Christmas Chocolate Cookies
by Nigella. Featured in NIGELLA CHRISTMASIntroduction
I love these dark, fat patties of chocolate shortbread exuberantly topped with festive sprinkles. There’s something so cheering about the sight of them, but they have more in their favour than looks: they are a doddle to make, and meltingly gorgeous to eat.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
I love these dark, fat patties of chocolate shortbread exuberantly topped with festive sprinkles. There’s something so cheering about the sight of them, but they have more in their favour than looks: they are a doddle to make, and meltingly gorgeous to eat.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Makes: approx. 24 cookies
For the Biscuits
- 250 grams soft butter
- 150 grams caster sugar
- 40 grams cocoa powder
- 300 grams plain flour
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the Festive Topping
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 175 grams icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- christmas sprinkles
For the Biscuits
- 2¼ sticks soft butter
- ¾ cup superfine sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the Festive Topping
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
- 1½ cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- christmas sprinkles
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/gas mark 3/325ºF and line a baking sheet with Bake-O-Glide or baking parchment.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl and, when you have a light, soft, whipped mixture, beat in the 40g / one-third cup cocoa powder (sieving if it is lumpy) and, when that’s mixed in, beat in the flour with the bicarb and baking powder. Or just put everything in the processor and blitz, if you prefer.
- This mixture is very soft and sticky and I find it easiest to form the biscuits wearing my CSI (disposable vinyl) gloves, so pinch off pieces about the size of a large walnut, roll them into balls, then slightly flatten into fat discs as you place them, well spaced, on your baking sheet; you should get about 12 on at a time.
- Bake each batch for 15 minutes; even though the biscuits won’t feel as if they’ve had enough time, they will continue to cook as they cool. They will look slightly cracked on top, and it’s this cosy, homespun look I love.
- Remove the baking sheet to a cold surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before transferring the biscuits to a wire rack, with a sheet of newspaper under it (to catch drips while topping them).
- To make the topping, put the cocoa powder, icing sugar, vanilla extract, and 60ml/¼ cup of just-boiled water into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything’s smoothly combined. Take off the heat for 10 minutes.
- When the biscuits are cool, drizzle each one with a tablespoonful of chocolate glaze — to glue the sprinkles on in a minute — using the back of the spoon to help spread the mixture, though an uneven dribbly look is part of their charm.
- After you’ve iced 6 biscuits, scatter with some of the Christmas sprinkles, and continue thus until all the biscuits are topped. If you ice them all before sprinkling, you will find the cocoa “glue” has dried and the sprinkles won’t stick on.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/gas mark 3/325ºF and line a baking sheet with Bake-O-Glide or baking parchment.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl and, when you have a light, soft, whipped mixture, beat in the 40g / one-third cup unsweetened cocoa (sieving if it is lumpy) and, when that’s mixed in, beat in the flour with the bicarb and baking powder. Or just put everything in the processor and blitz, if you prefer.
- This mixture is very soft and sticky and I find it easiest to form the biscuits wearing my CSI (disposable vinyl) gloves, so pinch off pieces about the size of a large walnut, roll them into balls, then slightly flatten into fat discs as you place them, well spaced, on your baking sheet; you should get about 12 on at a time.
- Bake each batch for 15 minutes; even though the biscuits won’t feel as if they’ve had enough time, they will continue to cook as they cool. They will look slightly cracked on top, and it’s this cosy, homespun look I love.
- Remove the baking sheet to a cold surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before transferring the biscuits to a wire rack, with a sheet of newspaper under it (to catch drips while topping them).
- To make the topping, put the unsweetened cocoa, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and 60ml/¼ cup of just-boiled water into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything’s smoothly combined. Take off the heat for 10 minutes.
- When the biscuits are cool, drizzle each one with a tablespoonful of chocolate glaze — to glue the sprinkles on in a minute — using the back of the spoon to help spread the mixture, though an uneven dribbly look is part of their charm.
- After you’ve iced 6 biscuits, scatter with some of the Christmas sprinkles, and continue thus until all the biscuits are topped. If you ice them all before sprinkling, you will find the cocoa “glue” has dried and the sprinkles won’t stick on.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD:
Bake the biscuits up to 5 days ahead. Cool and store in an airtight container between sheets of parchment paper.
FREEZE:
Freeze the cooled biscuits in sealable bags or rigid containers for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
MAKE AHEAD:
Bake the biscuits up to 5 days ahead. Cool and store in an airtight container between sheets of parchment paper.
FREEZE:
Freeze the cooled biscuits in sealable bags or rigid containers for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Tell us what you think
Thank you {% member.data['first-name'] %}.
Explore more recipesYour comment has been submitted.
What 33 Others have said
-
Posted by travelbunny on 5th October 2023
-
Posted by Jelse on 15th December 2022
-
Posted by Odelle on 9th December 2022
-
Posted by Waffle45 on 22nd December 2019
-
Posted by Pgmooney on 18th December 2019
-
Posted by Mayout on 15th December 2019
-
Posted by Orthowidow on 17th June 2019
-
Posted by Kiraz on 13th January 2019
-
Posted by RobyH on 14th December 2017
-
Posted by supergenkilife on 8th February 2015
-
Posted by PeggyPotter on 9th January 2015
-
Posted by Lees238 on 23rd December 2014
Show more commentsI love these and make them all year round. I do reduce the sugar slightly but it is so easy to halve the overall recipe quantity when you just want a few chocolate biscuits. Perfect at Christmas or just for a rainy afternoon watching a film!
Just made these, ready for my granddaughter to decorate for christmas. She better be quick I have already eaten three!! So yummy
The most chocolatey flavoured butter cookies easy economical to make ideal as gifts or eaten with a glass of milk or hot chocolate too they're absolutely gorgeous children and adults will love them too! They keep well for days in an air tight container that's if they don't all get eaten as they're hard to resist they're a great cookie recipe on that you'll come back to making again and again as I'm sure that you'll be unable to resist them as I know that I can't! Enjoy!
These are absolutely the easiest, most delicious, most beautiful cookies. In all aspects, from baking to decorating, it couldn't be simpler. And the recipe is very forgiving...I tried to speed up the 'room temp' butter aspect and came back to find a 250g butter puddle! No drama! Adjusted the baking time slightly and...tada...perfection!! Here in Australia, the hardest part is finding the nonpareils! And no....you can't just use any old Christmas biscuit decorations! Once Nigella sets the standard...mine have to look just like hers! And they did. It is worth tracking those tiny nonpareils down in the end. People go nuts for these!!
These are super easy to make and are delicious to boot. I made these for the first time last weekend to test before Christmas and turned out perfect. I think walnuts must be smaller in the UK than here in OZ, so my cookies were larger than Nigella's but they still got devoured quickly. Will be making for Christmas Day now and a smidge smaller.
Tried them now really good. Thanks a lot for always great yummy recipes.
I have made these vegan AND gluten free to suit family requirements for Christmas. Absolutely love this recipe. Delicious and fun to decorate with Christmas coloured sprinkles.
Oh my goodness. How can such an easy recipe turn into the best biscuits I’ve ever made!! So buttery, perfect sweetness and texture of my dreams.
Decadent and yet, simple! Love it!
These are perfect for the holidays or any time you need a chocolate biscuit or cookie. I make them with the glaze and without. I have even made them with a touch more flour (increasing the quantity by about 25 grams or so) to make them even more like a brittle shortbread than a chewy cookie. In any case, they are perfect with a cup of coffee or alongside a hot cup of tea. My family and friends love them and I cannot imagine Christmas without a tin full of them. They taste best with the warmth of the oven still on them, and I have been known to plate up a few and pop them into the microwave for a quick burst to warm them back up, too.
These are the best!!
I made these tonight to take to work tomorrow and they taste really good! First time I've made them! Really easy to make! I used black and white sprinkles for Christmas ???? thanks nigella!