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Stack of chocolate sugar cookies on a white napkin with one in half.

Super Soft Chocolate Drop Sugar Cookies

Yield: 36 Cookies
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (64 g) natural, unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa powder (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (424 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups (284 g) salted butter, softened to room temperature (20 tablespoons)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Granulated sugar, for rolling

Instructions 

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer, combine the granulated sugar and butter and mix until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add the flour/cocoa mixture and mix until combined.
  • Scoop the soft dough into about 2 tablespoon-sized mounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (I use a #40 cookie scoop) and chill for about an hour (or up to 24 hours). Alternately, you can chill the entire batch of dough without scooping, but once chilled, it is harder to scoop out portions of dough since the cookie dough is pretty stiff.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease with cooking spray.
  • Roll each scoop of chilled cookie dough in your hands to soften just slightly and form a nice round ball. Roll in granulated sugar and place 1- to 2-inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheets.
  • For a soft-baked cookie, bake for 9-10 minutes (9 minutes is perfect in my oven); for a crispier cookie, bake for 12-13 minutes.
  • Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store well-covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for several days or freeze the baked cookies for a up to a month or so.

Notes

Cocoa: both natural, unsweetened (like the Hershey's brand) or Dutch-process cocoa works great in these cookies. The pictures in the post are cookies made with natural, unsweetened cocoa. The cookies will be darker (and richer in chocolate flavor) if using Dutch-process cocoa. 
Cookie Spreading: if you find the cookies are spreading too much while baking, try increasing the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Also, if you live at high altitude, I'd suggest adding a few more tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough (just a suggestion since the cookies are already on the thin side).