Soft chocolate frosted cookies

We've come to February (already)!  I can't seem to let the second month of the year slip away without taking advantage of upcoming Valentine's Day to present a chocolate treat here on the blog.  Truth be told, we're still working our way through our stash of chocolates and biscuits from Christmas.  On top of that, we have treats from Chinese New Year so there is really very little need for making chocolate cookies except it's certainly not about need...

A batch of soft chocolate cookies, frosted with creamy chocolate frosting, and decorated with a few Valentine's Day sprinkles is an easy way to say "Happy Valentine's Day".  I think it's particularly cute for kids so I made them with my son and his cousins in mind.  I also had my husband in mind; he's a big kid at heart, with a bigger sweet tooth than most children, so he got a fair share of these.

You might know I'm always looking for an excuse to try a different chocolate recipe of some kind!  This one came my way via Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  When I saw "super soft" chocolate cookies, with chocolate frosting, I thought my family would enjoy them and I wanted to give it a try.  Apparently, these cookies are a homemade rendition of "Swig" cookies.  I have no personal knowledge but it seems Swig is a sweet shop in Utah and their signature Swig soft sugar cookies have a big following.  

I just saw super-soft chocolate sugar cookies and thought my husband, who prefers thick, soft cookies above all else in terms of texture, would really dig them.  And true to the description, as long as you make sure not to over-bake them, you end up with a chocolate sugar cookie that has a wonderfully unique soft texture.  The cookies might lean on the sweet side but there's also plenty of deep chocolate flavor to balance it out.  My fellas and I enjoyed them very much.  Though I've never heard of or had a Swig cookie before, there is a familiar flavor to these cookies that my husband and I had to smile at.  

You can leave your frosted chocolate cookies unadorned (the way my husband likes it) or I think it's great how you can essentially dress them up/customize them for any holiday with some sprinkles!  So make these cookies for no particular reason or for a holiday like Valentine's Day, Easter, or Halloween by simply mixing up the decorations you place on top.  How fun and versatile is that! 

I packed a few of the cookie individually in small clear cellophane bags, sealed with a heart-shaped sticker, to give to my nephews and niece as a little early Valentine's Day treat.  It's a fun little gesture - I think it's always nice to spread the love with cookies. I also think if there's any group of people who deserve love and sweetness on Valentine's Day (and any other day), it's got to be kids!  


I half expected the cookie dough to turn out a bit dry, maybe needing a spoonful of milk to bind it smoothly together (adding a touch of milk is what I typically do to my regular sugar cookie dough) but the dough was surprisingly soft and tender to the touch.  The use of butter as well as oil, and confectioners' sugar, makes an interesting soft texture.  It was a good indication of how the cookies would turn out and taste after baking.

Make these cookies any size you want.  Just take some of the dough and gently roll it into a ball.  In my case, I took about 2 generous tablespoons of dough per cookie.  Then, press the bottom of a glass with some sugar and use that to press down onto each cookie ball so that it's a little more than 1/4 inch thick.  Instructions are clear to bake the cookies for no more than 8-9 minutes; the cookies will still be very soft.  Let them cool and set a few minutes on the baking sheet before lifting to a cooling rack.  The cookies don't spread very much during baking.

A quick note on the cocoa powder used in this recipe.  You can use either natural or the darker Dutch-process cocoa.  Using what I had around the house, I actually mixed the two in the cookies and used Dutch-process in the frosting.  In general, I wanted a deeper chocolate color to my cookies. 

I made half the recipe and got 17 cookies from my batch.  While the cookies are cooling, whip up the chocolate frosting so you can get to the fun part of frosting them!

Then, just leave them plain...

...or embellish them with sprinkles for the occasion you want to celebrate.

As promised, these chocolate sugar cookies are soft and tender, full of sweetness and chocolate flavor.  I stored extra cookies in the refrigerator and brought them to room temperature before eating.  They stayed soft for the 2 days we spent enjoying them, and I think they would keep well for a couple more days on top of that. 

Enjoy February, and upcoming Valentine's Day!

Recipe:

Soft Frosted Chocolate Cookies
From Mel's Kitchen Cafe, who adapted these Swig-style cookies from The Faux Martha

- Makes approximately 16-18 cookies, depending on size - 

For cookies: 
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4.6 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) powdered sugar
1/3 cup neutral-flavored oil (I used canola)
1 large egg
Granulated sugar, for rolling

For frosting: 
1/2 stick (2 ounces) butter, softened
1 cup (4 ounces) powdered sugar, divided 
Small pinch of salt
1/4 cup (1 ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process, sifted (to avoid lumps in the frosting)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkles, for decorating (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.

Make cookies: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter together with the granulated and powdered sugars until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the oil and egg, mixing until combined.  On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until dough comes together, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.  You should end up with a firm, soft dough that's not dry or overly wet either.

Form dough balls (I used about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough each) and place on to baking sheets, a few inches apart.  Place a couple of tablespoons of granulated sugar into a small bowl or dish.  Dip a flat-bottomed glass into the sugar (rubbing the bottom of the glass with a little oil or butter will help the sugar adhere) then press the glass into the cookie, flattening it to about 1/4 inch or slightly thicker.  Repeat with all dough balls.

Bake for 8-9 minutes.  Do not overbake; the cookies should still be very soft in the middle but set at the edges.  Let cool on the baking sheet a few minutes before transferring cookies to a cooling rack.

Make frosting: Cream butter with 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.  Add remaining powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, and vanilla.  Mix for 2-3 minutes, until frosting is thick and creamy.

Spread frosting evenly on top of cookies with a small offset spatula.  Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.  Store cookies, covered in a airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.