Blue Ribbon Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Today I'm sharing our family's favorite chewy chocolate cookies, which means you're only 8 ingredients away from these national cookie contest winners becoming your family's favorite too.  They're so good, every time I share them, I hear, "Oh my, you MUST give me this recipe!"    Let me show you how easy they are to make so you can whip up a batch whenever you want.

Start by creaming unsalted butter and sugar together until light and creamy.  I do this with a BeaterBlade attachment so I don't have to stop and scrape down the bowl of my stand mixer.  Love that thing!  

In a separate bowl, whisk together sifted cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and fine salt.

Be sure to use really high quality dutch-processed cocoa powder for really good flavor.

Add the cocoa mixture to the butter and mix until no signs of dry ingredients remain.  Then add the egg and pure vanilla extract.

Wrap the cookie dough in plastic and chill for a least 1 hour.  This step is really important so don't skip it.  

For professional looking cookies, use a #50 scoop to portion out the cookie dough (it's roughly the size of a tablespoon).  If at any time the cookie dough gets too soft, pop it back in the fridge.

Incidentally, the cookie dough freezes beautifully (as do the baked cookies).  Just be sure to wrap the dough very well in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container - this can be done as a whole batch of dough, or individual balls.  Thaw the wrapped cookie dough in the fridge before unwrapping, rolling, and coating with sugar.  

Roll the cookie dough into balls, then coat with granulated sugar.  Vanilla sugar is nice too.

Space 12 cookies evenly on two silpat lined half sheet pans (bake only one pan at a time).  You can use parchment paper, but I've test both surfaces and silpats work better for these cookies.  

Bake for about 9 or 10 minutes - cool completely.

These cookies are simply spectacular.  Enjoy!

Items needed to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• excellent quality cocoa powder https://amzn.to/35M0qpc

• the best vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3r9wNGK

• vanilla sugar https://amzn.to/3Jc4bme

• #50 cookie scoop https://amzn.to/3JrSubx

• silat silicone liners https://amzn.to/3HCz035

• professional sheet pans https://amzn.to/34pWo5x

• beaterblade https://amzn.to/34HEVFr

---

Blue Ribbon Chewy Chocolate Cookies

makes 24 cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 6 tablespoons dutch processed cocoa, sifted (use really good quality)

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• granulated sugar to roll cookie dough in before baking (or use vanilla sugar)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside until needed.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater or BeaterBlade attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes until it lightens in color.

3. Add egg and pure pure vanilla extract; continue to mix until no traces of egg remain.

4. Turn mixer speed down to low; add cocoa mixture and combine until no traces of dry flour or cocoa remain, scraping bowl if needed.

5. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

6. Preheat oven to 350F, place rack in center of oven, and line 2 half sheet pans with silpat liners.

7. Using a #50 scoop (about 1 tablespoon), roll level scoops of chilled cookie dough in the palm of your hand to form a ball; coat with granulated sugar and space evenly on sheet pan, 12 per pan.

8. Bake for 9-10 minutes; remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Mini Chocolate Whoopie Pies

It may be hard to believe, but these adorable mini whoopie pies are made with only 6 ingredients.  I know, right?  

To make the cookies, combine one box of dry devils food cake mix and one can of 100% pure pumpkin puree.  No egg, no water, no oil, just the dry mix and pumpkin.  That's all.  I mix them in my stand mixer using a BeaterBlade or flat beater attachment. 

Then I use a #50 scoop to portion 1 tablespoon mounds of dough onto silpat lined half sheet pans.  This recipe will make 4 pans of cookies.  If you don't have 4 pans with liners, you can rotate 2 pans - just be sure the pans are completely cool before putting cookie dough on them.  

While the cookies are baking, make the cream filling. 

Cream together room temperature butter and confectioners sugar.  Make sure the butter is at room temperature.  This is one of the few recipes that I use salted butter.  You can use unsalted if you like, just add a healthy pinch or two of fine salt for flavor. 

Whip the butter and sugar together for a full 3 minutes.  I like to use my BeaterBlade attachment so I don't have to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  LOVE my BeaterBlade!!  

Add the marshmallow cream.  It's so sticky!

And lastly, add pure vanilla extract. Use the good stuff - it makes all the difference. 

Mix again, just until the marshmallow cream and vanilla are fully incorporated.

Place the cream filling in a large pastry bag fitted with a round tip.  I like to use plastic and polycarbonate tips for several reasons:

1. They don't have seams, which can leave marks in your piped design.

2. They don't get cold like metal tips. cold metal can make some fillings seize and clog the tip (like anything containing temperature sensitive ingredients like chocolate or butter).

3. You can spot large air bubbles before they have a chance to explode all over the place.

Ok, back to our mini whoopie pies.  Squeeze a good dollop of filling on the flat side of one cookie and top with another cookies, sandwiching the two flat sides together as shown below.

And that's all there is to it.  Store these bite-size treats in an airtight container.  Serve chilled.

Items used to make this recipe:

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3r9wNGK

• marshmallow cream https://amzn.to/3rmcFBu

• #50 scoop https://amzn.to/32OW1Rg

• beaterblade https://amzn.to/348gOzS

• half sheet pans https://amzn.to/3L6vNv8

• silpat liner https://amzn.to/3rjZzo3

• 100% pure pumpkin puree https://amzn.to/3IVYxob

• devils food cake mix https://amzn.to/3ugjfew

---

Mini Chocolate Whoopie Pies

makes approximately 30 mini whoopie pies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Whoopie Pies

• 18.5 ounce box devils food cake mix

• 15 ounces 100% pure pumpkin puree

Filling

• 16 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature

• 2 cups confectioners sugar

• 7.5 ounces marshmallow cream

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

To make cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 half sheet pans with silpats.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a BeaterBlade (or paddle attachment), combine cake mix and pumpkin until no signs of dry cake mix remain.

3. Use a #50 scoop (about 1 tablespoon) to portion 15 cookies onto each prepared sheet pan.

4. Bake one pan at a time, in the center of the oven, for 15 minutes; repeat until all cookie dough is baked (be sure sheet trays are completely cool before placing cookie dough on them).

5. Allow cookies to cool completely on sheet pan before filling.

To make filling and assemble whoopie pies:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a BeaterBlade (or paddle attachment), cream butter and sugar together for 3 minutes.

2. Add marshmallow cream and vanilla; mix until combined.

3. Place filling in a disposable pastry bag fitted with a large round tip.

4. Pipe filling onto flat side of one cooled cookie and top with a second cookie to form a mini whoopie pie; continue until all the cookies are filled.

5. Chill whoopie pies in an airtight container; serve cold.

Notes

• Leftover cream filling can be frozen in an airtight container.  

• Thaw overnight in the fridge and re-whip to restore consistency if needed.