melissa weller's chocolate sugar cookies
I didn’t even think I liked chocolate sugar cookies, until I found this recipe. These chocolate sugar cookies from Melissa Weller’s A Good Bake are the best of their kind—very chocolatey and chewy, with a lovely rise-and-fall (meaning they puff in the oven and deflate as they cool, creating a pretty crackle top). They aren’t too sweet, with a good balance of salt. And they’re made with dark brown sugar in place of granulated sugar, which enhances their depth of flavor. Melissa calls for Valrhona cocoa powder, but I’ve also tried them with Scharffen Berger and Ghirardelli, and they’re still delicious (any quality cocoa powder will work). I’ve played around with a few holiday riffs—adding peppermint extract, a bit of chopped chocolate, a splash of almond extract, a flurry of sprinkles—and have included those ideas below.
Melissa Weller’s Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Barely adapted from A Good Bake by Melissa Weller and Carolynn Carreno.
I only made a few small edits to the method section, for both clarity and brevity. I’ve also included variations I’ve tried below. Make sure to use fresh baking soda for the best rise-and-fall results.
Makes 16 to 18 2-inch cookies.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (43 grams) cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
16 tablespoons (226 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, for rolling
METHOD
Place one oven rack in the center position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula once or twice, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Turn off the mixer, add the egg and vanilla, and beat until incorporated, another 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
Pour the granulated sugar into a small bowl. Scoop a 2-tablespoon (50 gram) portion of dough and roll it into a ball between the palms of your hands. Roll the ball in sugar to coat all over. Continue with the rest of the dough, placing the cookie balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each ball.
Bake one baking sheet at the time on the center oven rack, for 12 to 14 minutes, until the cookies have puffed up and cracked as they’ve fallen back down, rotating the baking sheet from front to back midway through the baking time. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool for 2 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
THE BUTTER LAB VARIATIONS:
Chocolate Peppermint: Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract along with the vanilla. Crush a handful of candy canes in a food processor and sprinkle onto cookies as they cool.
Double Chocolate: Add 3 ounces (85 grams) chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate after mixing the dry ingredients.
Other: Add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract along with the vanilla; add a flurry of sprinkles to the cookies as they cool.