Can a cookie be sexy? 🤔 I’ll let you make that call, but if there is such a thing, these black cocoa cookies would easily top that list. Made with the same cocoa powder that gives Oreos their signature dark color, these soft, chewy cookies pack an intense chocolate flavor. The dramatic black hue comes entirely from Dutch-processed black cocoa (no food coloring needed). These are all-natural and perfect for Halloween (or any time you want a showstopper cookie).
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These cookies join the running list of recipes on my site using black cocoa powder. From black buttercream frosting to a black velvet cupcake recipe and this black cat cake, I really cannot get enough of this dark color in baked goods!
And for the fellow Oreo-obsessed people out there (🙋🏻♀️), you'll appreciate these coffee Oreo cookies and Funfetti Oreo cookies.
Last but not least, you should know about my cookies and cream cookies. They also use black cocoa powder, as well as chopped Oreos and white chocolate!
📋 Key Ingredients in Black Cocoa Cookies
The recipe card contains all the steps and ingredients, but below are a few key items that bring flavor and color to this recipe.
- Black cocoa powder - It's a deeply rich, almost charcoal-colored cocoa that’s responsible for the signature hue and flavor of an Oreo cookie. Unlike natural cocoa powder, which can have a slightly acidic and bitter taste, this dark cocoa powder is heavily alkalized, a process that neutralizes its acidity and results in a smoother, milder flavor. This makes it perfect for creating intensely dark and chocolatey desserts without the sharpness that can accompany regular cocoa powders.
- Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste – The extract from your local grocery store is perfectly fine for this recipe. I never taste much difference between pricier extracts and more basic ones.
- Dark or light brown sugar – This recipe calls for a touch of brown sugar in addition to granulated or white sugar. While both sugars are in important here, the darker one adds more moisture to the dough, resulting in a deliciously soft and chewy inside.
- Melted butter - In this ratio of ingredients, melted butter creates a chewier, denser cookie than softened butter would.
Best Results: Baking in Grams
If you’re not already, use a kitchen scale for accuracy in baking.
While I include cups and grams in my recipe cards, weighing your ingredients and writing or following a recipe using a standard metric like grams ensures consistency.
I highly recommend investing $30 or less in a kitchen scale.
🎥 Quick Recipe Video
📖 Prep and Baking Instructions
After melting your butter, let it cool for about 10 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350°F and dive into the steps here.
Step 1: Cream Butter, Sugars, and Vanilla. Using a paddle attachment and the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl and hand mixer, cream melted unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and sugars together in your bowl for 3-4 minutes.
Step 2: Incorporate Dry Ingredients and Eggs. Stop the hand or electric mixer. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl before adding kosher salt (half as much if using table salt), baking powder, and baking soda as well as half of your eggs, cocoa powder, and flour.
Step 3: Finish Mixing the Dough. Mix for about 45 seconds on medium speed before mixer to add the remaining egg and flour, beating again for 30 seconds. If you plan to use chocolate chips, now is the time to add those.
Step 4: Shape the Dough. With an ice cream or cookie scoop and your hand, form each round ball of dough. It should be about ⅔ the size of a golf ball. Roll in sanding sugar or sprinkles at this point if you plan to use them.
Step 5: Arrange on Baking Sheet. Place each dough ball onto an ungreased aluminum cookie sheet (no pieces of parchment paper or silicone mats needed), with about 2 inches between them.
Step 6: Bake Cookies. Bake in preheated oven for 13-14 minutes, at which point the edges of the cookies will be done baking. Leave them on the baking sheet 10 or so minutes outside of the oven, or until they're firm enough to handle. Place cookies on a wire rack to cool, and then serve or store.
💡 Pro Tip for Perfectly Round Cookies
As soon as your black cocoa cookies exit the oven, you can also help shape and round them if you'd like.
Use a cookie cutter or even the open side of a glass that's slightly bigger than the cookies to gently slide them into a more circular shape.
❓ Recipe FAQ and Troubleshooting
I have not tested this recipe with natural cocoa powder. If you try it, I'd love to read about your experience in the comments!
Technically, yes, you can use a different powder, BUT you'll lose what makes this recipe special. Regular or natural cocoa will give you a medium brown cookie with a sharper, more acidic chocolate flavor (and it will not spread in the same way as these cookies, given the differences in the powder's acidity and how it reacts to baking powder and soda).
Black cocoa is heavily alkalized, which is what creates both the jet-black color and that smooth, Oreo-like taste. If you're making these for the dramatic look, stick with black cocoa.
This is a no-chill dough, so that step is not part of this process.
Storing these Black Cocoa Cookies
Room temperature - These black cocoa cookies will stay fresh at room temperature (around 70°F) for about 3 days.
Refrigerating - Instead of refrigerating them between servings, I'd recommend freezing them. Bring them out in small quantities at a time if you plan to share them over the course of more than 3 days.
Freezing - They also freeze well for up to three months in an airtight container.
I add wax or parchment paper between the layers as I stack them.
To enjoy, let them come to room temperature before serving. You may also gently warm them for a few seconds on low speed in the microwave.
Recipe Variations
These can be perfect Halloween cookies for the fall, but there are so many ways to play around with them.
Once you've turned your dough into balls, you can roll them in:
- Halloween sprinkles
- Sanding sugar (look how pretty and sparkly this makes them - this sugar coating is my favorite way to dress them up!)
Alternatively, after you've mixed your flour into your large bowl and before you form your dough balls, add ¾ cup of chocolate chips to your bowl. This will give you an extra chocolate flavor.
You could also turn these into cookie sandwiches, and double the chocolate by adding my small batch chocolate buttercream between your cookies. You'd end up with 10-12 medium-sized cookie sandwiches.
More Chocolatey Recipes
Black Cocoa Cookies
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 22 cookies 1x
Description
These black cocoa cookies use the same cocoa powder as Oreos for a naturally dark color without any food dye. The no-chill dough comes together in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, melted (yields about 160 grams)
- 1 cup (200 grams) white sugar
- ¼ cup (50 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large cold eggs (straight from the fridge)
- 1 cup (100 grams) black cocoa powder
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- Optional:
- White sanding or sparkling sugar for rolling the cookie dough balls before baking; for a fall twist, orange, black and white Halloween nonpareils also look great on these, rolled right before baking
- You can also add ½ cup (around 100 grams) of mini chocolate chips to the dough for an even more chocolaty cookie
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- After letting butter cool for 10 minutes, cream it in your mixing bowl along with vanilla extract and sugars together for 2 minutes.
- Stop the mixer and add salt, baking powder, and baking soda as well as half of your eggs, black cocoa powder, and flour. Mix for about 45 seconds on medium speed before stopping the mixer to add the remaining egg, black cocoa powder, and flour, beating again for 30 seconds. If you want to mix in chocolate chips, now is the time to add them to your bowl and incorporate them into your dough.
- Scoop small (⅔ the size of a golf ball) round portions of your cookie dough onto ungreased aluminum baking sheets, with about 2 inches between each of them. Roll in sanding or sparkling sugar, sprinkles, or Halloween nonpareils at this step if you plan to use them.
- Bake for 13-14 minutes.
- Transfer them to cooling racks after they’ve sat on the baking sheets 10 or so minutes outside of the oven and are firm enough to handle.
Notes
These nutritional values are approximate and can vary based on specific ingredient brands and measurements.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 157 kcal
- Sugar: 12.9 g
- Sodium: 146.7 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.4 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
- Protein: 2.1 g
- Cholesterol: 23.4 mg
Rachel Carmichael
What brand of black cocoa do you recommend?
Susan Gravatt
Hi Rachel! I have typically used Wincrest's black cocoa powder, which I order online and really like.
And while I haven't personally used it yet, I've also heard great things about the black cocoa powder from King Arthur. Hope that helps!