Chocolate Cutout Cookies

Name: Chocolate Cutout Cookies
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: about 5 dozen.
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened; 1-1/2 cups sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 2/3 cup baking cocoa; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; ICING:; 2 cups confectioners' sugar; 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons water; 4-1/2 teaspoons meringue powder; 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

I love gingerbread cookies, but my grandchildren don't like the ginger flavor. Now I use chocolate and watch them smile as they take that first bite. —Nancy Murphy, Oneonta, New York

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
ICING:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons water
4-1/2 teaspoons meringue powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture.
Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; cover. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll.
Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 3-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, water, meringue powder and cream of tartar; beat on low speed just until blended. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, 1-2 minutes. Keep unused icing covered at all times with a damp cloth. If necessary, beat again on high speed to restore texture.
Using pastry bags and small round tips, decorate cookies as desired. Let stand at room temperature until frosting is dry and firm.
Freeze option: Freeze cookies, layered between waxed paper, in freezer containers. To use, thaw before serving.

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 91 calories, 3g fat (2g saturated fat), 14mg cholesterol, 43mg sodium, 14g carbohydrate (9g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.

Originally published as Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies in Ultimate Cookie Swap 2015

Reviews

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Trista

Dec 10, 2018

What kind of chocolate do you use? Powered or do you melt chocolate?
Sandy

Dec 3, 2018

I have made cut out cookies for Christmas since 1972. I went over this recipe, compared it to the one I use every year, and they were similar. One problem I had was with the dough. When I added the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, there seemed to be dry ingredients left over. I did not want to add an egg, but I knew I need to add something to that amount of dry mixture. I added about 1/3 C of half and half, and then it was all mixed. These taste good; they smell like brownies baking. I did not use the icing.
susan.jedziniak

Nov 2, 2018

This is the first chocolate cut out cookie dough I've made. I made "scardy cat" cookies for halloween. At the end of baking, I quickly pressed candies into the cat face to create eyes and nose. Very easy to work with, fun, and delicious!
muffbear74

Oct 24, 2017

I just made these using my Halloween cookie cutters. That way I have “black” cats and bats without having to make black frosting. The dough was very easy to roll out and cut. Being a dark chocolate lover, I was hoping for a little more chocolate flavor, but they still tasted great.
otto213

Dec 15, 2015

Dough mixed up beautifully. Tasted amazing!!! Definitely going to be a Christmas cookie tradition