Home > All Recipes > Cookies > Chocolate Cut-Out Sugar Cookies (Small Batch)

Chocolate Cut-Out Sugar Cookies (Small Batch)

To Recipe

5 from 3 reviews

This post may contain affiliate links. See the Disclosure Policy.


Welcome to your new favorite recipe for soft chocolate cut-out sugar cookies that don’t spread!  The secret to the tender texture of this small batch of cookies is … cream cheese.  The rich cocoa cookies practically melt in your mouth and are even better when decorated with vibrant raspberry cream cheese frosting.  A holiday sugar cookie must, the chocolate cookies can be cut into any shape, decorated for any occasion, and will stay soft and tender days after baking.

First, let’s talk about the texture of these cookies. They are soft. The kind of soft that leaves the perfect bite mark without crumbs. So soft that dare I say they are also moist. And this is all thanks to the special addition of cream cheese.

Now before you run away because you think these are cream cheese forward cookies, the flavor is barely noticeable. You may notice a slight tang, but the front-runner flavor in this small batch of cookies is chocolate. If you want to taste the cream cheese in your cookie, try the almond flour cinnamon cream cheese cookies, or my small batch cream cheese frosted red velvet cookies.

The special ingredient also makes the cookies sturdy so they don’t spread when baked, which makes them ideal for cookie cutters. Just like my cut-out gluten free sugar cookies, you’ll want to bookmark this recipe for any holiday – Valentine’s, Easter, Christmas, 4th of July – and have a fun time decorating the cookies to fit the occasion!

A Few Notes On The Ingredients

Close up of soft heart shaped chocolate cookies with bright pink frosting.
  • I like to use Dutch process cocoa because it is less acidic with bold chocolate flavor, but natural cocoa will work.
  • For a gluten free option, try the almond flour cut-out chocolate sugar cookies recipe and omit the filling (or leave it for a fun cookie sandwich!)
  • Use full-fat cream cheese to get the best texture in the cookies.  Low fat may make the cookies spread.

How To Make The Cookies

1. Whisk the dry ingredients

Flour, cocoa powder, and salt get a good mix in a small bowl. The dry ingredient mix ensures even distribution of the cocoa powder and removes lumps.

A bowl of dry ingredients for chocolate cookies.

Tip! If your cocoa powder appears especially lumpy, sift it through a fine mesh strainer over the bowl of flour.

2. Mix the butter and cream cheese

Full-fat cream cheese is what makes these chocolate cream cheese sugar cookies soft. Mix the cream cheese and unsalted butter first to create a smooth, homogenous mix.

Cream cheese and butter in a silver mixing bowl.

3. Add the remaining wet ingredients

Into the mixing bowl goes the sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Does this ingredient list get any easier?! Mix for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy.

Egg and sugar added to whipped butter in a mixing bowl.

4. Mix to a thick dough

Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet and mix until you get a thick chocolatey dough. And because this is a thicker cookie dough, I like to use my standard tilt-head stand mixer with a smaller 3-quart mixing bowl. Perfect for a small batch of chocolate cookie dough!

Delicious chocolate cream cheese cookie dough in a mixing bowl.

5. Chill

Wrap the dough snug in plastic wrap and shape it into a disc. Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Or overnight, if you need to make it ahead of time.

Cookie dough wrapped in a disc.

Tip! Even though this is a sturdy sugar cookie dough, I do recommend chilling it. This will keep the cookies from spreading. Plus, giving the dough time to rest allows the flour to hydrate and flavors to develop.

FAQ

Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time and freeze it?

Yes! Form the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator (see above on why we chill the dough). Then place the dough disc in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.

5. Roll out, cut into shapes, and bake

Now the fun part! Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick (thicker or thinner if you like), and cut into festive (love!) shapes.

Heart shaped chocolate cut out cookies on a baking sheet.

Tip! Roll and cut the dough directly on the sheets of parchment paper – for ease and less mess! If the cookie dough sticks to your rolling pin, dust it lightly with a little cocoa powder.

6. Decorate your cookies

Ok, so the heart-shaped cookie cutter makes this an example of Valentine’s Day cookies. But, imagine the pretty possibilities with Christmas shapes and a bright royal icing!

Did you make these chocolate sugar cookies for a special occasion? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below! Did you use a fun-shaped cookie cutter? Festive sprinkles? Share your creative ideas! ✨

Chocolate heart shaped cookies in a stack with a tasty bite out of the top one.

Chocolate Cut-Out Sugar Cookies (Small Batch)

5 from 3 reviews
Welcome to your new favorite recipe for soft chocolate cut-out sugar cookies that don't spread!  The secret to the tender texture of this small batch of cookies is … cream cheese.  The rich cocoa cookies practically melt in your mouth and are even better when decorated with vibrant raspberry cream cheese frosting.  A holiday sugar cookie must, the chocolate cookies can be cut into any shape, decorated for any occasion, and will stay soft and tender days after baking.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe
Yield12 Cookies
Prep15 minutes
Chill2 hours
Cook9 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

  • ¾ cup (93.7 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch process
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup (56.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 ounces (56.2 g) cream cheese, room temperature
  • cup (67 g) organic cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Raspberry Cream Cheese Cookie Frosting

  • Make the frosting according to the recipe. You can make ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
    ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch process, ¼ teaspoon salt
  • In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer (use a 3-quart mixing bowl for best results), add the butter and cream cheese. Mix on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Continue to mix on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
    ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature, ⅓ cup organic cane sugar, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • In increments, sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet and mix on medium speed until a thick sticky dough forms.
  • Pour the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a disc. Wrap tightly and chill the dough for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line 2 baking sheets with a piece of parchment paper.
  • Lightly dust your work surface with cocoa powder – so as not to discolor the cookies. Tip – Roll and cut the cookie dough directly on the sheets of parchment paper for ease and less mess! Roll the dough to a 1/4 inch thick and use a cookie cutter to cut into shapes. Arrange the cookies at least 2 inches apart. Use a pastry brush to brush off excess cocoa powder. Carefully transfer your parchment full of cookies to the baking sheet.
  • One baking sheet at a time, bake the cookies for 9 to 10 minutes or until the edges are set. Refrigerate the other sheet of cookies while the first batch is baking.
  • Cool the cookies on the baking sheet set on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to the rack to cool completely.
  • Frost the cooled cookies with the raspberry cream cheese cookie frosting, or any small batch frosting of choice.
  • Frosted cookies can be kept at room temperature for up to 6 to 8 hours. Beyond that, if using cream cheese frosting, cover and store the cookies in the refrigerator. The cookies will stay soft for up to 5 days – beyond that and they may start to dry out.
I’d love to hear from you!If you try the recipe, please let me know! Leaving a comment + star encourages others to try it, and the support helps me continue to provide FREE recipes. Thank you!

Notes

  • Serving Size – This is a small batch recipe.  If attempting to double the recipe, I recommend 1 whole egg vs. 2 egg yolks. 
  • Yield – The recipe as written will yield approximately 12 cookies.  The number of cookies will depend on how thick the dough is rolled and size of cookie cutter. 
  • Cocoa Powder – I prefer Dutch process because it is less acidic and has a strong cocoa flavor.  You can swap in natural cocoa.  Note the cookies may not be as dark.
  • Bake Time – The cookies are soft.  If you prefer a crunchier cookie, bake for 1 to 2 minutes longer.
  • Storing – Unfrosted cookies can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.  If using cream cheese frosting, the cookies are fine at room temp for 6 to 8 hours.  After that, they should be refrigerated.
  • Freezing – The cookie dough and baked cookies can be frozen.  Dough:  chill for 2 hours, shape into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic, place in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.  Thaw in the refrigerator.  Cookies:  gently place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.  Thaw at room temperature.
  • More Cream Cheese Cookies – If you like soft cream cheese cookies, check out my gluten free cream cheese cinnamon sugar cookies!

Nutrition Estimates

Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 202IU | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is calculated by a third-party and should only be considered an estimate and not a guarantee.

TRY THESE RECIPES NEXT!

  • Stack of lemon shortbread cookies dusted with powdered sugar.

    Lemon Shortbread Cookies (With Lemon Glaze)

  • Stack of strawberry biscuit cookies with drippy strawberry glaze.

    A Dozen Soft Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

  • Peanut butter chocolate cookie cup with nut sprinkles on a wood tray.

    Small Batch Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie Cups

  • Stack of small batch red velvet cookies on a wood tray.

    Small Batch Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

I want to hear your thoughts on the recipe - really, I do! Plus, your star rating and review helps others. So, let's start the conversation. Thank you for your support! ❤︎ Erin

Your email will not be published. I hold comments for review to reduce unrelenting spam!

Recipe Rating




Fresh Takes From Readers

2 Comments

  1. These chocolate sugar cookies are a tasty alternative to your classic sugar cookie! And don’f forget the cookie frosting!