Cocoa Covered Sugar Cookies

I'm really picky about sugar cookies. They have to be chewy. In fact, I never even bake sugar cookies for cut-outs because I really just hate thin, crisp cookies. So I've taken the best sugar cookie recipe I've come across and rolled it into balls, rolled them in cocoa powder, and dropped the cookie cutters out of the equation altogether. The result is a domed, chewy cookie with a hint of chocolate on the outside and lots of vanilla on the inside.



The sugar cookie recipe itself is a variation of Grandma's All-Occasion Sugar Cookies, Excerpted from Baking: From My House to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin, 2006). Copyright 2006 by Dorie Greenspan, which I found posted at Half-Baked Baker and really liked the flavor of. I have made some changes from the original recipe.

Cocoa Covered Sugar Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar


Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for a minute or so, until smooth.
Beat in the sugar and continue to beat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is light and pale. Add the egg and yolk and beat for another minute or two; beat in the vanilla.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and steadily add the flour mixture, mixing only until it has been incorporated — because this dough is best when worked least, you might want to stop the mixer before all the flour is thoroughly blended into the dough and finish the job with a rubber spatula. When mixed, the dough will be soft, creamy and malleable.
Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350º. Whisk the sugar and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Roll teaspoonfulls of dough into balls and roll each ball in the chocolate sugar. Place about 2" apart on cookie sheets and bake 9 to 11 minutes, or until slightly browned on top.

For flatter cookies, press the balls with the bottom of a glass or let the dough balls sit and lose their chill before baking, this will cause the dough to spread out more.