Soft, chewy, fudgy chocolate cookies topped with frosting and—because why not?—sprinkles, these chocolate frosted cookies are extra rich and not at all sorry about it. It’s a simple drop cookie recipe, no rolling pin required, and the creamy chocolate frosting is a scaled down version of fan-favorite chocolate buttercream.
Today’s cookie recipe is like a rich chocolate version of a Lofthouse-style soft frosted cookie, but with a little more chew—not quite as cakey. My team and I absolutely LOVED these, and can’t wait for all our fellow chocolate lovers to try them.
Chocolate Frosted Cookies Recipe Snapshot
- Taste: Similar to these chewy fudgy frosted brownies, you’re getting a double dose of chocolate with these cookies.
- Texture: Chewy and fudgy in the center like a brownie, soft and topped with buttercream frosting like a chocolate cupcake, with slightly crisp edges like a crinkle cookie. This is a chocolate dessert trifecta in one indulgent treat!
- Ease: Easy drop cookie dough that you roll into balls, bake, cool, and top with a simple buttercream. Forget all the bells and whistles, sometimes you just need to stick with what WORKS!
- Time: Dough chilling is mandatory for this chocolate cookie dough—2 hours minimum.
It’s all giving cosmic brownie…
The Softest, Fudgiest Chocolate Frosted Cookies
If you were to close your eyes and take a bite of one of these cookies, you’d be surprised to find a cookie instead of a frosted brownie in your hand. We can thank my favorite chocolate cookie dough for that, a go-to base I use when making double chocolate chip cookies and chocolate crinkle cookies, too. There’s a reason my team and I turn to this cookie dough often (and why so many readers love it as well)… it WORKS! The magical dough creates rich, thick, and chewy chocolate cookies that stay soft for days.
For today’s recipe, I made 2 small changes to the base dough. First, I replaced a bit of cocoa powder with flour. Because this cookie dough doesn’t have any add-ins (like chocolate chips or nuts) it benefits from some more flour for additional structure. But don’t worry! There’s still PLENTY of chocolate flavor, especially with the chocolate frosting on top.
I also replaced the milk in the dough with a bit of oil, to give them a moister, brownie-like texture. And because we aren’t rolling the dough balls in sugar, like we do with these Andes mint chocolate cookies, the oil helps them spread just enough.
For the frosting, you can use either Dutch-process cocoa powder OR natural cocoa powder.
My team and I tested these with a chocolate glaze-like topping—similar to what we use to top these chocolate frosted donuts—and it was delicious, but just didn’t strike the perfect balance with these chewy cookies. So, instead, we turned to my trusty recipe for chocolate buttercream (slightly scaled down), a top choice for cupcakes and cakes. It’s lighter, a tad sweeter, and ultra creamy.
And it is perfection on these cookies.
Spread the frosting on the cookies. I usually use an offset spatula. Top with festive rainbow or holiday sprinkles, then DIG IN.
Can I Make a Vanilla Version?
Yes. Try my sprinkle cookies supreme, or my soft cakey sugar cookies.
You can even try a chocolate peppermint version with these peppermint-frosted chocolate cookies. (Very similar dough, and it includes chocolate chips.)
Chocolate Frosted Cookies Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy and light in color, about 2–3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and then beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour into the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed until combined. The cookie dough will be thick and sticky. Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this sticky cookie dough.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. (If the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This makes the chilled cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.) Scoop dough, 1 heaping Tablespoon (about 28–30g) of dough each, and roll into balls, and arrange 2–3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 12–13 minutes or until the edges appear set. Tip: If they aren’t really spreading by minute 10, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2–3x. This helps initiate that spread. Return to the oven to continue baking.
- Cool cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream/milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 full minute. Taste. Beat in another pinch of salt if desired.
- Spread the frosting on the cooled cookies with a knife or an offset spatula. Top evenly with sprinkles.
- Cover and store frosted cookies at room temperature for up to 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Frosting “soft-sets” on the cookies after a few hours, meaning it will slightly dry on top.
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