On Play Me a Recipe, your favorite cooks will walk you through their most treasured recipes, offering all the insider tips, stories, and tricks you won't get from a written recipe—and you'll be right alongside them, every step of the way. Feel free to pause, jump back, or navigate the steps via the podcast chapters.

If you're cooking along, here's the recipe we're making today. Go ahead and grab the ingredients below (Sarah starts listing them at me-a-recipe.simplecast.com/episodes/sarah-kieffer?t=1m15s">1:15) before  starting the episode.

(P.S. Missing some tools? We've linked to the equipment that Sarah uses throughout the me-a-recipe.simplecast.com/episodes/sarah-kieffer/transcript">transcript; use promo code COOKWITHUS for a slight discount at checkout. OK, back to the recipe.) 

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

• 2 cups (284 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (50 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks or 227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 grams) granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup (100 grams) for rolling
• 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line three sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 3/4 cups (350 grams) of the sugar, and beat again until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla, and beat on low speed until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat again on low speed until combined.
4. Place the remaining 1/2 cup (100 grams) of sugar in a medium bowl.
5. Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-ounce (45-gram) portions (2 tablespoons). Roll each ball in the sugar. Place 8 cookies on each sheet pan.
6. Bake one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake until the sides are set and the top begins to crackle, 12 to 14 minutes.
7. Transfer the sheet pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the pan, then remove the cookies and let them cool completely on the wire rack. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
8. Lobby Time Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/