Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

Chocolate cut out cookies that hold their shape, no matter which cutter you use. I went with snowflakes for winter, though they're just as good in any shape you like.

These chocolate cut out cookies start with a dough made from real melted chocolate, not cocoa powder stirred into a vanilla base. This is the chocolate answer to my plain cut out cookie dough. Either dough rolls out clean and holds its shape with any cutter you press into it.

What makes these work 

The chocolate flavor here comes from real bittersweet chocolate, melted and beaten right into the dough. Cocoa powder gets you a chocolate cookie, but melting whole chocolate into the butter and sugar gives you a deeper flavor and a richer, less dry texture.

Many recipes use cocoa powder because it is sturdy and thought to hold shape better but the trade off is the texture.

With proper temperature control, these cookies hold their shape just fine. You chill the dough before you roll it, chill it again after, and then freeze the cut shapes for a few minutes before they go in the oven. 

Cold dough holds its edges. That's what keeps a snowflake looking like a snowflake instead of a blob, and it's why these take a little patience. By chilling you get a cookie that holds its shape AND has a beautiful texture.

Ingredients

• All purpose flour. The structure of the cookie. Measure it by weight if you can, since too much flour can make a cookie dry.
• Salt and baking soda. Salt sharpens the chocolate. The baking soda gives just enough lift without puffing the cookies out of shape.
• Bittersweet chocolate. The flavor of the dough.
• Unsalted butter. Bring it to room temperature before you start, so it creams properly with the sugar. Unsalted lets you control the salt yourself.
• Sugar. Sweetens and helps the butter cream up light.
• Egg. Binds the dough together.
• Vanilla extract. Rounds out the chocolate.
• Peppermint extract. Optional. Leave it out for a plain chocolate cookie, or add it in winter for a chocolate peppermint version. More on that in the variations below.

How to make chocolate cut out cookies

Start by sifting the flour, salt, and baking soda together, and set that aside. Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat, stirring until it's smooth, then set it aside too.

Cream the butter and sugar on high speed until they're light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Drop the mixer to low speed and pour in the melted chocolate. Add the flour mixture in two batches, scraping down the bowl between them, and stop as soon as the dough comes together.

Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll it out between two sheets of parchment to a quarter inch thick, then chill the rolled dough for at least an hour. Heat your oven to 350°F.

Cut your shapes. If the dough turns sticky while you work, slide it back in the fridge for 15 minutes. Set the cookies on a sheet pan that fits in your freezer, and add sugar sprinkles now if you want them. Freeze the cut cookies for 15 minutes, space 

Tips for Making Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

• It's important to chill the dough before cutting. This will help you cut them without getting dough stuck in the cutter.
• Cut your shapes close together to get the most out of each roll, then gather the scraps, press them back into a disk, and chill before rolling again.
• And I have one last tip for cleanup. See my tips for how to clean and dry cookie cutters.

Decorating

You can decorate these however you want. The simplest way, and the one I reach for most, is a scatter of shimmering gold and silver sugar pressed on before baking. It catches the light and looks like frost on the dark chocolate.

If you want something more finished, pipe on some easy cookie icing. White icing against the dark chocolate cookie gives you a sharp, pretty contrast, and it's the natural way to add snowflake detail or dress the cookies up for whatever shape you've cut. Shimmering sugar in any color can go over the icing too.

Storing and Make Ahead 

You can make this dough well ahead, which helps when the holiday baking piles up. Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, the rolled dough keeps in the refrigerator for up to three days between its parchment sheets, and you can cut your shapes straight from the cold.

For longer, it freezes for up to three months, either as a wrapped ball or already rolled between parchment. My full guide to freezing cookie dough walks through both.

Baked cookies keep well too. Store them unfrosted in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze them for up to two months and frost once they've thawed.

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