Chocolate Sugar Cookies for a Blogger Cookie Swap

This year I participated in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap! I knew I wanted to send out my specialty, my decorated sugar cookies, but the hosts of the swap asked that we all use a recipe that is new to our blog. Well, I’ve shared countless posts about my traditional sugar cookies, so I had to do some thinking.

What could possibly make my favorite sugar cookies taste better?

The answer was simple. 

Chocolate.

And as it turns out, the recipe was simple too. 

All it takes to modify my already delicious and simple sugar cookie recipe, is ¾ cup of cocoa powder added to the flour and baking powder mixture. 

The dough may be a little dry, in which case you can add a teaspoon or so of water and keep mixing. 

Part of entry into the cookie swap included a donation to Cookies for Kids Cancer. OXO gave us all a complementary cookie spatula as a thank you for our donation. Because we are all good cookies. 

Each of my recipients got a variety of winter hats, mittens, and snowflakes! Funny enough, all three of them live in sunny Southern California or Las Vegas. So hopefully my cookies added some winter holiday spirit to their warm, sunny, probably 70 degree December weather. While I bundle up in my actual winter hats and mittens here in Jersey. 

Here is the recipe for my Chocolate Sugar Cookies, decorated with Royal Icing:

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 cups flour (plus extra as needed)

3/4 cup cocoa powder 

1-2 teaspoons of water (if needed)

small mixture of confectioner's sugar & flour for rolling out dough

1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat. 

2. Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  

3. Combine baking powder, flour, and cocoa in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, one cup at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition.  

4. If dough is still too soft, add more flour 1/4 cup at a time.  Dough should be stiff enough to maintain its shape when rolled out.  If dough is too dry from adding the cocoa powder, add 1-2 teaspoons of water and continue to mix. 

5. Dust surface & rolling pin generously with mixture of confectioner's sugar & flour.  Roll dough to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness.  Dip cookie cutters in sugar/flour mixture before use.  Transfer cookies to prepared cookie sheets.  

6. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Let cool slightly. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 
Makes about 30-35 three-inch cookies. 

Decorate with Royal Icing! 

I was also the recipient of some very scrumptious cookies from some very talented food bloggers.  Thank you all so very much!! 

From left to right: 'Nutter Butters' from Eleana of Chou Down,
Chocolate Hazelnut Drop Cookies from Beth of Jersey Bites, and White Chocolate Pecan Cookies from k + v