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Piped Chocolate Butter Cookies Recipe

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★★★★★

4.5 from 109 reviews

These Piped Chocolate Butter Cookies are rich, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth delights, perfect for chocolate lovers. Made with a creamy butter and cocoa dough, piped into elegant swirls and optionally topped with maraschino cherries or sprinkles, these cookies balance texture and flavor beautifully. Chilling the dough after shaping ensures the cookies hold their shape while baking to perfection with a delicate crisp edge and soft center.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookie Dough

  • 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1/3 cup (27g) natural or dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk, warm (plus extra if needed)
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder

Optional Toppings

  • 4 ounces (113g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • Maraschino cherries
  • Sprinkles or coarse sugar

Instructions

  1. Preparation and Setup: Read through the entire recipe and notes before starting. Make space in your refrigerator for chilling the shaped cookies later.
  2. Prepare Baking Sheets: Line 2–3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, or leave unlined (do not grease if unlined).
  3. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat softened butter on medium-high for about 2 minutes until very soft and creamy. Add granulated sugar and continue beating on medium-high until smooth and creamed, about 2 more minutes.
  4. Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract on high speed for about 1 minute until well combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed to ensure everything is mixed.
  5. Mix Dry Ingredients: On low speed, add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Then increase to high speed and beat until fully incorporated.
  6. Prepare Espresso Milk: Warm milk to about 150°F (66°C) then dissolve espresso powder in it. Add this mixture to the dough and beat on medium speed. Add an additional 1/2 tablespoon of milk if the dough is too stiff to pipe, aiming for a creamy, pipe-able consistency.
  7. Pipe Cookies: Fit a large piping tip on a piping bag and spoon a little dough into it. Test pipe a small swirl or line. If too stiff, add another 1/2 tablespoon milk. Once pipe-able, pipe 1- to 2-inch swirls or lines onto the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 3 inches apart. Optionally, add maraschino cherries or sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles.
  8. Chill Cookies: Place the baking sheets with piped cookies into the refrigerator and chill for 20–30 minutes to prevent spreading during baking.
  9. Preheat Oven: While chilling, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
  10. Bake Cookies: Bake chilled cookies for 12–15 minutes until edges are set. Smaller cookies tend to take closer to 12 minutes. The cookies will spread but maintain their shape due to chilling.
  11. Cool Cookies: Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
  12. Optional Chocolate Dip: Melt semi-sweet chocolate in double boiler or microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring until smooth. Dip cooled cookies into chocolate and decorate with sprinkles if desired. Let chocolate set at room temperature (~1 hour) or refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  13. Storage: Store cookies with chocolate or cherries in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or refrigerated for up to 1 week. Cookies without chocolate or cherries last up to 1 week at room temperature.

Notes

  • Chilling the shaped dough is crucial to prevent cookies from overspreading in the oven.
  • Do not chill the dough before shaping as it becomes too stiff to pipe.
  • Use a large piping tip for best results when piping thick dough.
  • Adjust milk quantity carefully; adding too much will cause the cookies to spread more.
  • First few piped cookies may be difficult to form; dough softens as you work with it.

Keywords: chocolate butter cookies, piped cookies, butter cookies recipe, chocolate cookies, homemade cookies, holiday cookies

Find it online: https://flavorsbymaya.com/piped-chocolate-butter-cookies-recipe/