These delicious and chewy Chocolate Cookies with Buttercream Frosting are so fun and festive. They can be customized to suit any holiday or event. All you have to do is switch out the sprinkles to match your event and you have the perfect treat! These cookies have the perfect crunchy to chewy ratio and you'll love them!
These cookies were bred from my popular Brown Butter Brown Sugar Maple Glazed Cookies. I wanted to make a festive holiday cookie and was thinking the chocolate and white frosting would be so pretty together. These Chocolate Cookies with Buttercream Frosting are now topping my list of favorite cookies to make (and eat) at the moment. I can't wait to customize these for different holidays and events!
You have the option of making these cookies larger, flatter and crispier or smaller, rounder and with a chewier center. I honestly can't decide which I prefer, so I've been making half slightly flattened and half smaller and round. Either way, these Chocolate Cookies with Buttercream Frosting are to die for.
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Ingredients Needed:
- Unsalted butter: For this recipe you will need softened butter. Take your butter out of the refrigerator and let it sit on your counter for about an hour before you plan to use it.
- Brown sugar
- Egg yolks: The egg yolks should be room temperature. Take your eggs out and leave them on your counter for about an hour before you plan to use them.
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Dutch process cocoa powder
- Black cocoa powder: I prefer to use Modern Mountain Black Cocoa Powder. I love the flavor but especially like the rich, dark color it gives my baked goods!
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy whipping cream
- Sprinkles: For these New Year's Eve themed cookies, I used these gold star sprinkles and these gold sprinkles too!
How to Make Chocolate Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
For the Cookies:
The first thing you need to do is prepare your baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
Next, in the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and brown sugar. Beat at a medium speed for 2 minutes or until your mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and continue to beat until fully combined and you no longer see the egg yolk. Scrape the bottom and sides of your bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
In a separate medium sized bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
Using a large cookie scoop, place cookie dough on prepared cookie sheet. About 2 inches apart. At this point, you have two options. If you want a larger, flatter, and chewier cookie, you are going to flatten your scooped dough. To do this take a measuring cup or glass drinking cup and lightly spray the bottom with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Very gently press the cookies down to slightly flatten them. If you want a smaller, rounder and fudgier cookie, you will just leave the scooped dough as is. Place scooped cookie dough in the refrigerator for 40 minutes or in the freezer for 20 minutes. The chilling step is important to ensure the cookies don't spread too much during baking.
While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F and clean the bowl to your mixer because you will need it for the frosting!
Once the cookies have had an ample amount of time to chill, bake them for 11-13 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Frosting:
In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter. Beat on medium speed for 4 minutes or until butter is pale in color. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat for an additional 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the whipping cream and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 additional minutes.
Once cookies are completely cool, spread about 1-2 tablespoons of frosting on the top, leaving about a ¼-inch border around the edge. Decorate with your favorite sprinkles.
FAQ
- Do I have to frost these cookies? I don't like frosting. No! These cookies are so good and you will love them just as a chocolate cookie.
- Do I have to use the two kinds of cocoa powder? No. If you only have one kind of cocoa powder, just use ¼ cup of what you have. The black cocoa adds a rich color to the cookies, but if you don't have that on hand, just using the Dutch process cocoa powder will work great.
- How should I store these? Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. These could also be frozen and brought to room temperature before serving.
Using Leftover Ingredients
To use up any leftover heavy whipping cream, try one of these recipes:
- Brown Butter Brown Sugar Maple Glazed Cookies
- Skillet Sweet Corn with Bacon
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Pretzel Dip
Recipe
Chocolate Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons black cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Buttercream Frosting:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla. Beat until incorporated and you no longer see the egg yolks, scraping the bottom and sides of your bowl with a rubber spatula.3 egg yolks, 2 teaspoons vanilla
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until combined.2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons black cocoa powder
- Using a large cookie scoop, drop scooped cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Put cookie dough in the refrigerator for 40 minutes or in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Bake in 350°F oven for 11-13 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Buttercream Frosting:
- In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for 4 minutes or until the butter is pale in color.6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 4 more minutes or until light and fluffy.2 cups powdered sugar, sifted, ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Add the whipping cream and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Kris
Fantastic!
Jean
Yes