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Two-Tone Festive Sugar Cookies Recipe

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★★★★★

4.9 from 150 reviews

These Two-Tone Festive Sugar Cookies combine classic vanilla and rich black cocoa doughs in a beautiful, interlocking design perfect for holidays or any celebration. The cookies feature a soft, tender crumb with a subtle crunch from optional sparkling sugar on top, baked to a delicate golden edge for the vanilla dough and a smooth chocolate finish. This recipe involves rolling, cutting, inlaying contrasting doughs, chilling for perfect shape retention, and baking to maintain a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

  • 3 cups (360g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract

Additional Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (21g) black cocoa powder
  • Coarse sparkling sugar, for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined evenly.
  2. Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a stand mixer with the flat beater or an electric hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed, another 1 to 2 minutes.
  4. Combine Flour Mixture: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until a stiff dough forms, about 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as necessary.
  5. Prepare Vanilla Dough: Transfer half of the dough (approximately 1 1/2 cups or 420g) onto a sheet of parchment paper. Cover with a second sheet and gently press to flatten. Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness, forming roughly a 10-inch round.
  6. Prepare Chocolate Dough: Add black cocoa to the remaining dough in the bowl and mix on low speed until evenly combined, about 30 to 60 seconds, scraping as needed.
  7. Roll Chocolate Dough: Transfer the chocolate dough to another sheet of parchment, cover with a second sheet, press flat, and roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness, creating another 10-inch round.
  8. Chill Doughs: Place both dough rounds, still sandwiched between parchment sheets, onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight, to firm up.
  9. Preheat Oven: Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and position a rack in the center.
  10. Prepare Baking Sheets: Remove dough from fridge, peel off the top parchment sheets, and use them to line two baking sheets.
  11. Cut Cookie Shapes: Using a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds from each dough sheet. With a 1 3/4 inch mini cutter, cut the center shapes out from each round. Swap and insert the mini cut-outs from the vanilla dough into the chocolate dough rounds and vice versa, creating the two-tone effect.
  12. Transfer Cookies to Sheets: Use a small offset spatula to transfer cookies to the lined baking sheets, spacing them evenly with up to 12 cookies per tray. Optionally, sprinkle coarse sparkling sugar on top for extra sparkle and crunch.
  13. Bake: Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the edges of the vanilla parts just begin to brown. Dough chilled overnight might need 1-2 more minutes.
  14. Cool Cookies: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  15. Reuse Scraps: While baking the first tray, gather scraps of dough, reroll after chilling as needed, and repeat cutting, assembling, and baking until all dough is used.
  16. Storage: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for longer storage.

Notes

  • Using gluten-free flour requires the King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour for best results.
  • Black cocoa powder gives a deep, rich chocolate flavor and distinctive black color ideal for contrast.
  • Chilling the dough is essential to prevent spreading and maintain crisp cookie edges.
  • Swapping the mini cut-out centers between vanilla and chocolate dough creates an attractive two-tone design.
  • Cookies can be decorated further with sparkling sugar for festive shine.
  • Reroll dough scraps to minimize waste and get more cookies.
  • Store cookies in airtight containers at room temperature or freeze well for holiday prepping.

Keywords: two-tone sugar cookies, black cocoa cookies, festive cookies, holiday cookies, vanilla chocolate cookies

Find it online: https://topreci.com/two-tone-festive-sugar-cookies-recipe/