Make these easy cut out chocolate sugar cookies in 30 minutes or less! After making classic cut out vanilla sugar cookies I knew I had to make a chocolate version. These are made with cocoa powder and don’t require any chill time. The best part is that they hold their shape really well, even those sharp edges! Decorate these with an easy cookie icing for a fun, festive, decorated, holiday cookie!

Decorated red and white cut out sugar cookies with sprinkles on a white speckled plate.
Look at this perfect heart shape!

We all know and love those classic cutout vanilla sugar cookies, but have you ever made a chocolate version? I loved the way my original recipe came out so I decided to make them into chocolate too!

These chocolate sugar cookies can take on any shape and hold it perfectly. I tried it with super sharp edge cookie cutters and its seriously a 10/10 all around.

The best part about this recipe is that they can be done in 30 mins or less and are no chill! Seriously, I am not a fan of waiting 2 hours for cookies to chill so my go to’s are always the no chill recipes. Yes even as a trained pastry chef, I still like to take shortcuts-but without sacrificing on flavor!

The cookies are made with cocoa powder and a mix of powdered sugar + white sugar. I found this combination of sugars works best for a crunchy yet not too hard texture. Plus the cocoa gives it a deep chocolate flavor.

The cookies in this post are decorated with my easy cookie icing (which is amazing because you don’t need to use any piping bags) but you can also go the extra mile by making my royal icing to frost them with.

Grab your favorite cookies cutters- dare you to try your sharpest ones- and lets get to baking!

What you need

There’s nothing extraordinary that you need for this recipe but I want to point out a couple things. Remember to scroll down to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and amounts.

Powdered Sugar + White Sugar– Most sugar cookie recipes use only white sugar. I decided to use half white and half powdered and found that the cookie crunch was not as hard or dense as other decorated cookies. It’s almost borderline shortbread and I’m super into it!

Cocoa powder– This is natural and unsweetened, I use the Hershey or Ghirardelli brand.

Making the cookie dough

Preheat the oven to 350° F and take out or line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. You can bake the cookies close together because they don’t rise much so it will depend on the size of the cookies for how many you can fit on a sheet.

Butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
The butter should be softened to room temperature but not greasy. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment add the butter and both sugars to the bowl. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl.
Creamed butter and sugar in a mixing bowl with a spatula inside.
Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again for 15-30 seconds.

You want to do this slowly so the creamed butter has enough time to absorb the flour. If you go too fast, the flour wont mix in as well and the cookie can be tough.

Creamed sugar, butter, and eggs in a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment inside.
Next, with the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour and cocoa. Add in the baking powder, and salt, and mix until a firm dough forms. About 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Chocolate sugar cookie dough in a mixing bowl.
It will start clumping when its mixed all together.
Chocolate sugar cookie dough on a piece of parchment paper.
The dough should be smooth and not sticky.

The dough should roll into a ball easily and not be sticky at all.

Roll the dough without a mess

I like to roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. I prefer using parchment paper because then after cutting the cookies, I just lift the paper and put it on the cookie sheet without having to lift the individual cookies. Also theres no reason to sprinkle flour all over your surface.

You can keep the cookies close together too on the parchment paper. They stay flat so there’s no chance of them spreading into each other.

Rolled out chocolate sugar cookie dough on a piece of parchment paper with a rolling pin next to it.
Roll the dough 1/4″ thick as even as you can.
Cookie cutter square shape cut into chocolate cookie dough.
Peel the scraps around the cutout shapes.
Chocolate cookie shapes cut out onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
The cookies dont rise so they can be very close together when baking

Cut the cookie dough with your preferred cookie cutter. For this recipe and bake time I used a 3″ cutter. Then place on the sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes, thats it!

You wont be able to see the bottoms turn golden brown because they are chocolate but if you give one a slight tap it should be firm after 10-11 minutes.

Round chocolate cookies stacked on top of each other on a cookie sheet.
Look how well they keep their shape and size.

If you are using a smaller one, you will get more cookies. Just remember to decrease the baking time to 7-8 minutes if they are 2″ or smaller.

Decorating options

OHH THE FUN PART!

There are so many options. If you are with your kids or you dont want to deal with lots of equipment then my easy cookie icing is the way to go. You can make it in one bowl, color it any color you want, and then use it to decorate the cookies without any piping bags. That post shows you exactly how. It will take 24 hours for this icing to completely dry hard.

A red heart sugar cookies surrounded by sprinkle decorated cookies on a plate.
These are frosted with my easy cookie icing but it looks just like royal icing!

If you want to get a little fancier try my royal icing recipe. You can make pretty piping designs with this and make them look very professional! This icing takes only a couple hours 2-3 to dry hard.

Sprinkles! After icing the cookies, use different colored sprinkles to decorate for a theme or holiday.

4.50 stars (2 ratings)

30 Minute No Chill Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 20 cookies
Make these easy cut out chocolate sugar cookies in 30 minutes or less! After making classic cut out vanilla sugar cookies I knew I had to make a chocolate version. These are made with cocoa powder and don't require any chill time. The best part is that they hold their shape really well, even those sharp edges! Decorate these with an easy cookie icing for a fun, festive, decorated, holiday cookie!
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 227g
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 53g
  • 1/2 cup white sugar, 100g
  • 1 egg, large
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all purpose flour, 360g
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened 50g
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350° F and set aside two cookie sheets.
  • In the bowl of a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the 1 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar. Cream on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until pale, light, and fluffy.
  • Scrape down the bowl and add in the 1 large egg and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Mix for 1 minute again to combine.
  • With the mixer running on low, slowly add in the 3 cups flour allowing it to absorb into the creamed mixture. Continue with the 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp kosher salt.
  • Raise to medium speed and mix until a smooth dough forms.
  • Roll out the dough to 1/4" thick between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Using a cookie cutter, cut out your desired shapes, then lift off the scraps. Lift the parchment onto the cookie sheet.
  • Bake the cookies for 10 minuted for 3" cookies or 8-9 minutes for 2" cookies. Repeat the process with scraps and more parchment.
  • Cool and decorate with easy cookie icing or royal icing.

Notes

Cookie icing is perfect if you want a no fuss easy icing to decorate without any piping bags or for a fun kids activity. This will take 24 hours to dry completely
Royal icing is best used if you want to pipe intricate details. This will dry hard in 2-3 hours. 

Yield and cookie cutter size

I got 20 cookies out of a 3″ cookie cutter for one batch of cookie dough. The amount of cookies you get out of this recipe depends on the size of your cookie cutter.

Storage and freezing

If your’e decorating the cookies with either above icing, you want to let the cookies dry completely for about 24 hours before packing and sending to friends. Leave them uncovered on a counter top overnight.
Make the cookies 3 days in advance of decorating them and they will still taste amazing.
To store, put them in an airtight container for up to 1 week. For freezing, place the cookies in a zip top freezer safe bag and freeze for 2 months.
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 190kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 95mg, Potassium: 59mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 296IU, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Author: Sam Adler
Cuisine: American
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