Super Soft Frosted Chocolate Swig Sugar Cookies
With an unusually soft texture and amazingly rich chocolate flavor, these frosted chocolate Swig sugar cookies are delicious!
Not only are these pressed sugar cookies incredibly easy to make (no rolling or cutting out with cookie cutters!) but they will blow your mind with their super soft, extra chocolatey texture and flavor!
Swig Sugar Cookie Dough
If you aren’t familiar with Swig sugar cookies, they originated years ago at a little soda/cookie shop in Utah. The signature pressed cookie shape with rough, crinkly edges gained popularity and spawned a lot of knockoff cookie shops AND cookie recipes.
The good news is that it is really easy to make Swig-style cookies at home. And word has it that these homemade Swig cookies are even more delicious than the originals.
This chocolate Swig sugar cookie recipe has been around for a long time. I recently updated it to help out with some reports that it was turning out crumbly for some of you.
The good news is that these small changes make this cookie better than ever! (And if you are die-hard fan of the original, rest assured the changes are minimal…and I kept the original notes of the recipe below for you if you want to stick with the older version.)
The Best Cocoa Powder to Use for Sugar Cookies
This recipe calls for cocoa powder in both the cookie dough and the frosting.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to cocoa powder for this cookie recipe:
- both natural, unsweetened cocoa powder OR Dutch-process cocoa powder can be used without any other changes to the recipe.
- no matter the cocoa powder being used, make sure to sift it in the cookie dough and the frosting to avoid tiny lumps
Dutch-process cocoa powder will result in a cookie that is a bit darker and richer in chocolate flavor (and color) than unsweetened cocoa powder.
Important Texture Notes
Yes, I guess “texture notes” are now a thing. 😉
The texture of this cookie dough is important. Too soft and the cookies will spread and bake up thin. Too thick and they’ll be crumbly and dry.
The sweet spot is a dough that is soft and scoop-able without being too sticky. This ensures the cookies will develop those signature crinkly, ruffled edges.
You can ensure the dough is just right by weighing your dry ingredients with a kitchen scale {aff. link}. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, measure the flour with a light hand. Don’t pack the ingredients into the measuring cup. Fluff the flour and cocoa powder, scoop the cup in and level off (or spoon in the cocoa and level off).
Scooping and Pressing the Cookie Dough
I use a #20 cookie scoop {aff. link} to portion out the cookie dough.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls
- Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar to a small bowl
- Take a flat-bottomed glass, lightly grease the bottom, dip the glass in the sugar and then press each cookie dough ball into a thick circle about 1/4-inch thick
The cookies will spread just a bit more in the oven, and they aren’t meant to be thin cookies, so press lightly. Now is not the time to get out your frustrations by pressing cookie dough into flat smithereens. 😬
Under bake the cookies just a bit. The edges should be set but the middle of the cookies will likely appear underdone. That’s when you want to take them out!
Let them sit on the baking pans for several minutes out of the oven to set up before using a spatula to remove them to a cooling rack.
While they cool whip up the divinely creamy chocolate frosting. Spread a good-size dollop across the center of each cookie, leaving a thin border around the ruffled edges.
To Sprinkle or Not?
These yummy frosted chocolate Swig sugar cookies are absolutely phenomenal just with the cookie + frosting.
However, you can definitely add sprinkles if you like.
I like to add a few crispy chocolate pearls. In the defense of all things crispy chocolate pearls, they are delicious on just about everything.
And these chocolate sugar cookies are no exception. (I usually buy the Olive Nation brand on Amazon {aff. link} or pick them up at Orson Gygi.)
Tried-and-True Cookie
Here are a few rave reviews for these chocolate sugar cookies! (See? It’s not just me that loves them!)
Mary: So so good. I have another recipe for chocolate sugar cookie cutouts, but I much prefer these thick shortbread type ones! And that frosting is amazing on top!! Thank you thank you for another fantastic recipe!
Cindy: These cookies are delicious! Also, they stay equally if not better days later.
Molly: There are no words for these cookies. I am going to put them all away right now because I have no self-control with them. Seriously some of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. Thanks for the unique and delicious recipe!
Sydney: These cookies are my all time favorite cookies! I’ve been making them ever since the recipe was posted, and I make them more often than any other cookie (including chocolate chip!) (Yeah, that’s how good they are!!!) They always turn out and they’re always delicious. I recommend these to anyone and everyone! So thank you for the great recipe!!
One Year Ago: Soft Eggnog Sugar Cookies with Whipped Eggnog Frosting
Two Years Ago: Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites {Main Dish or Appetizer!}
Three Years Ago: Toffee Crumble Caramel Apple Pie
Soft Frosted Chocolate Swig Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 4 cups (568 g) all-purpose flour, (if you aren't using the weight measure, scoop the flour with a light hand or the cookies will be dry)
- 1 cup (85 g) dutch-process or unsweetened, natural cocoa powder, (see note above about the flour; same applies with the cocoa powder)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (265 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (86 g) powdered sugar
- ¾ cup neutral-flavored oil, canola, vegetable, grapeseed, etc
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- Granulated sugar, for pressing
Frosting:
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, softened
- 2 cups (228 g) powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup (43 g) Dutch-process or unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- ¼ to ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line several large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- For the cookies, in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar until light and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Add the oil, eggs and sour cream and mix until well-combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Sift the cocoa powder over the top. Mix until the dough comes together and no dry streaks remain.
- Form the dough into balls about 2- to 3- tablespoons each (I use a #20 cookie scoop).
- Place the cookies several inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s).
- Place 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a shallow dish. Dip a flat-bottomed glass into the sugar (it helps to rub the bottom of the glass lightly with butter or oil before the first dip so the sugar adheres). Press the glass onto each cookie dough ball, flattening to about 1/4-inch or slightly thicker. Don't press too thin.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes until the cookies are set around the edges but still soft in the center. Don't over bake! They should look slightly underdone in the middle. Let them cool for a few minutes on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the frosting, with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and 1 cup of the powdered sugar until very light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the remaining powered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Sift the cocoa powder over the top (to avoid tiny lumps in the frosting). Mix for 2-3 minutes until very thick and creamy.
- Spread the frosting evenly on the cookies. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. The cookies are delicious cold or at cool room temperature. They can be made several days in advance and kept (frosted and covered) in the refrigerator.
Notes
2023 update: 3/4 cup oil 2016 version: 1 1/4 cups sugar
2023 update: 1 1/2 cups sugar 2016 version: no sour cream
2023 update: 2 tablespoons sour cream (justification behind this is the crazy popularity of this best-ever Swig cookie recipe) 2016 version: 1/2 cup cocoa powder (frosting)
2023 version: 1/3 cup cocoa powder (frosting)
*also edited the method a bit to help the mixing come together better.
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Melissa at The Faux Martha and later from this Swig cookie recipe (recipe originally posted December 2016; updated July 2023 with new photos, recipe notes, etc)
129 Comments on “Super Soft Frosted Chocolate Swig Sugar Cookies”
Is there a reason uneaten cookies should be stored in the refrigerator?
If they are frosted cookies, they keep better stored in the refrigerator.
Mel, you truly are a godsend to me in the kitchen. So many tried and true recipes that make my family happy!
I just know these will be a hit! Can’t wait to try them. I’m totally up for experimenting with different types of cocoa and love the flexibility here but I’m curious what you think is the best cocoa for the cookie and the best cocoa for the frosting. Is there a combo of cocoas that you find superior?! 😉
Thanks again for all the inspiration
My favorite cocoa for both the cookies and the frosting is either Hershey’s special dark or Anthony’s Dutch-process cocoa!
Excellent!! Thanks 🙂
I’ve made these cookies twice now. The first time I weighed out the flour according to the recipe – 568 g. Super dry and crumbly dough and also super dry and crumbly cookie. Then I realized that it said 4 C of flour. According to King Arthur’s site this is 480 g of flour, not 568 – that’s a huge difference! So I made them the second time with 480 g and they were a much better consistency. I live somewhere that is really humid and I’m usually having to add extra flour to my recipes, but it seems like this weight measurement is off a little? I think I could have gotten away with 500 g total flour. Just thought I would comment since a lot of people are saying they felt the cookie was too dry.
I wish I would have read this comment before I made mine. I weighed mine out. Totally dry and crumbly. Boo! I also ran out of frosting. Very choclatey but good.
These are always delicious! This time, for some Christmas variety, I divided the frosting in thirds. One third I kept just chocolate, and put sprinkles on the cookies. One third I added peppermint to, and a little extra powdered sugar, and I put crushed candy cane on top. The final third I added peanut butter and more powdered sugar, and I kept those plain on top. All three kinds were amazing, and it was an easy way to have different things to offer!
I took a gamble and used Schär gluten free all purpose flour, and these turned out beautiful! My three kids and I loved them.
We decorated them with Christmas sprinkles and they are adorable. ❤️
I just made these, they are yummy! The dough was lovely to work with and I have to admit, pressing them down with the sugared cup was a little too much fun. The frosting is AMAZING, but the cookies themselves were just a bit too intense and not quite as sweet as my hubby and I would prefer. I used Dutch process cocoa powder, but still they’re a bit bitter to me. Do you think it would be possible to cut down on the cocoa powder a bit to make them less intense? I’m a lover of dark chocolate, but am finding in my baked goods I prefer a slightly lighter chocolate flavor. Would adding a tad bit of powdered sugar and cutting back just a bit on the cocoa powder ruin the cookie do you think?
Hi Kelsey, I definitely think you could play around with the cocoa and flour amounts. Maybe reduce the cocoa to 2/3 cup and increase the powdered sugar to 1 cup?
Thanks, I will try that! The cookies grew on both my hubby and I (I had to make him stop eating them so I could freeze them to give out to neighbors!), but I still think I’ll try them with a tad less cocoa powder next time. Thanks for the feedback!
I can no longer pin any of your recipes from Facebook. Anyone else having trouble?
Would these be good with peppermint extract added to the cookie and or frosting?
I think that would be fantastic!
So so good. I have another recipe for chocolate sugar cookie cutouts, but I much prefer these thick shortbread type ones! And that frosting is amazing on top!! Thank you thank you for another fantastic recipe!
My husband loved these. I am not a chocolate fan and they grew on me as they sat a few days but I think I should have just measured and not weighed everything. It felt a little dense to me. However, I am totally making them again because sugar is my best friend.
Hi Mel,
Can you freeze this dough?
I haven’t tried but I think the dough would freeze pretty well!
Thank you!
Are these sugar cookies, also known as Lofthouse cookies ?
I think lofthouse cookies are much fluffier and puffier – kind of cakey?
Amazing! I replaced the oil with melted butter because I didn’t like it in the regular non-chocolate recipe but otherwise wrote as written. These are thick and fudge and delicious. Will be making again for sure!
We made 2 double batches of these to raise money for my daughter to go to EFY (church camp) this summer. We ended up with 9 dozen cookies (give or take a few), and each cookie weighed about 50g before cooking. We only made 1 doubled recipe of the frosting and it was enough for all of the cookies, barely. We froze the cookies overnight and frosted them all the next day. They’re very soft and delicate, and they were much easier to handle frozen. The frosting took a long time (hours) to harden off enough that we could stack them on a plate without ruining them, and even then it was iffy because the cookies aren’t very strong. Everyone LOVED them! We also made these a few years ago to give as neighbor gifts at Christmas and they were a big hit. Thanks so much for sharing this fabulous recipe, Mel!
Would these cookies turn out if you added 2 T sour cream to the dough like the other swig recipe? Some people mentioned dry cookies so I was thinking of trying it.
Definitely worth a try! I haven’t tried it myself, let me know if you do (these cookies have never been dry for me…make sure to measure the flour and cocoa with a light hand).
These cookies are delicious! Also, they stay equally if not better days later.
Yummmmmyyy!!!!!!!
There are no words for these cookies. I am going to put them all away right now because I have no self-control with them. Seriously some of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. Thanks for the unique and delicious recipe!
Glad you loved them, Molly!
I don’t know what I did wrong. The frosting was delicious but the cookie was not sweet at all. At first I thought I overbaked them so I undercooked a few and they still had a crumble like texture. Yes, I promise I made sure to weigh the ingredients too. Maybe it was the Hershey brand of unsweetened cocoa? I’m not sure but I wouldn’t make these again.
These cookies are my all time favorite cookies! I’ve been making them ever since the recipe was posted, and I make them more often than any other cookie (including chocolate chip!) (Yeah, that’s how good they are!!!) They always turn out and they’re always delicious. I recommend these to anyone and everyone! So thank you for the great recipe!!
Thanks, Sydney! They are one of my favorites, too!
Oh wow. These were so delicious. I didn’t have cream of tartar either, so I looked online and found the idea of subbing lemon juice or vinegar (1 and 1/2 tsp. per 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar). I did this. After my butter and sugar were creamed with the eggs, I added 1.5 tsp. of white vinegar. I don’t know if it did anything, but these cookies were amazing! 🙂
What changes do I need to make for baking these at sea level?
You might need to increase the time – not sure as I don’t live at sea level.
Mel!! I’ve made these 3 times and they are outrageous!! Seriously, the BEST cookies I’ve ever made! People take one bite and say, “Oh my GOD”. Thank you for these!! I’m salivating just thinking about them. Question for you: Where did you get the pretty pastel sprinkles you used in the photo?
I’m pretty sure I grabbed them at an Orson Gygi store in Salt Lake City but I’ve also seen them at Cash and Carry and on Amazon!
I thought they were delish!!!
These cookies were a huge disappointment. Not only did it take 1 million ingredients (I really should have halved the recipe) they were dry, bitter, and really heavy. The only good thing about them was the frosting. So if you are looking for a really good frosting recipe, this is it. Just skip the oil cookie. Make chocolate chip instead and then some frosting just for fun.
Sorry these didn’t work out for you. Just out of curiosity, did you weigh your dry ingredients? A really dry cookie probably means it was overfloured.
When I look at your Instagram post you mention adding milk to the dough, but I don’t see it in this post. Was it only added bc you doubled the recipe in the instagram post?
I added milk when I was testing out the recipe (and posted a pic on Instagram) but later, after other batches, realized I didn’t need the milk for the dough.
Thanks! Making a double batch this weekend and wanted to verify.
I made these for a dinner party with some friends if you weeks ago and they turned out sooo good! They did not disappoint!
The recipe calls for 20 oz of flour or 4 cups. I thought a cup of flour is 4 oz. am I missing something?
I test all my recipes using 5 ounces of flour per cup (I’ve found this is more accurate to the way I measure; it’s also what America’s Test Kitchen recommends).
Ok thanks, that’s what I did but I thought each cup was 4 oz.
This might be a dumb question but can this dough be rolled out and cut out with cookie cutters? I am looking for a chocolate sugar cookie recipe.
Great question, but I’m afraid I haven’t tried it so I don’t know for sure. I think it might be on the soft side.
Thank you for your response! If I decide to try it I will report back. These cookies look incredible but my kids love to cut them out.
I’ve made these twice in the past week – once for a party and once just for fun. They’re DELICIOUS! Everyone loves them! Thanks so much for the recipe!
These. Are. Amazing.
Thank you for such a lovely recipe. I made these today with my daughter and the whole family really enjoys them. I more than enjoy them – I love them! I think what I like about them the most is that they are chocolatey without being overly sweet. Even the frosting is not terribly sweet. This is a different cookie for that reason and one that I will print out for my recipe binder to make again and again.
Quick question. My cookies were quite dry and just broke apart. Can you give me some ideas on what I did wrong?
Hi Rick, sounds like the dough was overfloured. Did you use the weight measures by any chance? If not, I’d suggest adding a bit less flour next time (everyone measures flour differently which is why I often add weights). I usually fluff up the flour, scoop it and level.
I did mine by weight and got the same dry result in my dough. I’m trying to make sure that I slightly under bake them to hopefully help. I did 20oz of flour by weight. Should I scale that back a couple ounces next time? I think they’ll still be yummy! 🙂
Hey Jenny – the dough is more on the dry side than the wet side…is it crumbly? If it’s really dry and crumbly, I’d say do 1/4 cup less flour and see how that goes (but if it’s just drier than normal cookie dough, I think you’ll be fine).
I had the same issue and ended up throwing mine away (I’m super picky). The same thing happened with the Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies I recently made even though I weighed the flour and baked them for the minimum recommended time… I realized afterward that I used the wrong size cookie scoop so that may have been my issue… I plan on retrying this as well as the other recipe but I think I will also double-check the accuracy of my scale.
Can half and half replace heavy cream in the frosting?
Yes, the frosting will be slightly less creamy and rich but I’ve done the same and it works pretty well.
My family loved these, with and without frosting, because some were stolen before I had a chance to frost them:) Thank you for sharing! We used all Dutch process cocoa. I so appreciate all you are doing for the people of Ghana! Love to read about it. We hope you have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your trip to Portland! I live close by and it’s one of our coldest winters here so dress warm! Also, I’ve signed up for your newsletter twice, but have not received one yet.
Thank you, Anne! We’ll be bringing some warm clothes! Also, I looked at the email list and it shows that the last two newsletters have been sent to you and haven’t bounced…have you checked your spam/promotions folder?
Well I received the email newsletter today. So I guess it’s working now, thank you:) I thought the cookie cutter was a snail☺
Glad you got the newsletter, Anne! (And you guessed the cookie cutter right…)
I can confirm that the use of peppermint extract in the frosting and crushed peppermints on top is delicious! Beautiful for the holidays.
Also…swig has since changed their cookies and I think they’re horrible now, so I’m sooo happy to see this!!! I loved their original ones! There’s a similar soda place here in Utah called Sodalicious that makes a peppermint frosting to top with the chocolate cookies too and they’re amazing! I’m going to make a combo of both!!! So excited. You’re the greatest.
So you’re saying…if I make these today and store them in the refrigerator that by Friday I can bring them to room temperature to serve at a party and they would be soft and wonderful still???
Yep, totally.
These are I think the most delicious cookies I have ever made! I just finished making a batch and they turned out beautifully and taste wonderful!
Mel, these cookies are delicious. Thanks for the recipe. I had leftover browned butter icing and used that on half the cookies and the chocolate frosting on the other half. Both were soooo good. Thanks for another winner.
Every year I make our family’s traditional favorite cookies (i.e. “it wouldn’t be Christmas without —–“), and then I try out one new recipe. This was the one for 2016. I like the chewy, cakey texture very much. I had to sample two of them to make sure. Haha. I like to make sampler size cookies so I divided the recipe in half, and rolled balls about 3/4” inch in size, before flattening them with sugar as you said to do. This makes a cute little cookie, just over an inch in diameter. I frosted them, then sprinkled them with flecks of one candy cane I had crunched up with a rolling pin. It yielded about 4 dozen little cookies. Thank you, Mel, for yet another delicious recipe.
Mel, another home run!! I like chocolate just fine, but wouldn’t consider myself a chocoholic and even I had a hard time staying away from these! These were so easy and came together so quickly.
Thought I’d mention that I forgot to smush down one pan’s worth of cookies before putting them in the oven, then kept wondering why they weren’t flattening out like the other batches 😉 I smashed them down when I realized it (Maybe 5 minutes had passed?), then put them back in for another few minutes and they turned out just fine! I used good ol’ Nestle cocoa powder and while the icing was lighter in color, it was perfectly delicious.
Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Mel! These cookies were amazing!!! My husband agreed to take a bite after I made them (He’s not a huge fan of chocolate) and ended up eating the whole cookie.
If I were to use my medium cookie scoop to get a higher yield out of the batch, would you recommend cutting down the baking time or leave it at 8 minutes?
I’d probably cut the baking time down by 30 seconds or so. Glad you (and your husband) loved them!
Oh man!! These are amazing!!! I may have done a happy dance in the kitchen when my husband agreed to take a bite of one (he’s not a huge chocolate fan) and ended up eating the whole thing
If I were to use my medium cookie scoop to help stretch the yield…would i need to shorten the baking time or still leave it at 8 mins?
I made these and used the medium cookie scoop. I first tried 6 minutes, but they were still super-doughy. 7 minutes, or a few seconds shy of 7 minutes, was perfect. Still super soft, but not raw.
Thanks for the feedback on smaller cookies, Alicia!
Ooooh, these look soooooooo good! If I hadn’t already baked dozens upon dozens of cookies this weekend, I’d jump up and make them. Instead, I’ll save them for Christmas part 2 next week 😉
You say to store these Swig cookies in the refrigerator. Could they be stored at room temperature, just as well?
They do better in the refrigerator, in my opinion, due to the creamy frosting…but they’d probably be fine at cool room temperature for up to a day.
I love your blog! 🙂 Everything looks Yummy!
What recipe do you use for the non-chocolate swig sugar cookie??
I would love to know also. As shocking as this is, I’m not a huge chocolate fan
I have a couple versions I’ve kind of put together…I’ll try to get a blog post up about them soon!
A very adapted version of several online. I’ll try to get a post together soon!
Hi Mel!
It’s my first time commenting…but not my first time loving your site. 🙂 thank you for all the wonderful recipes and especially your lets talk series. Love to talk “life” as much as talk recipes! Love your recipe book too though!
I just signed up for your newsletter….so excited! Is there any chance of receiving the first two recipes? Thank you again for being a friend across the miles….
Hi Analee – I’ll see about getting them sent to you! 🙂 Thanks for your comment.
I only received the very first newsletter…have there been more? Are they monthly or weekly newsletters?
Hi Sandra, I just looked up your email address in the database and it shows that you unsubscribed from the list. If that is not the case, just let me know and I’ll readd your email (and I can send you the missing newsletters – they come weekly).
Hi Mel….yes PLEASE return me to your newsletter email list and yes I would love the missing ones! Thank you Thank you!!
Just sent them 🙂
Just saw them….a million thanks!! Happy Holidays!
Ok Mel, these cookies are unreal! Today I made 6 dozen iced ricotta cookies for an ornament/cookie swap I’m attending tomorrow night. Then after I finished those, I just had to make these and had everything on hand. My Williams-Sonoma Pernigotti dutch cocoa was close to its expiration date, so it was a perfect time to use it up. I used the dutch in both the cookie and the frosting. Oh gosh, they just melt in your mouth and the combination of the tender cookie and the thick, rich frosting was too much! I gave a good number away to a friend this afternoon after we tried them and froze the rest, hoping they will freeze well. I will be coming home with a lot of cookies Saturday night, so I really needed to stash these delicious ones in the freezer for another day. Thank you for such a winner! Wishing you and your sweet family a very happy holiday, with many thanks for all you do!
Thanks for reporting back, Teresa! I can’t believe you made so many cookies in one day. Crazy lady! But I’m thrilled you loved these!
So…I’m not really an oil expert. Olive oil? Does that work?
Olive oil has a stronger flavor than the other neutral-flavored oils suggested, so personally, I wouldn’t use it because I’m not sure I’d like the olive oil taste in these cookies.
Thank you!
Hi Mel. Have you tried these with coconut oil, by chance, as opposed to the other neutral oils that you mentioned? I have some expeller pressed that I am trying to use up, but if it would change the results of the cookies, I’ll definitely use another.
Hi Nicole! Yes, I have made them with melted coconut oil. They were ok. Really! They were fine, but the texture was a little different and the dough was much stiffer. I know a lot of people use melted coconut oil in the Swig knockoffs but I prefer using avocado, grapeseed or canola.
Thanks for responding! I made them over the weekend with canola oil, and they are fantastic!
Yay!
I hope to find cream of tartar somewhere as I’d like to try these. I like reach chocolate cookies.
Oh Mel these look so amazing! I just finished and delivered all of my holiday treats but I’m tempted to make these anyway! I have you to thank for my treat plates this year, I made:
Twixter Cookies
Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Rods
Peppermint Crinkle Blossom Cookies (from the newsletter)
Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fudge
Magic in the Middle
and then also:
A little ritz sandwich cookie that has peanut butter and marshmallow fluff and dipped in chocolate, and a chocolate cookie dipped in white chocolate and then crushed candy canes! And I used the leftover caramel from the pretzel rods and twixter cookies to make little caramel nut truffles that have a little cayenne in the chopped nuts!
The feedback I got on my cookies plates this year has been so so positive!
Thank you so so much for all your heavenly recipes!
Wow, Katherine – that lineup sounds absolutely amazing!
These are the best things I’ve ever had and I haven’t even frosted them yet! Thank you!!
So I’m a little confused!! (Nothing new!!!). The recipe calls for 1 cup (4 ounces) of cocoa powder. There’s 8 ounces in a cup, so do I use I cup or 1/2 cup? For the powdered sugar in the cookie recipe is it 3/4 cups or 3 ounces? Also in the frosting recipe, it calls for 2 cups (8 ounces) of powdered sugar???? Am I missing something? I love the swig chocolate cookies, but live in Washington so I’m dying to make these! Thanks for sharing your recipe!!
8 ounces in a cup is a volume measurement of liquid. The 4 ounces of cocoa powder is the weight of a dry ingredient.
So you use either the volume measurements in the recipe (cups or partial cups) or the weights (ounces) if you are using a scale.
Consider that different flours have different weights for 1/4 cup (check some labels if you aren’t baking by weights). I use a hard red wheat flour that is 38 grams (1.34 ounces) per 1/4 cup. I believe Gold Medal flour is 30 grams (1.05 ounces) per 1/4 cup.
Sorry … read the comment and I couldn’t help myself.
Hi Vickie, Liz is right (Thanks, Liz!). A cup holds 8 ounces of volume…the ounces I’m giving in the recipe refer to the weight of the ingredients.
I have seen these and wanted to make them, but no one I trusted has posted a recipe. Thanks for coming through!
I first tried knock off Swig cookies and couldn’t wait to try the real thing because the knock off was soooo yummy. I was disappointed. My cookie tasted like freezer burn. In hindsight, I’m happy I didn’t pick up an expensive cookie buying habit.
you are not going to believe this but on my to do list this morning was make chocolate sugar cookies. I had a different recipe I had planned to make, but decided to try yours instead. amazing!!!!!!! and I haven’t even frosted them yet.
I’m so happy to hear it!
Oh my goodness Mel! I can’t tell you how excited I am to make these!
So I live in Utah and Swig was all the rage for awhile and I had never been because many people rave about the dirty sodas and I don’t drink soda, but then one day a friend brought me one of these chocolate cookies, and I DO eat cookies, and I was in love! I’ve tried their other cookies and I don’t think they are anything out of this world, but I do love the chocolate ones and now my life will be changed for the better thanks to you!!
Can not wait to make them! I have no doubt yours will be better! I will give you a full report! Thank you Mel, you are the best!
Yum! I’ve never had chocolate sugar cookies before! These look incredible!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Have you frozen them frosted? Thanks, they look delicious! Tried to convince my 3 year old to make these today but he insisted on hot water chocolate cake…boooo…
I haven’t but Melissa at thefauxmartha.com (who inspired this recipe) has and I think it’s a dreamy idea! She flash freezes them on a pan and then slides the frozen frosted cookie into a bag(s).
This might be more than anyone wants to know, but I saved the link after reading the article and thinking about what to buy for holiday baking:
http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2014/01/10/the-a-b-cs-of-cocoa/
Thanks, Liz – super helpful!
These look so great, and I was thrilled to see that they can be refrigerated for several days. Does the frosting dry well enough to stack them in a container without them sticking to each other and making a mess?
No, the frosting stays really soft…however, once they are refrigerated, the frosting firms up enough probably for the cookies to stack…but it will soften again at room temp.
well now I know what treats I’m bringing to my daughter’s preschool christmas program!
Do you think these would taste as good by adding peppermint extract to make them more festive?
Yum, delicious idea!
I was telling my husband that crushed soft peppermints would look (and taste) great on top!
There’s no way I’m not making these asap. You easily convinced me! Thank you!
Haha! Mel, I use my kids as an excuse all the time….”Oh, all those cookies were eaten? Crazy kids.”
Can baking soda and cream of tartar be replaced by anything else?
Are any of them also known as Natron in the states?
I’m from Denmark and I’m not really sure what the danish version of these two products are, but I’m thinking natron could be one of them because that and baking powder is what we usually use in recipes here.
I’m not really sure; you’d definitely have to experiment as I’m not familiar with substitutions and haven’t tried them myself. Have you tried googling to see if there’s an adequate substitution in Denmark? From how you describe natron, it sounds like it might work for the baking soda.
I believe that natron is what we call baking soda in the U.S. (In
Swedish, it’s bikarbonat, if that helps you.) Cream of tartar might be vinsten? You might try searching for cream of tartar on Wikipedia and then changing the language. (A useful trick I learned when I lived in Sweden for a couple of years.) Good luck!