipes failed me & my family! Her recipes bring my family gatherings together because the food is amazing. When I saw the chocolate sugar cookies I jumped to it and literally sat in front of the oven while they were baking and omg they were phenomenal!!! The perfect sugar cookie that melts in your mouth! I made 3 batches and still no leftovers, not even for me. Whenever I make cookies, these are definitely my first choice. You guys will not regret it!
Aww thank you so much, Rashaa!! So happy you and your family loved the cookies. It sounds like they were a huge hit in your house!! That’s awesome!
I made a batch of these cookies last night and they were delicious! I will definitely be making again for my Christmas cookie exchange! Super easy and turned out perfect, soft on the inside and crispy/crunchy outside! Thank you! 🇨🇦
Aww, love that!! Thank you, Harvir! I hope they’re a hit at your cookie exchange!!
I just made these. So delicious and not too sweet! I put some nuts in mine for some added crunch
Yum, love the idea of adding nuts!! So glad you liked them, Fatima!! Thank you!
These cookies are so easy to make and turn out absolutely delicious! Will be making them every Christmas now! Thank you Yumna!
Aww, yay! So happy you love them!! Thank you, Nour!
Had a sudden intense craving for cookies and glad to have found this recipe since it was so quick and easy! I actually left out the espresso powder since I did not have it and they were still delicious!! Warm out of the oven it was fudge goodness. Will definitely be making them again!
Yay, so happy you liked it!! And happy to hear it still turned out great without the espresso powder! Thank you!
Yum, these are amazing!! My 5 year old son and I had so much fun making these together, especially rolling the dough in sugar before baking. The instant coffee brings out the cocoa flavor perfectly. Great for the holidays. This will definitely be one of our regular baked holiday treats!
Aww, love that!! So happy you and your son enjoyed making (and eating) them! Thank you, Faith!!
Is coffee necessary or can I just skip it all together? Thanks in advance 🤩
You can skip if you’d like. But I recommend you don’t because it adds a beautiful richness to the flavor!
Guys, you have GOT to make this recipe! They are so fast and oh so delicious! A fantastic staple for this holiday season 🙂
Aww thank you so much, Adelaide!! I’m so happy you love the recipe and hope you enjoy the holidays!!
Is there anything better than a chewy, chocolately cookie? Perfect for Christmastime!
I don’t think there is haha! So glad you liked them, Silva!! Thank you!
Merry Christmas, Yumna!
Aww, love that!! So happy you and your son enjoyed making (and eating) them! Thank you!!
I made these with my kids and we all loved them! Great recipe, awesome memories 🙂
Aww, that makes me so happy! So glad you all loved them!! Thank you!
These are delicious! So easy and fun to make! I made more than one batch because I love food prep and you can never have too many cookies to grab and go! I didn’t have any instant coffee on hand but I had espresso powder so I used that instead and they were so yummy. Super chewy and just an all around delightful cookie. She really impressed me with this recipe and trust me, add the coffee if you can. It is beyond perfection. YUM. Thank you! I will be making these on repeat for loved ones for the holiday as well. 🥰
Aww thank you, Ellen! So happy you loved the cookies!! I hope they’re a hit with your loved ones as well. Happy holidays!!
Love this recipe and so easy to make with the kiddos, perfect cookies.
Yay! So happy you liked them and found them easy to make with your littles! Thank you!!
In Belgium, we have “Saint-Nicolas” on 06.12. On that day, we give presents and cookies to our child and these are perfect! Will make them this afternoon with my son 😉 Thank you!
Love that!! Aww, so happy these cookies can be a part of your holiday celebrations. Hope you and your son enjoy baking and eating them!! Thank you, Nawel!
I can’t explain how delicious these cookies are, the delicate coffee flavor is what fascinated me the most, they are super easy to make and I am enjoying them too much, my husband is not a cookie eater and he is devouring them. 😍
Aww, love that!! The coffee flavor gives the cookies the perfect richness. So happy you both like them!! Thanks, Lis!
I made this cookie recipe with my little sister and she LOVED it. It was easy to make and follow and the taste after was amazing. (Don’t forget to try some of the uncooked batter, my sister loved that part.)
Aww, what a fun sister activity! So happy you both enjoyed the recipe!! Thanks, Maya!
These sound so good and easy to make. They remind me of chocolate crinkle cookies, but yours uses regular sugar instead of powered sugar. I can’t wait to try these!!
Yes, they’re very similar to chocolate crinkle cookies! I hope you enjoy them!!
I love these recipes!! I cannot wait to try these cookies! Seems like a very simple and delicious recipe. Perfect for holiday gift giving!
Yes, they’re a great holiday gift!! Can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
I made these cookies for my nephews’ birthday party. We sampled it and they were delicious so I had to make another batch to take to the party. 😆 They were a hit there too. The coffee is the secret ingredient. Thank you for another great recipe and fun challenge. Happy Holiday Baking Season
So happy they were a hit at your house and the party!! Happy holiday baking season to you, too!!
Soooo gooood. That about sums it up! I use all organic ingredients in them. So soft and gooey 🎄
Yay, so happy you love them!! Soft and gooey cookies are the best! Thank you so much, Melissa!
Looking forward to making these😋
I hope you like them!!
These cookies are SO good. I opted to use instant nescafe gold espresso and the mix of it and the cocoa, makes these cookies SO rich and fudgy. Best part is, that all ingredients are staple ingredients that I would always have on hand, so can be mixed up in a jiffy. LOVE THEM❣️
Yay!! That’s amazing! Aww, so glad you love them! Thanks, Melody!
These were the first “holiday” cookies we made this year and they are delicious! Easy to make especially because it’s all ingredients I have on hand. Definitely a repeat recipe!
Yay, love that you found it easy and had everything on hand! Thanks, Meghann!
I plan to bake a batch this week.
I hope you like them!!
Made these yummy cookies which my kids loved it. They were so good and recipe was easy to make. Will make them again soon.
Aww, so glad you and your kids loved them! Thanks!!
Got this recipe email today and ran to make these. They’re so good! So nice and soft. Love the expresso powder in them! Yum!
Yay, so glad you like them! Thank you so much, Fatimah!!
Those look so delicious! I have to try that recipe sometime soon. 😍
Thank you, I hope you like them!
Can you make this with a sugar substitute & a flax egg instead of your recipe ingredients?
Hi Gail, I haven’t tried making these cookies with a sugar alternative or a flax egg but I think it would work! I’d love to hear how they turn out if you end up trying it. Here’s my tutorial for making a flax egg, if that’s helpful: How to Make a Flax Egg
These were so easy! And are super yummy!
Aww, thank you! So happy you liked them!!