Back in July when we hosted "take your kids to work day" in Food Network’s offices, our editors were already in planning mode for the holidays. For a fun activity with our group of 8- to 12-year-old visitors, we printed blown-up images of some of FoodNetwork.com’s top cookie recipes and asked the kids to vote for their favorites. Sugar cookies were the overall crowd favorite, but chocolatey cookies like Bobby’s Triple-Chocolate Cookies also ranked high for the kids. This prompted one young future food editor to comment: “You should have chocolate sugar cookies!” We loved the idea and promised we'd run with it.

Food Network Kitchens recipe developer Leah Brickley worked on a chocolate dough, aiming to achieve that ideal combination of crispiness and chew that we look for in a sugar cookie. After a few trial runs and tastings, we settled on the perfect Chocolate Sugar Cookies. The dough is easy to roll and cut out into fun shapes like Christmas trees and snowflakes, and the cookies come out crispy-chewy after 10-12 minutes in the oven. Decorated with white icing, they make beautiful and festive holiday treats that satisfy sugar cookie fans and chocolate lovers in one bite.

Check out our 12 Days of Cookies for more holiday cookie inspiration.