Little Chocolate Cake Cookies

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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.

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We always make these with a vanilla buttercream, but a chocolate or peppermint buttercream topped with crushed candy canes would also be nice.

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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 soda
 
Frosting
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-half
 

For 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.


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