Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Raspberry Filling
These Chocolate Sugar Cookies sandwich a chocolate ganache and raspberry filling. ‘Tie’ a ribbon around the cookie package to turn these filled sandwich cookies into darling little ‘presents.’
A simple chocolate sugar cookie recipe and easy-to-make ganache pair with seedless raspberry jam for a scrumptious cookie sandwich. You could easily stop there, but if you want to ‘wow!’ folks, whip up a little royal icing and put a bow on it! I mean, could they be any more adorable?
Table of Contents
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easy chocolate sugar cookies
The recipe for these chocolate cut-out cookies is nothing more than a sugar cookie recipe with added cocoa. I swapped some brown sugar to the cookie dough to get the softer texture I wanted for these sandwich cookies.
tips for the best chocolate sugar cookies
- have your ingredients at room temperature
- give your butter and sugar enough time in the mixer to get light and fluffy
- don’t try to rush…you really do need to refrigerate the dough.
- mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined
ganache is REALLY easy to make
Maybe it is the fancy-sounding name, but ganache has a reputation for being … a bit of a diva. It is actually the opposite. In fact, ganache is best if you ignore it a bit!
Ganache is simply warmed cream poured over chocolate bits, then left to meld on their own. That’s the important ‘ignore it a bit’ part. After 3 minutes, stir it up, and bam…you have ganache! Honestly, it is that easy.
what i used
- For the square shape of these chocolate roll-out cookies, I used the 1 3/4 inch fluted square of this set of cookie cutters.
- To pipe the ganache, I used a size #10 piping tip. Feel free to use a fluted one for a ruffly-er filling.
- To pipe the ribbons/bows on the cookie ‘presents,’ I used a size #3 piping tip.
pipe the ganache and add a dollop of raspberry jam
use your favorite royal icing recipe
I included the recipe I use for royal icing, but feel free to use your go-to royal icing. You don’t want a flooding type of icing; you want a stiffer icing that is still pipe-able, like toothpaste.
In my attempt to make these REALLY look like presents, I piped the icing down all four sides. If you do this, too, you’ll want to take a knife and cut the hardened icing that has attached to the surface so that when up pick up the cookie, it doesn’t detach.
Chocolate Sugar Cookie Presents with Chocolate Raspberry Filling
Ingredients
- FOR CHOCOLATE COOKIES
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour spoon and level
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa plus a little more for rolling dough
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- FOR CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 1/3 cup of heavy cream
- 4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- FOR RASPBERRY FILLING
- 4 ounces seedless raspberry jam or spread I used Polaner
- FOR ROYAL ICING
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 2 1/2 tablespoons warm water
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Combine softened butter and both sugars in a large bowl and beat on high for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides occasionally to ensure all butter and sugar are incorporated.
- While butter and sugar are being beaten, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- When the butter/sugar mixture is smooth and creamy, add the egg and the vanilla and beat on high until fully incorporated. Again, scrape the sides and the bottom and beat again to ensure all ingredients are combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low until just combined. Don't overmix.
- Divide the dough between two pieces of parchment paper that have been dusted with cocoa powder. Sprinkle the dough with more cocoa powder, place another sheet of parchment paper over each dough ball and flatten slightly with your hand. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough further to a uniform 1/4 inch thickness.
- Transfer the dough, sandwiched between the sheets of parchment paper to the refrigerator where it can lay flat. I found it easiest to lay them on a small baking sheet. You can stack one sandwiched piece of dough on top of the other.
- Let the dough chill for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
- Take one flattened piece of dough from the refrigerator and cut squares with a cookie cutter. Place dough squares onto prepared cookie sheets, one inch apart. Work quickly, as the dough will soften quickly. Gather the dough scraps, flatten them between two sheets of parchment, and roll them to 1/4" thick. Put the flattened scraps back in the refrigerator. Continue to repeat the process until all the dough has been cut.
- When you have a cookie sheet filled, pop it back in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, place the cookie sheets in the oven and bake for 10-11 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack for further cooking.
For the Ganache
- Pour the heavy cream into a 1-cup microwavable bowl.
- Place the chocolate chips into another 1-cup or larger heatproof bowl and set aside.
- Microwave the cream for 20-30 seconds, watching closely. You want to start seeing bubbles but don't want it to boil over.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips, but don't stir! In fact, resist the urge to fiddle with the bowl at all for 3 minutes.
- Then, with a spatula or a whisk, start stirring from the center of the bowl, slowly moving out to the edge of the bowl. Whisk in one direction until the cream and chocolate are combined, and the mixture is thickened.
- Let cool to room temperature before using it to fill the cookies.
- Once cool, tuck the ganache into a piping bag fitted with a #10 round tip.
For the Royal Icing
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Beat at low speed for 7-10 minutes until peaks form.
- Check your icing; If it is too stiff, add water 1/2 teaspoon at a time. If it is too thin, add powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. You want the consistency of toothpaste, maybe a touch thicker even.
To Assemble the Cookie 'Presents'
- Once fully cooled, pipe the ganache around all four edges of the back side of half of the cookies. I used a Round #10 tip. Feel free to use a fluted tip for a ruffly filling.
- Place the jelly in a small, microwavable bowl and zap for about 10 seconds. If it isn't melted, zap it for another 5-7 minutes. You want it slightly runny.
- Put small dollops of melted jelly in the center of the ganache squares on half of the cookies.Top with the other halves of the cookies.
- Draw 'ribbons' and 'bows' on the cookies, using a size #3 piping tip.
- Let the frosting dry completely before storing your cookies.
Nutrition
looking for more chocolate Christmas treats?
- My Grandma’s Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Cookies resemble a chocolate crinkle cookie.
- These mini chocolate tarts are filled with cranberry curd. Talk about a festive little treat!
how to store these chocolate sugar cookies
These chocolate sugar cookies will refrigerate well for about one week.
can you freeze these cookies?
The cut out sugar chocolate sugar cookies can be frozen for up to three months. Make sure they are well wrapped in air tight containers.
I would be hesitant to freeze the ganache once it has been piped in the cookie. Ganache generally freezes and thaws well, but that assumes you will be able to reheat and mix it after it is thawed.
Instead, if you want a head start on your baking, make the cookies ahead of time and freeze them. You could also prepare the ganache ahead of time and freeze it. Just be prepared to slowly thaw and reheat it to get it to the right consistency. Pipe and decorate your cookies closer to when you need them.
more creative Christmas dessert recipes
I have a lovely group of friends I would never have met if it were not for blogging. We decided to get together to give our readers an assortment of creative Christmas dessert recipes. Pop over and meet my friends and grab their delicious recipes!
- Kathleen, from the Fresh Cooky, is sharing her No-Bake Eggnog Pie…and I am a sucker for all things egg nog! So is my son, so I think this will get made when he comes home for Christmas.
- Sheila, from Life Love and Good Food, brought a Rum Cake to the party! Simply delicious!
- And these Italian Ricotta Cookies from Nikki at Soulfully made have my name all over them.
Bookmark this page or pin the following image to refer back to this recipe for Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Filling.
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These sugar cookies are adorable! And, I love the raspberry and ganache combo. Once again, friend, you’ve nailed it in the creative dessert category!
Not only yummy, but adorable too!! I’m in love with that fluted square cutter! What a fun treat to bring to a cookie exchange!
Possibly my most favorite cookie ever, down to the little bow.
These were yummy. I love the tip for making a “dam” with the ganache and filling the jam inside. So good! I couldn’t stop eating these. I didn’t do the icing bow on top because I’m too lazy and no one cared! LOL