When a recipe for chocolate sugar cookies from Handmade Charlotte showed up on my Instagram feed, I knew I had to try it. I’ve been craving a chocolate sugar cookie for as long as I could remember and this cookie looked perfect.. But if you have been here before you know I specialize in dairy free desserts so I had to adapt the recipe to fit my needs. I also added a pinch of cinnamon for a bit more of a complex flavor. You won’t really taste it but it gives a nice background flavor that pairs nicely with the chocolate.
These cookies are chocolate heaven. They are intense but also sweet. The sugar coating adds a really nice crunchy coating while the inside is chewy and tender. To get the cookies this really deep almost black color I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa. It’s a combination of regular cocoa powder and dutch process cocoa powder and I’m kind of obsessed with it lately. I find it in my local supermarket but I’ll include an affiliate link in case you can’t find it locally: Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, 8-Ounce Container (Pack of 2)
- 2 cups + 2 Tbs. flour
- ¾ cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- 4 Tbs. margarine
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch of cinnamon
- ¼ cup sugar for rolling
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set asode.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the shortening, margarine, and sugars until smooth.
- Add in the eggs one at a time making sure to combine well after each addition.
- Add the vanilla and cinnamon and mix to combine.
- With the mixer on low add in the flour mixture and mix until the cookie dough comes together.
- Using a medium sized cookie scoop, form balls of batter. Roll in the sugar and set each cookie on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookies are flat and cracked on top.
- Allow to cool on wire rack before enjoying!
Here’s an affiliate link to my favorite cookie scoop and the size I used in this recipe: