Rich, chocolatey butter cookies piped into elegant swirls. These Chocolate Butter Cookies are perfect for holiday trays and everyday baking.

These Chocolate Butter Cookies are everything you want in a classic chocolate biscuit – buttery, tender, and deeply flavoured with cocoa. A touch of espresso powder enhances the chocolate without adding any noticeable coffee taste, giving you a richer, more decadent cookie overall.

Piped into pretty swirls and finished with either a cherry centre or a dip in melted chocolate, these biscuits look impressive on any holiday platter yet are simple enough for everyday baking. Whether you’re preparing treats for Christmas, a cookie exchange, or your family biscuit tin, this recipe delivers consistently beautiful results.

Tips for Best Results

• Make sure the butter is very soft. This is key for smooth, easy piping.
• Sift the dry ingredients. Prevents lumps, especially in cocoa and espresso powder.
• Add milk only as needed. A tiny amount goes a long way – too much will cause spreading.
• Use a strong piping setup. The dough is thick and can burst disposable bags on its own. To prevent this, fill a disposable piping bag fitted with a Wilton 4B or 6B tip with the dough and place it inside a reusable piping bag . This double layer provides the strength needed to pipe the swirls without tearing the bag.
• Keep piping consistent. Hold the piping bag vertically and apply even pressure to create uniform swirls that will bake evenly.
• Chill the piped cookies before baking. Helps them keep their beautiful shape.
• Dry cherries thoroughly. Pat them dry to avoid excess liquid on the baking tray.
• Don’t overbake. Bake just until set – the cookies should stay soft and will firm up on cooling.
• Let them cool completely before dipping. This ensures a clean, even chocolate finish.

Equipment You Will Need

To achieve the classic piped swirls and make the process easier, it helps to have the right tools on hand before you begin. Here is what you will need for this recipe:

• Large mixing bowl – for creaming the butter and sugar.
• Hand mixer or stand mixer – to beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Reusable piping bag – strong enough to handle thick cookie dough.
• Disposable piping bag – to hold the dough inside the reusable bag for extra support.
• Wilton 4B or 6B piping tip – large open star tips create the classic butter cookie swirl.
• Baking sheets – lined with parchment paper for easy release.
• Wire cooling rack – to cool the cookies evenly before dipping in chocolate.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Butter: Use very soft unsalted butter for the smoothest piping. Salted butter is fine if you omit the added pinch of salt.
Icing sugar: Essential for that melt-in-the-mouth texture. Granulated sugar won’t provide the same finish.
Egg yolk: Adds richness and helps the cookies hold their shape.
Vanilla extract: Rounds out the flavour.
Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best.
Cocoa powder: Unsweetened cocoa or Dutch-processed cocoa both work. Dutch cocoa will give a darker, richer biscuit.
Cornstarch: Helps make the cookies extra tender.
Instant espresso powder: Boosts the chocolate flavour – you won’t taste coffee. Can be reduced or omitted entirely, though the cookies won’t be quite as rich.
Milk or cream: Only if needed to loosen the dough for piping. Add sparingly.
Chocolate for dipping: Dark, milk, or white chocolate all work nicely.
Maraschino cherries: Optional but festive. Make sure they’re well drained to avoid bleeding.

Chocolate Butter Cookies

Yield: About 30 cookies | Prep time: 20 minutes (plus chilling) | Cook time: 12–15 minutes

Ingredients

• 250 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, very soft
• 125 g (1 cup) icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 200 g (1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
• 50 g (½ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 25 g (2 tbsp) cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1–2 tsp instant espresso powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1–2 tbsp milk or cream, if needed for piping

For decorating

• 150 g (5 oz) dark or white chocolate, melted
• Sprinkles or sanding sugar (optional)
• Maraschino cherries, halved and well-drained

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. (Image 1)
2. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla until smooth. (Image 2)

1. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, espresso powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir until just combined into a soft dough. (Image 3)
2. If the dough feels too stiff to pipe, add 1 tablespoon of milk (or cream) at a time until it’s pipeable but still holds its shape.
3. Fit a large disposable piping bag with a Wilton 4B or 6B piping tip and fill with dough. Place the disposable piping bag inside a reusable piping bag to prevent splitting. Pipe tight rosettes or swirls onto the prepared baking sheet. (Image 4)
4. Press a cherry half gently into the centre of half the cookies before baking.
5. Chill the piped cookies in the fridge for 20–30 minutes.
6. Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until just set. Cool completely on a wire rack.
7. Dip the plain cookies (without cherries) in melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles if desired. Allow chocolate to set before serving.

Continue to Content

Yield: 30 Cookies

Chocolate Butter Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Rich, chocolatey butter cookies piped into elegant swirls. These Chocolate Butter Cookies are perfect for holiday trays and everyday baking.

Print

Ingredients

• 250 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, very soft
• 125 g (1 cup) icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 200 g (1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
• 50 g (½ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 25 g (2 tbsp) cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1–2 tsp instant espresso powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1–2 tbsp milk or cream, if needed for piping

For decorating

• 150 g (5 oz) dark or white chocolate, melted
• Sprinkles or sanding sugar (optional)
• Maraschino cherries, halved and well-drained

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla until smooth.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, espresso powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir until just combined into a soft dough.
5. If the dough feels too stiff to pipe, add 1 tablespoon of milk (or cream) at a time until it’s pipeable but still holds its shape.
6. Fit a large disposable piping bag with a Wilton 4B or 6B piping tip and fill with dough. Place the disposable piping bag inside a reusable piping bag to prevent splitting. Pipe tight rosettes or swirls onto the prepared baking sheet.
7. Press a cherry half gently into the centre of half the cookies before baking.
8. Chill the piped cookies in the fridge for 20–30 minutes.
9. Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until just set. Cool completely on a wire rack.
10. Dip the plain cookies (without cherries) in melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles if desired. Allow chocolate to set before serving.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Cuisinart SM-50BL Stand Mixer
• 
  Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet (2 Pack)
• 
  Silicone Pastry Piping Bag

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

30

Serving Size:

1 Cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 139Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 60mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 2g

This information is provided as a courtesy and for entertainment purposes only. This information comes from online calculators. Although frugalmomeh.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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