These Chocolate Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are a near-perfect holiday treat. No chilling required, they come together quickly, bake evenly, and have a rich chocolate flavor that works beautifully with royal icing or a simple royal-style glaze. They’re easy to make, pack well for gifts, and are a reliable go-to cookie all season long.
I set out to develop a chocolate sugar cookie that actually tastes good and behaves well—and this is it. Many chocolate cut-out cookies can turn out dry, bland, or spread too much while baking. These cookies solve those problems: they’re tender, chocolaty, hold their shape, and require no chill time. They’re based on the author’s tried-and-true no-chill cut-out sugar cookie adapted with cocoa for a chocolate twist.
The Cookies
The dough is made from simple pantry staples:
- Butter for richness and structure
- Confectioners’ sugar to keep the cookies light and tender
- Egg to bind and add moisture
- Pure vanilla extract for flavor
- Unsweetened cocoa powder for chocolate flavor
- Baking powder to help the cookies rise slightly and bake evenly
- All-purpose flour to form the dough
- Salt to balance sweetness and enhance flavor
To make the cookies, mix the dough, roll it to about 1/4″ thick, and cut shapes with your favorite cutters. Mini cutters (about 1–1½”) are recommended because smaller cookies bake faster and spread less, yielding more cookies per batch. Larger shapes will spend more time in the oven and may spread more, so choose the cutter size with that in mind.
For decorating, the recipe includes a simple royal-style glaze that mimics traditional royal icing without the fuss. It’s glossy, quick to make, and hardens so cookies can be stacked or packaged. Whisk together the glaze, tint if desired, dip the cookies, let excess drip off, and allow the surface to set before storing.
These chocolaty, tender, no-chill cut-out sugar cookies are easy to make and sure to become a family favorite.
*Adapted from the author’s Perfect No-Chill Cut-Out Sugar Cookies recipe.
No-Chill Chocolate Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
20 mins
10 mins
30 mins
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
For the Royal “Glaze”:
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- Liquid or gel food coloring, optional
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- In a stand mixer bowl, cream the softened butter and confectioners’ sugar with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat well, then add vanilla. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and flour. Mix on low until a soft dough forms.
- Dust a work surface with cocoa powder to avoid whitening the dough. Roll half the dough to about 1/4″ thickness.
- Cut shapes with cookie cutters (1–1½” recommended for minimal spreading) and place on prepared sheets about 1″ apart. Reroll scraps and cut remaining shapes.
- Bake miniature cookies (1–2″) for 7–9 minutes, rotating pans halfway through; larger cookies (2–3″) will need about 8–11 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the sheets for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the royal glaze: Whisk warm water, corn syrup, vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar until smooth and glossy. Divide and color if desired. Dip cookies face down into the glaze, let excess drip off, return to a wire rack, and add sprinkles while wet. Let glaze set and harden before packing or storing.
Notes
Smaller cutters reduce spread and baking time. Using 1–2″ cutters helps keep cookies uniform and minimizes spreading.
These cookies are easy to make and likely to become a new family favorite.
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley