Chocolate Sugar Cookies Tested Recipe

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Chocolate Sugar Cookies frosted with Royal Icing are not only beautiful to look at but are delicious to eat. They are sweet and buttery with a subtle chocolate flavor that comes from adding cocoa powder to the dough. There are two ways to decorate these cookies; one is to simply sprinkle the unbaked cookies with crystal or sparkling sugar. The other way, which has become very popular, is to frost the baked cookies with royal icing.

What I like about Royal Icing, as opposed to Confectioners Frosting, is how it dries to a wonderful smooth and hard matte finish. Royal Icing can be made with powdered sugar, egg whites and lemon juice or with meringue powder and water. I prefer the taste of royal icing made with egg whites, but if you are concerned about the risk of salmonella, I have also included a recipe for royal icing using meringue powder. If you are unfamiliar with meringue powder, it is a fine, white powder that contains dried egg whites, sugar, salt, vanillin and gum. It can be found at most cake decorating and party stores or else on-line. 

It is important when working with royal icing to keep it covered as much as possible as it dries out very quickly. Another way to prevent a crust from forming on the icing's surface is to add a few drops of glycerin (glycerol) to the icing. Glycerin is a sweet, odorless, clear, and syrupy liquid (chemically an alcohol) that comes from fats and oils. It is available in cake decorating and party stores (like Michaels). Once you are ready to frost your cookies you want to make sure the royal icing has the proper consistency. Too runny and it will run over the sides; too stiff and it won't spread nicely. So, for the right consistency to cover cookies, first test the icing by lifting your spoon and letting the icing drip back into the bowl. The proper consistency is when the ribbon of icing that falls back into the bowl remains on the surface for about 5 seconds before disappearing. Another way is to take a cookie and place a small amount of icing in the middle of the cookie. Using a small knife or spatula, push the icing to the edge of the cookie. If the icing runs off the edge, thicken the icing by adding a little more confectioners sugar. Do not add too much sugar at once. You want the icing to spread smoothly but don't worry about a few light streaks. They will disappear as the icing dries, and be aware that the icing can take several hours, or even overnight, to dry completely.

Now, the royal icing recipe I have given is for covering or "flooding" the entire surface of the cookie. If you want to pipe a border around the outside edge of the sugar cookies as I have done in the picture, the royal icing needs to be thicker, so it is of piping consistency. To make a small batch, beat together one large egg white, one teaspoon of lemon juice, and about 2 - 2 1/4 cups (230 - 285 grams) of confectioners sugar until the frosting is stiff (like a meringue) with shiny peaks and of piping consistency. Color if desired. Place in a piping bag with a small plain tip and pipe a border around the outside edges of the cookies.

Lastly, let's talk about which type of food coloring to use. Personally, I like the concentrated gel paste dyes that are sold in small 1/2 or one ounce (14 - 28 grams) containers. Only a very small amount is needed to color the icing, and I measure it out using the end of a toothpick. Make sure to thoroughly mix the paste into the icing as you do not want streaks. You can buy gel pastes at cake decorating stores or stores like Michael's.