I love making chocolate cookies not only because chocolate is AMAZING(!) but because the dark background of the cookies really makes certain designs pop. 

This recipe is a modification of my regular sugar cookie recipe. I didn't want to tamper with the success I've had with the original......so I traded out some of the flour in the original recipe and added cocoa instead. It works well.....and is very yummy. I also add expresso powder to intensify the chocolate flavor. Mmmmmm.....

CookieCrazie Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp expresso powder (optional....but highly recommended!)

1/2 cup sour cream

4 1/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla, cocoa, expresso powder & sour cream.

Blend in dry ingredients.

The dough does not need to be refrigerated before rolling & cutting.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough to desired thickness. Cut into shapes.

Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake approx 20 minutes.

Yield: 20-25 medium cookies

Everything else is the same after mixing up the dough.

Here's some of my favorite chocolate cookie designs.....(Click on the photo to see the blog post.)

Hey....and what a lovely way to end the post.....with some Valentines cookies made with the chocolate dough. :)