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 cocoaYes, this 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.
It’s also extremely important that the flour for this recipe is measured properly. 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 compacts the flour into the cup, adding up to 25% extra flour to your dough. This makes your cookies cakey and thick, and they’ll spread less when baking.
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 for 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.
In the video for this recipe, I used a small cookie scoop. In the photos in this post, I used a medium cookie scoop.
Dutch Cocoa Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dutch cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Beat for a full 3 minutes, mixture will look fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, dutch cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually stir 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.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Scoop dough using a 1.5 tablespoon 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
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More chocolate cookie recipes
Just a heads up, Dutch cocoa powder is made from regular cocoa treated with an alkaline solution to bring the natural acidity of the cocoa to a neutral pH. This is what gives dutch cocoa its darker color and increased richness, but it also means using baking soda in this recipe won’t actually provide a lot of leavening, if any at all without some other acid. Baking powder might be a better option to give these cookies some lift.
Hi there, thanks for visiting my site! This is Martha Stewart’s recipe for Grammy’s Chocolate Cookies, so I did not alter the recipe’s ingredients in any way. I did some research on her reasons for using baking soda instead of baking powder but could not find any information. This recipe’s cookie should be thin and chewy, with a crispy exterior. If you’re looking for a chocolate cookie with more lift, I do have a recipe for https://thetoastykitchen.com/dark-chocolate-hot-cocoa-cookies/ Hot Cocoa Cookies that can be made without the marshmallows on top. This recipe uses natural cocoa powder and baking soda, which is a better pairing if you’re looking for a fluffier cookie.
as per the baking soda and baking powder issue. , there are over 2 dozen recipes online for dutch cocoa cookies, all use baking soda with no mention of baking powder. besides, cookies are not supposed to rise the way muffins or bread does
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 !!
Thank you Deborah for the review, I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe!
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!
Hi Maria, thank you for the great review! I’m so glad you love the recipe.
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.
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.
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!