If soft chocolate cookies with a light, not too sweet finish are what you are after, these chocolate sour cream cookies are for you. Dress them up with a little buttercream frosting for an extra special treat.
Sour cream cookies are already so soft and delicious, but if you add a little cocoa powder you end up with a yummy chocolate confection. These cookies are not overly sweet, it’s just enough to be a treat.
They don’t knock you out with chocolate either, they are the ultimate in moderation. That makes them the perfect balance for a fabulous frosting!
I originally posted this cookie recipe before Valentine’s day in 2015. I had rolled out a bunch of cookies and decorated them with royal icing for the holiday.
It seemed like a great time to revisit the recipe. This time I decided to share them more how we would normally enjoy them.
While the dough makes a delicious cut out cookie, it is a bit sticky. So you have to be careful to really dust everything well with flour and/or cocoa powder.
Generally we just scoop and bake the cookies. Then you can top them with frosting. My aunt who got us hooked on sour cream cookies loves using cream cheese frosting.
This time I went with crusting buttercream so I could play with my Russian piping tips and rosettes. Both are quick and easy ways to dress up the cookies.
Because the cookies themselves are not overly sweet, the frosting doesn’t make them too much. That is especially the case if you just spread a little on and use sprinkles to dress them up.
Anyway, with updated pictures and a printable recipe card it seemed like a great time to share them with you again. Make some for those you love and let me know what you think.
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Making Cut Out Cookies
This dough is soft and a little bit sticky. However, it is possible to roll and cut it.
You will want to wrap it in plastic wrap and let it chill for at least an hour before you try to roll it out. Be sure to use plenty of flour on the counter and your rolling pin, or use half flour and half cocoa powder.
A bench scrape can help transfer the shapes to a cookie sheet. If you add too much extra flour and cocoa powder, they cookies won’t be as soft as traditional sour cream cookies.
Making Drop Cookies
If you want to just scoop the dough for drop cookies, you don’t need to chill the dough first. For these big round cookies I used a medium cookie scoop.
The cookies don’t spread much, but they do puff a bit. I gently pressed them down a bit and shaped them with damp fingers before I baked them.
I knew I was going to decorate them with buttercream, so I wanted that flatter top. If you don’t care about a hump in the middle feel free to just scoop and bake.
That resulted in about 5 dozen pretty good sized cookies. I baked them for 9 minutes and that resulted in soft and delicious cookies.
Storage
As with most cookies, these chocolate sour cream cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature. The only exception would be if you used a frosting that needs refrigerated.
If you are storing the cookies without frosting, add a slice of sandwich bread to the container to help keep them soft for longer. Using buttercream will also help keep them softer for an extra couple of days.
Store in a single layer if possible. If you are going to stack them, place a layer of parchment paper or wax paper between the cookies to keep them from sticking together.
For storage up to three months, you can freeze the cookies in a freezer safe container or bag. Ideally you would freeze the cookies without frosting.
You can freeze frosted cookies, but the frosting may weep or lose definition as it defrosts. They will likely still taste great but may not look as fabulous as they once did.
For more cookie inspiration, check out my collection of cookie recipes.
Chocolate Sour Cream Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter softenend
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cream together sugar and room temperature butter.2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup unsalted butter
- Stir eggs, sour cream and vanilla into creamed mixture.3 large eggs, 1 cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda.4½ cups all purpose flour, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoon baking powder
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just incorporated. The dough will be loose.
- If you want to make drop cookies: drop rounded tablespoons full (or a medium cookie scoop) onto a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350° F oven for 8-10 minutes. They should be set, but you don't want them to take on much color.
- For rolled cookies: wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Roll out on a floured surface and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350° F for 5-10 minutes depending on size of cookies.
- Cool cookies on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Oh my, I need to try these!!
You do!
Sour cream cookies are the best! And I do love how you added the cocoa to make them chocolate. And of course, mine would need the frosting as well.
Frosting is a given, for sure!
These look so delicious! You decorated them beautifully!
Thank you so much!