Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Cookies

3 dozen
25 min

This Heavenly Chocolate Christmas cookie with a hint of cinnamon has a chewy interior & crunchy exterior. They are the perfect addition to your Christmas cookie recipe list.


I am so excited to share my Grandma Stocker’s Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Cookies recipe with you today. Several of my posts reference my Grandma; I talked about her skill at baking and about our shared love of nice linens. We never lacked incredible baked goods when I was growing up.

These Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Cookies are the magical combination of a chewy middle with a crisp exterior…sheer cookie bliss in my book. They are rich with chocolate but have just a tad of cinnamon that adds a wonderful surprise to your taste buds. Are you sold yet?

Dutch Chocolate Cookies – decorated for Christmas

What makes these Chocolate Cookies ‘Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Cookies’?

I have to freely admit that I have no idea what makes these cookies ‘Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Cookies’. Grandma did hail from Pennsylvania, so that’s the only line I can draw from her to these cookies. But…a chocolate cookie recipe is a chocolate cookie recipe no matter where it’s from!

I put my own twist on the original recipe by adding just a pinch of cinnamon. You see, I have a thing about Chocolate and Cinnamon. I believe this pairing is woefully under-appreciated by the food world!


But, if you don’t share my opinion, then skip the cinnamon. They are excellent without it.

Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Cookies: Chocolate Christmas cookie with holiday decorations

Also, Grandma would flatten the cookies by dipping a fork in red or green sugar and then made a criss-cross pattern on the cookie with the sugar. I always like to avoid food colorings if possible. Plus, with all due respect to Grandma, the red and green sugars never really showed up on the dark brown cookie anyway. They really needed something white…like white icing snowflakes! These will look wonderful on any Christmas cookie table!

Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Cookie Recipes: Plate full of decorated chocolate Christmas cookies
Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Cookies
Recipe details
  • 3  dozen
  • Prep time: 15 Minutes Cook time: 10 Minutes Total time: 25 min
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Ingredients
For the Cookies
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup cocoa
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • Dash of salt
  • Pinch of cinnamon, optional
  • Granulated sugar to roll cookie balls in.
  • For the Icing, small batch to decorate 2-3 dozen cookies with snowflakes
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 - 2 cups confectioner's sugar
Instructions
For the Cookies
Preheat oven to 350'
Cream butter and sugar
Add eggs and cocoa and beat at low speed until mixed well
Add flour, soda, salt and cinnamon, and mix until well blended.
Roll into balls, about the size of walnuts and place 2" apart on a greased cookie sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the balls in sugar and flatten with the bottom of a cup
Bake for 10-12 minutes
Once cool, decorate with royal icing if desired. Grandma would make these by just decorating them with colored sugar.
For the Icing
Add the egg white to the bowl of the mixer and beat until frothy.
Add vanilla and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and mix until it is the consistency of toothpaste.
You may need to add more powdered sugar to get the right consistency, but do it in small increments.
If it becomes too thick, add water in wee increments.
Fill icing bag.
I used a Wilton #3 round tip to make my snowflakes.
Tips
  • Adapted from Grandma Stocker
Lynn @ Nourish and Nestle
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Comments
  • Veronica Veronica on Nov 05, 2022

    Finally a special festive cookie recipe that I can master and be proud to gift to my neighbors. Thanks 👍👍

  • Lydia Lydia on Nov 18, 2022

    Oh yes, please! And not a rolling pin or cookie cutter in site! Thanks for another family recipe to add to mine! Happy holidays!

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