DARK CHOCOLATE BROWN SUGAR COOKIES
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Dark Chocolate Brown Sugar Cookies have the perfect chewy texture on the inside with just a bit of crisp on the outside.
DARK CHOCOLATE BROWN SUGAR COOKIES
When I had the desire to create a rich dark chocolate cookie, I didn’t know it would turn into a cookie that tastes like an Oreo! Furthermore, I’m super picky about cookies and prefer thick, soft cookies which this is. It’s a thick, soft Oreo and it’s pure heaven!
This cookie recipe is simple to make and easy to bake. There’s no dough rolling or decorating required. However, these cookies would be amazing dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint or bright sprinkles. These cookies aren’t loaded up with add-ins, candy, or chocolate chips. They are simple and unapologetically bold dark chocolate.
To get this rich dark chocolate flavor, I used Hershey’s Special Dark
TIPS & MORE
- Read your recipe through completely before starting.
- Have all ingredients at room temperature unless otherwise specified.
- Bake at the minimum time listed on recipes and check them after minimum so as not to overcook.
- Cool your cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Use real
butter . Nothing acts likebutter does when baking! - I used this dark chocolate cocoa powder.
- Use a spring release scoop (ice cream scoop) for even-shaped cookies.
- Most notable, allow time for the dough to chill in the refrigerator for an hour before baking them. At least an hour, but they can stay longer in the fridge. In fact, I’ll make the dough and let it sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours baking a batch when the boys want a snack.
- The dough will also freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as directed whenever you’re ready to bake.
- Don’t over mix the dough it will make the cookies tough.
- I highly recommend baking cookies on a Silpat mat.
- Carefully and correctly measure flour.
A word on flour…
I can’t emphasize this enough. You have to measure flour correctly.
Flour is not measured correctly more than any other ingredient!
When measuring flour, use the “spoon & level” method. Do not scoop the flour out of the container or bag with your measuring cup. Scoop the flour and you could end up with 150% more. Instead, sift the flour first! Next, using a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup. Do not pack the flour down and do not tap the measuring cup– both cause the flour to settle in the cup. After you’ve spooned the flour into the measuring cup, use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.
How do I store Dark Chocolate Brown Sugar Cookies?
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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Dark Chocolate Brown Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and ½ cup all-purpose flour sift then measure correctly (see post above) if you incorrectly measure the flour these cookies may be dry!
- 1/2 cup Hershey's special dark cocoa powder like Hershey's Special Dark (regular cocoa powder or Dutch-processed may be substituted, but have a slightly different taste)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar. Mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. About 3 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla and mix another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining ingredients with the mixer on low just until the ingredients are combined about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Scoop cookie dough onto a room temperature sheet pan lined with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat or spray with a non-stick vegetable spray 2-inches apart. I used a 1.5-inch spring release scoop that holds just over 1 tablespoon of dough to scoop uniform cookies. Spray the bottom of a glass with non-stick spray and flatten cookies slightly.
- Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until the edges have set and the tops are just beginning to set. They will turn from being 'shiny' to be more 'matte'. They will firm up as they cool so be careful not to overcook them.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to rest on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes remove with a thin spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Storage tips above.
- I recommend you Calibrate your Oven at least once a year to ensure it's baking at the correct temperature.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
These were pretty good. I used dark (black) Dutch cocoa and sifted and spooned the flour. However, it still seemed like a relatively dry dough, so I added cherries (from my homemade pie filling) to moisten it. To test the dough, I scooped out and didn’t flatten them before baking to see what it would do. It seems the cookies didn’t spread much at all. The overall taste was good, like an Oreo, but I didn’t get results like the pictures here. I’ll try again today with the rest of the dough. Maybe add some fluff to the center or something.
Can the cookies be frozen after baking?
Yes, they can. You can also freeze the dough before baking.
Wonderful. Simple. Delicious ❗️
I made them and my kids loved them. They gave me 7.5/10 lol. They said they weren’t as sweet as the regular cookies and they were a little powdery not in the sense of dry but weren’t all put together as the regular cookies. May be I can add a little more corn starch next time with a little more butter. That would do the trick. Overall good. We ate with vanilla ice cream and they were a hit.
Made these 4-5 times SO far, usually double the recipe. Never disappointed in Paula’s recipe
Thank you so much!!! ❤️
I’m about to bake mine. It seems like brownie consistency but the leveners should make the results more cookie-like after baking. If I remember correctly, she says to pack the brown sugar. I did 1 cup packed brown and 1/2 cup mostly baker’s sugar (fine grain sugar; like a quarter was lightly packed brown sugar and the rest was baker’s). My batter is pretty sweet. To finish, I’m going to roll the tops of half in vanilla sugar, and I’m adding marshmallows to the other half of the batch. I really just want the clear-sugar rock/crystal sprinkles instead of the vanilla sugar, but that’s mostly for presentation.
I made a batch yesterday and added walnuts! I think some semisweet chocolate pieces would also be good in them! Also, ice cream sandwiches made out of these would be amazing! They are really good for us dark chocolate lovers! Thanks for sharing!❤️
I found your recipe on Pinterest. Looks divine! I appreciate what you mention about flour not being accurately measured. Makes a huge difference. Why not provide the measurement in grams? That would solve the problem. Most people have kitchen scales these days. Can’t wait to try the recipe!
I agree. Don’t want to bake w.o using grams
How do I print your recipe? When I select “Print” on my iPad, it just cycles back to the top of the page. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
I’ve tried to print on different browsers and it’s not doing that for me. Is it still not printing for you
Would this work with gluten free flour?
They should with the 1 to 1 gluten-free flour, but I have not tested them with it.
I am an avid baker, since I was a child. It still amazes me how one combination of butter, sugar and flour can come out so different than another combination of butter, sugar and flour. Baking is like magic. These are great, just like a dark chocolate brownie cookie. I would like to cover them in marshmallow and chocolate icing and they would be like the devil’s food cake cookies I loved as a child. Thanks for the recipe.
I agree. I LOVE that idea with the marshmallows and chocolate!
These are great and the DO taste like an Oreo! I added some white chocolate chips to some and OMG! Some hints: The dough was really stiff after refrigerating. I used a cookie scoop at first and pressed the balls a little bit flat so they would be the right shape. For the last 3rd of the dough, I mixed in white chocolate chips by hand and then rolled the dough into balls by hand. That was so much easier than a scoop! I still hand flattened them. So good! Oh and they pair well with pinot noir 😉
Awesome tips but I especially love the one about pinot!! 😉