These chocolate sour cream drop cookies are soft, cakey, and become irresistible when topped with buttercream. They have been a family staple for the holidays as long as I can remember. My sister always reached for one of these before anything else on my mom’s Christmas cookie trays.
We always make these with a vanilla buttercream, but a chocolate or peppermint buttercream topped with crushed candy canes would also be nice.
Little Chocolate Cake Cookies
Adapted slightly from Applehood and Motherpie Makes 5 to 6 dozen cookies My mom makes these every year for Christmas. She uses shortening instead of butter; I use a combination of both. Don’t be alarmed if your cookies look light in color when they first come out of the oven; they will darken as they cool.Cookies
1/2 cup butter 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted 1 1/2 cups sour cream 3 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons baking sodaFrosting
6 tablespoons butter 3 1/2 cups confectionary sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons half-and-halfFor the cookies, pre-heat oven to 375-degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing to fully combine; scraping down bowl as needed. Add sour cream and chocolate. Mix at medium speed until well combine, scraping down bowl as needed. Reduce mixer to low-speed, and add flour in several batches. Mix thoroughly.
Drop cookies by rounded tablespoon on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake cookies 7 to 9 minutes, or until they spring back in the center when lightly touched. Remove to cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Combine all frosting ingredients in a large mixing bowl (stand or hand mixer). Whip frosting until smooth and fluffy. Adjust half-and-half or confectionary sugar if needed to reach a good spreading consistency.
Frost cooled cookies and decorate as desired. I like to use softer sprinkles for mine since I think the crunch ones take away from the soft texture.
Cookies will keep in an airtight container up to five days, and also freeze very well.
Jaimie says
These look so good! Do you use half butter and half shortening?
heather says
Thanks! I used half butter half shortening.
sally says
do you use 1/2 c butter and 1/2 c shortening or just a total of 1/2 c of shortening and butter
heather says
I used 50% butter, 50% crisco or 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup crisco.
Stacie says
These are OUSTANDING and I used 1/4cup butter and 1/4cup shortening!! Perfect!!