With summer fruit in abundance, sweltering kitchen temperatures, and a calendar full of activities, it’s easy to forget about the humble refrigerator cookie during June, July, and August. But the slice-and-bake cookie deserves a place on your summer baking list.
These tiny cookies are charming and travel well, making them ideal for picnics, potlucks, or a small thoughtful gift. They’re double chocolate—melted chocolate plus dark cocoa powder—so they satisfy any serious chocolate craving. And they sparkle: a quick roll in coarse sparkling sugar gives them a festive, polished look.
“Sparkle” is one of my favorite words, and these cookies earn it. The name adds a little brightness to an otherwise ordinary moment—imagine asking, “Would you please hand me that sparkling box of cereal?”—and it makes the baking experience more fun.
Now, about the cookie: imagine a bite-sized brownie that’s underbaked in the center, glossy from melted chocolate, and dusted with sparkling sugar. A finish of flaky sea salt makes the chocolate pop, balancing sweetness and deep cocoa flavor. These are small but mighty: intensely chocolatey and perfectly portable.
I like making baked goods small because they’re cuter and easier to package. A small bag of these cookies makes an excellent hostess gift or a back-to-school treat for a teacher—perfect timing as the school year approaches.
Here’s the recipe for Salted Chocolate Sparkle Cookies. It yields about three dozen tiny cookies and is adapted from The Art of the Cookie.
Salted Chocolate Sparkle Cookies
Makes 3 dozen tiny cookies
Adapted liberally from The Art of the Cookie
Ingredients:
3.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or about 1/2 cup / 90 g chocolate chips)
1 1/4 cup (156 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (35 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (56 g) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
About 1/4 cup coarse sparkling sugar for rolling
Flaky sea salt for finishing
Instructions:
1. Melt the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Stir in the melted chocolate, then add the flour mixture all at once and mix until just combined. The dough will be stiff.
3. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape each into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in parchment and twist the ends to seal. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour or up to several days. If short on time, chill in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Working with one log at a time, remove the parchment and, if needed, roll the dough back into a round. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of coarse sugar on the parchment and roll the log in the sugar until evenly coated. Slice into 1/2-inch rounds, place on the prepared sheet, and sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Repeat with the remaining log.
6. Bake for about 6 minutes, until the tops are just set and beginning to crack. Watch closely—these cookies go from soft and perfect to crisp quickly.
7. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
