Make delicious Cocoa Powder Cookies without baking powder in under an hour. You just need a few simple ingredients that you probably already have at home. But beware, you won't be able to stop at one, or ten!
I always rely on my dayjob colleagues to help me finish my baked goods. What with multiple rounds of testing, there's no way I could (or should!) eat everything I bake. This has the added bonus of getting lots of help taste testing - something my colleagues are always eager to do.
This recipe for Cocoa Powder Cookies without baking powder got so many rave reviews from my co-workers that even I was surprised. But then again, I ended up finishing the first batch of chocolate cookies over a weekend of Netflixing on my own.
It's just impossible to stop once you start eating them, and they're so small that "just one more" always seems reasonable...
Jump to:
Why you will love this recipe
- It's quick and all done in under 1 hour (including 30 minutes of resting!)
- It's easy with a few simple steps
- Delicious loaded with so much chocolate flavor
- Make the dough ahead of time for easier planning
- They store really well and you can even freeze them
- Made without baking powder, baking soda and egg
What you need to make them
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour
- Salt: Exclude if using salted butter
- Vanilla extract can be swapped for vanilla sugar or vanilla powder
- Unsalted butter can be swapped for salted butter, but then skip the salt
- Make sure you use high quality butter with around 82% fat, or the dough won't come together well
How to make Cocoa Powder Cookies
- Place butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl
- Mix well until very soft and creamy, using an electric mixer
- Place the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl
- Mix until well combined
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar
- Mix until everything is well combined, and you can form the dough into a ball. You will need to use your hands for this!
- Roll into a log, about 2 inches (5 cm) thick. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Bring out the cookie dough, unwrap, and slice into ⅕ inch (½ cm) thick cookies
- Place cookies on two lined baking sheets
- Bake for 10 minutes at 375°F (190°C)
Tips & tricks
- Use cold or room temperature butter: It will be quicker with room temperature butter, but both work just as well
- Cream the butter and sugar well - getting that soft, creamy and almost fluffy consistency is the secret to the most tender shortbread cookies
- Don't overmix after adding the dry ingredients or the cookies might end up chewy instead of tender
- Add extras as you desire: a candy cane rim for Christmas cookies, some cocoa nibs for added texture, or a drizzle of sea salt flakes right on top before baking... these cookies are so versatile, feel free to make them your own!
- Do refrigerate the dough as this makes slicing a lot easier
- Make the dough ahead of time: it's fine in the fridge for up to 3 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months
Recipe FAQ
Refrigerate the dough to make slicing easier, and to make sure the cookies keep their shape and hold together when slicing.
If you're short on time, you can slice them straight away - but it will be harder.
Store leftovers in room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2-3 weeks.
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Freeze leftovers in airtight containers or freezer bags to keep them for up to 8-12 months.
Yes, the dough can be frozen for up to 3 months before baking. It's easiest to slice it before completely thawed.
More quick & easy baking recipes
- Peanut Butter Cookies Without Brown Sugar
- Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar
- No Bake Cookies without Peanut Butter
- Butterball Cookies
Did you love this recipe? Rate it five stars!
...and let me know what you loved about it in the comments.
Recipe
Cocoa Powder Cookies without Baking Powder
Print RateIngredients
Dough
- 2 sticks unsalted butter See note on butter below. Cut in pieces, 2 sticks = 1 cup.
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place butter and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl and mix until soft and creamy, then mix in the vanilla extract.2 sticks unsalted butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients. Then add to the butter and sugar mixture.1¾ cups flour, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Mix just until everything is well combined, using your hands when necessary. It's done when you can form it into a solid ball.
- Form the dough into a log about 2 inches (5 cm) thick. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Bring out the dough, and cut into slices about ⅕ inch (5 mm) thick. Place them on the lined cookie sheets, and bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes.
Equipment (may contain affiliate links)
- Measuring cups (metric or US)*
- 2 Cookie sheets
Notes
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour
- Salt: Exclude if using salted butter
- Vanilla extract can be swapped for vanilla sugar or vanilla powder
- Butter: make sure you're using butter with a high (~80%) fat content
- Unsalted butter can be swapped for salted butter, but then skip the salt
- Make sure you use high quality butter with around 82% fat, or the dough won't come together well
Tips & tricks
- Use cold or room temperature butter: It will be quicker with room temperature butter, but both work just as well
- Cream the butter and sugar well - getting that soft, creamy and almost fluffy consistency is the secret to the most tender shortbread cookies
- Don't overmix after adding the dry ingredients or the cookies might end up chewy instead of tender
- Add extras as you desire: a candy cane rim for Christmas, some cocoa nibs for added texture, or a drizzle of sea salt flakes right on top before baking... these cookies are so versatile, feel free to make them your own!
- Do refrigerate the dough as this makes slicing a lot easier
- Make the dough ahead of time: it's fine in the fridge for up to 3 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months
- Store leftovers in room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2-3 weeks.
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- Freeze leftovers to keep them for up to 8-12 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
scott sproat
this is one of the worst cookies i have ever had. i have been baking for years so it has to be the recipe. my advice to you. eliminate this recipe for good.
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Scott! Sorry to hear that was your experience. I have also been baking for years and have had no trouble with this recipe, and the outcome is amazing. What was it you did not like about the outcome? Did you use the exact ingredients stated and follow the instructions exactly, including creaming the butter and sugar really well, not overmixing after adding the dry ingredients, and chilling the dough? What was the fat content of your butter? There have been a lot of issues related to butter recently with both this recipe and recipes from other recipe creators (recipes that have worked perfectly for many years), so for this recipe it's important the butter has at least an 80% fat content. Would love to help you troubleshoot if you get back to me! /Emmeline
Steph
I love that this recipe doesn't have eggs, baking soda or baking powder which are all very heating for the digestive tract. I used Carob powder as I don't eat chocolate and they turned out delicious!
Cleo
This is an awful recipe.
They just crumbled in my mouth.
A complete waste of butter 🙁
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Cleo!
I'm sorry the cookies didn't turn out well for you. This could be due to overbaking them, not measuring butter out correctly, or not creaming the butter and sugar enough. However, there have also been reports of quality issues with butter in some areas lately. I've heard from multiple people that they have trouble with recipes that worked for them for years, but just lately do not work.
I've re-tested this recipe multiple times since the first comment about the consistency not being right, and haven't had any trouble. So my recommendation for anyone wanting to try them would be to make sure the butter you use is of high quality, with around 82% of fat.
/Emmeline
Chantené
My dough was falling apart but I managed to rescue it with a little bit of milk.
I think it turned out great i have it with some hot chocolate! Love this recipe,will do it again.
Christen
These cookies were AWFUL. The dough was not at all sweet and I thought I could save them by topping with powdered sugar. I baked them according to instructions but they turned into a powder in my mouth. I threw the rest away. I can’t believe I wasted all that butter.
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Christen! Sorry to hear that. I just tested them again today and they turned out great. They are not the sweetest cookies but they are definitely sweet, so this sounds very strange.
Would love to help you troubleshoot: Did you use the measurements in cups or grams? What was the fat content of the butter? Did you cream the butter and powdered sugar well?
I've also heard that in some areas there are quality issues with butter right now, due to shortages. This could be a reason why they fell apart.
/Emmeline
Erin
Terrible cookies.
Dough doesn't form at all.
Had to add 1/4C of water.
Taste like flour even with powder sugar dusted on top
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Erin, so sorry to hear that was your experience!
I've made cookies with these ratios for many years without any problems, but will definitely be testing again this week after your comment to try to see what might have gone wrong. They should come together without added water and should definitely not taste like flour!
To help me troubleshoot, did you use the cup measurements or the weighted measurements?
/Emmeline
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Erin,
I just tested the recipe again and it turned out just sa great as the other times I've made it - it came together really well and did not taste like flour. Are you sure you used a full cup of butter (225 g/ 2 sticks - it can be hard to measure out correctly with cups!)? Did you cream it well with the sugar?
I've also heard that in some areas there are quality issues with butter right now, due to shortages. This could otherwise be a reason why they did not come together.
/Emmeline