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So like 3 years ago (man has it really been that long??) I posted my all time FAVORITE sugar cookie recipe – the Lofthouse one. This is that cookie that you see in every grocery store all covered with frosting and sprinkles. The flavor remains the same – vanilla base with a vanilla frosting and only the sprinkles change per the season. And if there is one thing you may or may not know about me is that I LOVE sprinkles. Wait no, I’m from Pittsburgh and we call them Jimmies.
Popular legend has it that the Just Born candy company in Bethlehem, PA began producing sprinkles in the 1930s and, since a gentleman named Jimmy ran the sprinkles machine, the product was naturally nicknamed after its maker. Some people maintain that sprinkles are multicolored and jimmies specifically refer to the chocolate variety. I guess I’m more of the latter. Rainbow ones are sprinkles and the chocolate ones are Jimmies.
Anyway I had always wanted to make a chocolate variety of these and had tried a few times but was unsuccessful. See it’s not a simple add cocoa to the recipe and voila! No doesn’t quite work that way. Lofthouse cookies have a very specific texture to them. They are cake-like and tender but not cake-ish at all. They are totally a cookie but more of a pseudo hybrid texture. These are the cookies that seduce you with like a 1/2″ layer of frosting, a bajillion and 1 sprinkles on top and dear God that melt-in-your-mouth texture when you sink your teeth into them.
These are those cookies that you’re almost embarrassed to admit that you are so deeply in love with them because of the fact that they aren’t conventional when it comes to “how a cookie should be”. What I mean is most people think cookies should be either soft and chewy or crispy and crunchy. This is one of those ‘tweener cookies. They are uber soft but silky when you bite into it. They don’t crumble even though they have an almost velvety cakeish texture.
This cookie … lord where do I start with this cookie? First those lovely jimmies (okay fine.. SPRINKLES you non-Pittsburgh people). I used a combination of dark chocolate and light chocolate ones. I can remember when I was little my Mom would have to hide her bottles of Jimmies from me which meant putting them on the top shelf of the cabinet above the fridge (you know, the one no one really uses as it’s the most inconvenient cabinet EVER!). I mean I get the whole premise of not having enough cabinets and putting them anywhere we can but there has to be a more useful way than the ones you need to stand on a ladder to reach.
Next we have the frosting. Now normally I’m not a frosting-kind-of-girl. I know, I’m weird but I’m that person that loves plain chocolate cake versus a boat load of frosting. It’s not that I dislike it as there are days when all I want is a spoonful of it (that whole being a woman thing and hormones), but for the most part it’s just eh… But this, this frosting is different. It’s rich and dark with a deep flavor. It’s not sweet at all (I so hate sweet frosting!). It’s more on the edge of dark meets bittersweet with just a hint of sweetness. Like just enough sweetness. It‘s creamy and seriously is great on a spoon, pretzel, frito or as the filling of a cookie sandwich.
Now let me dish about this cookie. Oh dear sweet heaven this cookie! I’ve gone on and one earlier about the texture but the taste. It has a deep intense chocolate flavor without being harsh. It’s rich and decadent but because it’s not overly sweet you can eat more than one… or 5 but hey I’m not judging…that is as long as you’re sharing.
The hardest part of these cookies is waiting for the frosting to set. Sure you can eat them right after you frost them with a huge mound of that decadent frosting and smush 9 bajillion jimmies in it (as I did…twice) however part of the thing about Lofthouse cookies is the fact that the cookies are uber soft but the frosting is firm on the outside but creamy soft on the inside.
I’m finally able to say that I have perfected the chocolate lofthouse cookie. Practice makes perfect, right? I’ve made these cookies more times than I can count. This seriously has to be one of my top 5 favorite cookies… EVER! Truly, these are the Best Ever Chocolate Lofthouse Cookies.. like EVER!
When I made these I took several batches to work and left about a dozen or so here for Mr. Fantabulous to try. I’m fortunate enough that my taste testers at work are brutally honest with me. I gave them each 2 to try. Every single person contacted me through out the day “Hey do you have any more of those? Did Alex eat all of hers do you know? I need another. I didn’t get a good enough taste. I need to try 8 more…” Yeah I think they are a winner!
What’s even funnier is when I got home the man that says “I don’t eat sweets” (which we all know is a big ol crock of bull) said to me “Hey, those chocolate things you made. What happened to them all? There were a bunch here and now they are all gone. Did you take them to work?” Before I could answer I looked at the container on the table and THEY WERE ALL GONE! He ate the entire dozen himself!!! 
Then again I don’t blame the man as they are THAT GOOD!!! This is one cookie I had to walk away from as I would have eaten way more than my yoga pants would have allowed. However since he ate the entire dozen I just had to make more. I mean I had to be the good wife… right??? LOL
Fortunately I had extra dough made up so all I had to do was pop these in the oven and assemble. Later that night when it was time to snuggle up and watch a movie I whipped out 2 of these, yes just 2. His gorgeous eyes lit up, grabbed a cookie in each hand and said “What? Where are yours?” and proceeded to put BOTH in his mouth!
Big cow! LOL I swear if he wasn’t so damn sexy…
So why don’t you get gather up your ingredients, print off this recipe and make yourself a big batch of these. Then um… hide them from everyone else. I won’t tell a soul! But if Mr. Fantabulous finds out you have these don’t be surprised if some strange, but sexy man, shows up on your door step asking for a cookie… or 12.
You’ve been warned!
Best Ever Chocolate Lofthouse Cookies
- Yield: 1-2 doz
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Ingredients
Cookie
- 2 1/2 cups AP flour (possibly 1/4 more)
- 4 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks butter, unsalted and very soft
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 XL eggs
- 2 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 teaspoon chocolate extract
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
Frosting
- 1 stick butter, unsalted and room temp
- 2 – 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ powder
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon chocolate extract
- Chocolate sprinkles
Instructions
- To make the cookies, in a large bowl sift together the flour, corn starch, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add in the butter and sugar beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. ~3 minutes.
- Next add in the eggs one at a time, incorporating before adding the next one.
- Add in the chocolate extract and sour cream and beat on low just until combined.
- Stop the mixer and add in the flour mixture.
- Mix until just combined. Do not over mix. The dough will be soft but not mushy. You want it almost moldable.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover and chill for at least 2 hours though overnight is best.
- Preheat the oven to 350F, rack in the middle.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment.
- Using a small cookie scoop, make a ball about 1” round.
- Place the ball on the cookie sheet 1 1/2” apart.
- Slightly flatten the cookie.
- Bake 9-11 minutes or until the cookies are soft but set.
- Remove from the oven and place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack for 1 minute.
- After a minute remove the cookies from the pan and place directly on the rack.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting using a hand mixer, beat the butter and chocolate extract.
- In a medium bowl sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa.
- Add the sugar mixture to the butter and very slowly mix to incorporate.
- Add in the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency.
- Frost the cooled cookies with the frosting then dip in the chocolate sprinkles.
- Allow the frosting to harden before storing in an air tight container.
Notes
I prefer to make these smaller therefore I’ll get close to 2 dozen cookies however if you make larger than 1″ dough ball you’ll get less 🙂
Go on stare a little longer. You know you’re going to make these and I know you’re going to fall in love. Just you’re not allowed to get mad at or blame me if you eat the entire batch.
Looking for the Original Lofthouse recipe that flippin’ RULES?
Absolutely loved these! My local grocery store used to sell chocolate lofthouse but then quit selling them a few years back. I googled a recipe and yours came up. We made them yesterday and they were even better than my local store! THANK YOU so much for an amazing recipe! These are perfect!
★★★★★
Yeah Jessica! Thank you so much! I’m so happy you loved these as much as I do!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
These are so good! My first visit to the states we bought some of these cookies and I fell in love. They are so soft and tender, almost melt in my mouth. I was doing a google search and came across these. My wife made them this morning and they took me back to exactly how I remembered them in the states. Bravo young lady for producing another stellar recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Malli! I’m so happy this recipe reminded you of your first lofthouse cookies you had here!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Disappointed! I don’t think these resemble Lofthouse cookies at all!
Also, a 1” round, even flattened, is an extremely tiny cookie.
Your recipes always lack the quantity (even just an approximation) of how many are made.
No way man, these cookies are exactly how lofthouse are made. They are so cake-like and tender. I managed a bakery for 15 years and these are incredible.
As for them not listing quantity, you must be new here as she even said that she never used to add quantity as the plugin didn’t allow for it. And that she’s going back through her old recipes and updating it.
And these cookies spread out. Besides how huge of a cookie do you need? Cookies should be 2 bites normally.
TKW I LOVE these cookies and they are PERFECT!
★★★★★
Thank you Kimmie! It’s okay if he doesn’t like them as I’m assuming he made them. He may love cherries and I think those things are evil 🙂
I’m so happy you loved them!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
So you must be new here or you missed where I said in the earlier version of my recipe card it didn’t give the option to post the quantity and that with the new card that I was slowly going back and updating those recipe. And considering I have a few thousand posts to go through, it’s taking me some time. That being said, these are true lofthouse cookies. Perhaps where you’re from they are made different but in all bakeries here on the East Coast that I’ve been to, these are standards.
As for the size, Lofthouse should be a 2 bite cookie. These will spread. But please, feel free to make ginormous ones if that is what you desire.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
I made these wonderful cookies last Christmas! They were the hit of my cookie trays. I didn’t have chocolate extract or espresso powder, so I just used a really good vanilla extract. They are soft and decadent. The frosting is now my go to chocolate frosting for everything. It is rich and creamy but not too sweet like some frosting. I now have choc extract and espresso powder on my ongoing grocery list. Can’t seem to find choc extract in my area (N IL), but I will continue my serch! I think that the choc extract and espresso will add another depth of flavor. (I know… buy it online! No Thank You…. I like buying at brick and mortar stores while they are still around.)
★★★★★
Do you have a recipe for Lofthouse no-bake cookies?
★★★★★
Hi Debra,
Typically most no-bake cookies like that are pretty much a high peanut butter, no egg, sugar, graham cracker crumbs and even a little corn syrup. For me a no-bake lofthouse is just like a no-bake peanut butter cookie (with or without chocolate). But no I do not have a recipe for those.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
I want to make the chocolate lofthouse cookies but don’t have access to chocolate extract. what can I use as a substitute?
Hi Lorine!
You can omit it or just vanilla extract. If you ever order off of Amazon, I HIGHLY recommend getting some! That an espresso powder are the secret to truly incredibly rich chocolate desserts.
Amazon link – http://amzn.to/2igb5KT
Best Kitchen Wishes and Merry Christmas!
Great, thank you. I will try just vanilla and of course the coffee. I always add coffee granules to any chocolate thing I make anyways.
Lorine
You say in your ingredients to use espresso powder, but you never actually add it anywhere in your directions lol. I added it the flour mixture.
★★
Thanks Rebekah! It goes with the flour mixture. I updated the directions.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
I really liked these! I didn’t think Lofthouse while eating them but that’s probably because the chocolate threw me off. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly because I used vanilla instead of the chocolate extract which I didn’t have and I also omitted the espresso because I didn’t have that either. I also used Dutch processed cocoa because sometimes I prefer that. Anyway, they’re delicious. Glad I found your site.
Thank you Nicole! Traditional lofthouse cookies are that vanilla flavor that we’re all used to however over the past year or so they’ve been venturing out into new flavors – chocolate, pumpkin (coming up on here) and so forth. I have about 6 more flavors I make.
If you bake a lot, especially chocolate things (and it’s within your budget) I’d definitely get the chocolate extract and espresso powder. They are WELL worth it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
Where can you find chocolate extract? Is there a substitute?
Hi Chelai!
I have bought mine both in the local grocery stores (the bigger ones) as well as Amazon (http://astore.amazon.com/thekitcwhis-20/detail/B0012DFMZ2). If you can’t find the chocolate extract you can either omit it entirely from the recipe or use vanilla extract in it’s place. There really isn’t an equal substitute for it unfortunately.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
I climbed on top of the fridge to get the cookies my mom hid in that cabinet. But I couldn’t get down. I’m afraid of heights. She had to get me down.
I don’t even know what’s in that cabinet in my kitchen. No cookies that’s for sure. :-). Love these cookies.
Linda
★★★★★
I have stuff in my cabinets that makes me curse at my husband every time I have to drag out the step ladder to go up there and get something. And I’m like you, PETRIFIED of heights! I told him in our next house I want a ceiling to floor fridge/freezer. LOL
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★