Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Every year, I make little Easter treat baskets for my nieces and some of my kids' friends.  This year, instead of including my regular sugar cookies, I decided to try chocolate ones instead.  I cut them into bunny, carrot, egg, and chick shapes and decorated them with Vanilla Royal Icing.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

1 stick butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa (I used Ghirardelli ground chocolate this time and really liked the results!)

2 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla continuing to beat until fluffy.

Sift together cocoa and flour.  Add to mixture until dough forms. 

Wrap dough in plastic and chill at least 2 hours.

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface.  My dough was a little sticky, so I kneaded in some extra flour before rolling it out.  Cut out your shapes and lay them on a lined cookie sheet.  Freeze them for 5 minutes.

Bake cookies in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 -12 minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool.

Here they are all decorated!