Dutch Cocoa Cookies are rich and chewy, with a crunchy sugar coating. These chocolate cookies are reminiscent of Archway's Dutch Cocoa Cookies.
I began a search for this cookie recipe a few years ago when I was reminded of Archway’s Dutch Cocoa Cookies. A soft, chocolate cookie covered in sugar - yes, please!
In my search, I came across this recipe by Martha Stewart for Grammy’s Chocolate Cookies. Anything made by Martha must be perfection, right? I made a batch, and from the first taste I was instantly taken back to childhood.
I've since adjusted the recipe slightly, but Martha's version was my starting point. While it might not be an exact replica of Archway’s version, it certainly comes close.
Baking soda with dutch cocoa
Baking soda with dutch cocoaThis recipe calls for baking soda. Previously, I didn't understand why Martha included baking soda alongside dutch cocoa. After all, it does not have the acidity of regular cocoa powder.
You need to use acidic ingredients alongside baking soda so that your cookies will rise. However, dutch cocoa cookies are not meant to rise!
These cookies should spread thin when baking, with a crispy outside and a chewy inside. Just like an Archway cookie.
But guess what? Baking soda helps the cookies to spread, and also gives them that crispy exterior. Check out this post with more details - Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder.
Ingredients and substitutions
Since baking is an exact science, I do not have many substitutions to offer. Each ingredient has its purpose, so I do not recommend omitting anything.
Unsalted butter and salt can be substituted with salted butter.
Make sure your butter and eggs are room temperature. This ensures that your ingredients mix together seamlessly into an even, creamy, dough.
Properly measured flour
It is extremely important that the flour is measured properly for this (and any) baking recipe. Either weight your flour with a kitchen scale (1 cup of flour weighs 120 grams), or use the spoon and level method.
Using a spoon, fill your measuring cup with flour, then level off with a knife.
Using your measuring cup to scoop your flour directly from a bin compacts the flour into the cup, adding up to 25% extra flour to your dough. This makes your cookies cakey and thick. They'll spread less when baking and may turn out dry.
Cookie dough scoops
For this recipe, I like to use two different sized cookie scoops depending on the situation. For a regular sized cookie, I recommend using a medium sized cookie scoop.
For something like a holiday tray or a party, sometimes I like to use a small cookie scoop. They make a nice, two-bite cookie that's small and easy to enjoy.
Dutch Cocoa Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup dutch cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Beat for up to 3 minutes, or until mixture looks fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, sift (or whisk) together the flour, dutch cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
- Slowly mix dry ingredients into butter mixture until just combined.
- Cover bowl or wrap dough in wax paper. Chill for at least 1 hour (up to 24 hours) in the refrigerator. Refrigerating will help the flavors meld and also create a firmer dough to roll into balls.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Scoop dough using a 1.5 tablespoon (medium) scoop or shape by hand into 1.5 inch balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar.
- Place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies begin to crack on top. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Cookies will keep for 5-7 days in a sealed container. To help keep cookies fresh, place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread slice as needed.
- Raw cookie dough will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. Cookie dough balls (and baked cookies) freeze well, up to 3 months, in a sealed plastic container or freezer bag. Allow frozen balls to thaw for up to 10 minutes on the baking sheet before baking, or add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Amy
These are the first chocolate cookies I've made and they came out perfectly. My entire family ages 3 and up can't stop eating them! I added a 1/2 tsp cinnamon because I add that to almost everything I bake, and sprinkled a little coarse salt on top, but I'm sure they'd still be great without.
Heather
Yum, cinnamon sounds like a great addition - so glad you enjoyed them!
Amy Marie Orozco
An easy cookie to make and delicious to eat. Thanks for sharing. I was out of vanilla, so substituted almond extract (half the amount of the vanilla). Success! Next time I'll try with vanilla.
JV
These were so easy to make, and delicious the first day. But OMG, the next few days... absolutely addictive. Like, we had to hide the cookie jar so we wouldn't destroy them! I added some flaky sea salt on top for the combination of sweet and salty. Ok, off to make more. Thanks for a great recipe!
kristin
Oh man! First batch, first sheet out of the oven. These look and smell soooo good, but they didn’t spread much and puffed up quite a bit. Maybe my dough balls (straight from waiting in the fridge for oven space) were too cold? I’m a huge fan of thinner, crunchy-chewy cookies like what you described. Fingers crossed I can let the chill off a little and get them to spread more.
Heather
Hi Kristin! Warmer dough will help them spread more. A common issue I see when cookies are too thick/don't spread is that too much flour was added to the dough. I recommend the spoon and level method, spooning flour into the measuring cup, then leveling with a knife. If flour is scooped with the measuring cup, it often compacts flour into the cup and adds up to 25% more flour to the recipe.
Lisa
I don’t know if this will be helpful so much after the fact, but my experience was that they did, indeed, puff quite a bit during baking, but as I had hoped, they flattened perfectly as they cooled.
These delivered the crisp exterior and chewy interior described in the recipe in a BIG way...and I suspect that by tomorrow the deep chocolate flavor will be more complex and pronounced. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Maria
These were the most amazing cookies I’ve ever made, ever. Ever. And I’ve made a lot of cookies! What a wonderful recipe you’ve created here! I will say this: I made these for Valentine’s Day and so I wanted to bump up the chocolate so I added about 1 1 1/2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips. Holy moly. Amazing. Wanna know what else I did, because I’m ridiculous? I ate them with a spoonful of Nutella. Oh my. Currently trying to figure out a way to stuff them with Nutella! Thanks again, this ones a keeper!
Heather
Hi Maria, thank you for the great review! I'm so glad you love the recipe.
Deborah Breen
Super good cookie ! Have made them twice already and they are going to go on my Christmas cookie platter for sure ! Thank you so much for sharing !!
Heather
Thank you Deborah for the review, I'm so glad you enjoy the recipe!