Soft and Chewy Chocolate Sugar Cookies Recipe

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour – This is your base. I always use regular all-purpose flour for cookie recipes because it gives the perfect texture and helps the cookies hold their shape.
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder – This gives the cookies their deep chocolate flavor. Don’t skimp on this! The unsweetened cocoa powder is the key to getting that rich intense chocolate taste.
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda – This helps the cookies rise and gives them a light fluffy texture.
½ teaspoon salt – A little salt helps balance out the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor.
1 cup unsalted butter softened – The butter provides richness and helps create that perfect, soft cookie texture. Make sure it’s softened, not melted, so the dough comes together properly.
1 ½ cups granulated sugar – This is for the dough itself. The sugar not only sweetens the cookies but also helps them spread out and become that chewy texture we all love.
2 large eggs – Eggs bind everything together and help create a nice soft cookie.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract – The vanilla adds warmth and depth to the flavor of the cookies.
½ cup granulated sugar for rolling the dough balls – This is for rolling the dough into balls before baking. The sugar gives the cookies a sweet, crunchy outer layer that’s simply irresistible.

The first step in making these chocolate sugar cookies is to mix together your dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. I’ve learned that it’s really important to make sure your dry ingredients are mixed together thoroughly, so don’t skip this step. It helps ensure that the cocoa powder is evenly distributed and that you won’t have any clumps in your dough. Plus, the baking soda and salt will be spread throughout, which will help the cookies bake up perfectly.

Next, you’ll want to cream the softened butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step is key to getting that melt-in-your-mouth texture. I always use a stand mixer for this part because it makes it so much easier, but a hand mixer or even a whisk will work just fine if you don’t have a stand mixer. Creaming the butter and sugar together not only helps with the texture but also makes the cookies extra soft.
Once the butter and sugar are combined, add the eggs one at a time, making sure to mix well after each addition. Then, stir in the vanilla extract. This is the point where the dough will start to come together and become smooth and creamy. It smells so good, right? The vanilla is like the secret ingredient that ties everything together.

Now, it’s time to bring everything together. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing just until everything is combined. I always add the dry ingredients in batches, so they don’t fly everywhere. The dough should be thick and a little sticky, which is perfect for rolling into balls.
If the dough is too soft or sticky to handle, you can pop it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm it up. This step is optional, but I find that it makes it easier to roll the dough into balls without making a mess.

Here comes the fun part—rolling the dough! Use about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough to roll into balls. I like to roll them by hand, but if you want perfectly uniform balls, you can use a cookie scoop. Once you’ve rolled the dough into balls, coat each ball in granulated sugar. This is where the cookies get their signature sugar coating, which gives them a nice crunch when you bite into them.
Place the sugar-coated dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 2 inches apart. The cookies will spread a little as they bake, so make sure there’s room for them to expand.

Pop the baking sheet into your preheated oven (set to 350°F or 175°C) and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies should look slightly soft in the middle, but the edges will be set. Don’t worry if they look a little underdone when you pull them out—they’ll firm up as they cool.
Once the cookies are baked, let them sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes to cool slightly before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This cooling time is important because it allows the cookies to set up and get that perfect texture.