Chewy Chocolate Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

My friend Andrea introduced me to these amazing cookies. She brought them to class one day and I ate three. THREE. What was that? Oh, my self-control flying out the window. Then she made another batch a week later and I ate another THREE. Our fellow classmates descended upon the bag of cookies like hungry and stressed out vultures. Wait. That’s a surprisingly accurate description of law students. But I digress.

These cookies are phenomenal. I would even say that they rank in my top ten favorite cookie recipes. Not like my top ten list means anything, but I’ve made and consumed a lot of cookies over the years — and these are so, so delicious.

I changed one little thing from the original recipe. I used Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder instead of plain cocoa powder. This is because I’ll always take dark chocolate over regular. But feel free to use what you’d like! If you use regular cocoa powder, the cookies will be much lighter in appearance.

Chewy Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Recipe source: cravingchronicles.com
Print Recipe

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling
2 ounces (4 Tablespoons) dark chocolate cream cheese [you’ll find this in the dairy section of your grocery store – with the other cream cheeses]
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon milk
1 Tablespoon brewed coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, chocolate cream cheese and melted butter in a large bowl and whisk briskly until smooth. Whisk in oil. Add egg, milk, coffee, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture. Fold in with a rubber spatula until all flour is incorporated and a soft dough forms.
4. Measure remaining 1/3 cup sugar into a small bowl. Using a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out 12 dough balls per baking sheet. Roll each dough ball in your hands, then roll in sugar to coat. Space about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. (If the dough is too soft, set it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.)
5. Bake 1 sheet at time at 350°F for 11-13 minutes, until cookies are set and tops have cracked. (do not over bake!) Cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Makes about 24 cookies.