These Drop-Style Chocolate Sugar Cookies are rich, chewy, and wonderfully simple to make. They combine the familiar sweetness of a classic sugar cookie with deep cocoa flavor, giving you a soft chocolate cookie with lightly crisp edges and a tender center.
If you love easy homemade cookies, this recipe is a reliable choice for weeknight baking, holiday cookie trays, casual gatherings, or any time a chocolate craving hits. The dough comes together in one bowl, chills briefly, and is scooped directly onto the baking sheet. There is no rolling pin, no cookie cutter, and no complicated shaping required. Each cookie is finished with a coating of sparkling sugar, demerara sugar, or granulated sugar for a slightly crunchy outside and a beautiful crackly top.
The recipe yields 10 large chocolate sugar cookies. They are baked until the edges are set while the centers still look soft, which helps create that chewy texture after cooling. For the best results, measure the ingredients carefully, avoid overmixing once the flour and cocoa are added, and give the dough the full chilling time before baking.
What are Drop-Style Cookies?
Drop-style cookies are cookies made by scooping portions of dough and placing, or “dropping,” them onto a prepared baking sheet before baking. This method is quick, practical, and beginner-friendly because it does not require cutting, slicing, or shaping the dough into precise forms.
Compared with cut-out cookies or slice-and-bake cookies, drop cookies are usually faster to prepare and easier to repeat consistently. A spring-loaded cookie scoop helps portion the dough evenly so the cookies bake at the same rate. For this chocolate sugar cookie recipe, the dough balls are rolled in sugar before going into the oven, which adds sparkle, texture, and a classic sugar-cookie finish.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Unsalted butter: Softened butter creates a smooth dough and gives the cookies their rich flavor. Using unsalted butter also lets you control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Granulated sugar: Sugar sweetens the dough, helps the cookies spread, and contributes to the lightly crisp edges.
- Egg: You will need one large egg. It binds the dough and helps create a chewy texture.
- Vanilla: Vanilla extract rounds out the chocolate flavor and adds warmth to the cookies.
- All-purpose flour: No specialty flour is needed. All-purpose flour gives the cookies enough structure while keeping the centers soft.
- Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder. Dutch-process cocoa is not recommended here because it will not react with the baking soda in the same way.
- Baking soda: Baking soda helps the cookies rise and encourages a soft, chewy bite.
- Salt: Fine sea salt balances the sweetness and keeps the chocolate flavor from tasting flat. Do not skip it.
- Sparkling sugar: Sparkling sugar is ideal for rolling the dough balls before baking, but demerara sugar or regular granulated sugar can also be used.
How to Make Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Start by beating the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture looks fluffy and well combined. This step helps create a lighter texture and gives the cookies a better structure. Add the egg and vanilla extract, then mix again until everything is smooth.
Next, add the all-purpose flour, natural cocoa powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt. Mix on low speed only until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough. Overmixing can make the cookies tougher, so stop as soon as the dough comes together. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 30 minutes. Chilling makes the dough easier to scoop and helps control spreading in the oven.
Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into large portions, roll each dough ball in sugar if desired, and arrange them on the baking sheet with enough space between each cookie. Bake until the edges look set but the centers still appear soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Note: This recipe is written in grams because weighing ingredients is the most accurate way to bake. Cup measurements can vary depending on location and measuring style, so a kitchen scale is recommended for the most consistent results.
Print Recipe
Drop-Style Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 140 g unsalted butter softened
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 175 g all-purpose flour
- 30 g unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Garnish: sparkling, demerara, or granulated sugar
Instructions
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In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
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Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined, about 1 minute.
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Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix the dough.
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Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a large 3-tablespoon spring-loaded scoop to portion the dough into balls, then place them on the prepared baking sheet.
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Roll each dough ball in sugar, if using. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the sides are lightly browned and the edges are set. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.