My chocolate cookie recipe makes the most delicious soft and chewy cookies with lots of chopped chocolate added. So, so good!
When a chocolate craving hits, these are always high on my list. The dough starts with cocoa powder for a rich chocolate flavor, then we double down with chunks of chocolate mixed right in.
If that’s not enough to convince you, this recipe is simple and requires no chilling, so you can go from mixing to warm, gooey chocolate cookies in about 30 minutes.
Key Ingredients
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour for these easy chocolate cookies. It creates that perfect chewy texture without making the cookies too dense.
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe. Dutch-processed cocoa won’t react with the baking soda, which is essential for helping the cookies rise and stay chewy. Some of my favorite brands are Ghirardelli, Hershey’s, and Guittard if you’re feeling fancy!
- Baking Soda: Our secret weapon for soft, chewy cookies. It helps the dough rise just enough to keep the centers tender and the edges a little crisp.
- Butter: You’ll need a generous amount of butter and you want it at room temperature so it creams easily with the sugars.
- Sugar: I use a mix of granulated and brown sugar. The brown sugar adds moisture and flavor, while the granulated sugar helps the edges turn slightly crisp.
- Eggs: Two large eggs give the dough structure and moisture. Room temperature eggs mix more easily into the cookie dough. If you forget to take them out early, place them in a bowl of lukewarm water for a few minutes.
- Vanilla and Espresso Powder: Vanilla adds warmth, while a touch of espresso powder deepens the chocolate flavor (without making the cookies taste like coffee). It’s optional, but I highly recommend it. Here’s an article I wrote about using espresso powder, along with my favorite chocolate cake recipe, which also calls for it.
- Chocolate: Use milk, dark, white, or a mix. I switch it up depending on my mood and what I’m craving. Chocolate chips are fine. I also love chopping chocolate bars for these cookies.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make My Favorite Chocolate Cookies
Tip 1: Use an electric or stand mixer. This cookie dough is thick, so an electric hand mixer or stand mixer will make your life much easier. Start by creaming the room-temperature butter with the sugars, vanilla, and espresso powder. This step takes a few minutes, which is why that mixer really comes in handy. It also helps later on when adding the flour.
Tip 2: Spoon and level your flour and cocoa. When measuring dry ingredients like flour and cocoa powder, it’s easy to accidentally pack too much into your cup. For the most accurate results, use the gram measurements provided — or try the fluff, spoon, and level method:
Stir the ingredient in its container, spoon it into your measuring cup, and then sweep off the excess to level it.
Tip 3: Add plenty of chocolate. I don’t hold back when it comes to chocolate in these cookies. Chocolate chips work perfectly, but I love the texture variation you get from hand-chopped chocolate. You’ll get some little bits that melt into the dough, and larger chunks that stay gooey in the center.
More Chocolate Cookies
- Mint Chocolate Cookies
- Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Chocolate Cookies with Dried Fruit
- Chocolate Toffee Cookies
- Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Walnut Cookies
The Best Chocolate Cookies
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This soft and chewy chocolate cookie recipe is a family favorite! Cocoa powder gives the dough its rich chocolate flavor, and we add plenty of chopped chocolate to turn them into double chocolate cookies. I usually use an electric hand mixer, but it can start to struggle once the dry ingredients go in (you can see what I mean in the video). If that happens, switch to a sturdy spatula to finish mixing, or use a stand mixer from the start to make things easier.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (325g)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, spooned and leveled (60g)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
18 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, (255g)
1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
1 cup brown sugar (213g)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon espresso powder, optional, see tips
2 large eggs at room temperature
12 ounces chocolate chunks, about 2 cups (340g)
Directions
1Prepare oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3Cream the butter and sugars: In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) to beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and espresso powder on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
4Add the eggs: Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated.
5Combine wet and dry ingredients: With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients in three additions. Mix until just combined. The dough will be thick.
6Fold in the chocolate: Switch to a spoon or spatula and stir in the chopped chocolate until evenly distributed.
7Form the cookies: Using a medium cookie scoop or tablespoon, portion about 2 heaping tablespoons (roughly 50g) of dough per cookie. Roll them into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each for spreading.
8Bake: Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies have puffed up slightly and the tops look dry. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Measuring: Carefully measure the flour and cocoa powder. Either weigh them or use the “spoon and sweep” method: Fluff the flour/cocoa, spoon it into the measuring cup, then level off the top with a flat edge.
- Storing: Store baked chocolate cookies in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days at room temperature or a week in the refrigerator. Freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Make ahead: Refrigerate unbaked cookie dough for up to 3 days. Or freeze cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then scoop cookie mounds onto the baking sheet without them touching. Freeze until hard. Transfer the frozen dough mounds to an airtight container or plastic bag.
- Espresso powder: I have Medaglia D’Oro Instant Espresso in my kitchen. It won’t make the cookies taste like coffee, but actually intensifies the flavor of the cocoa. Read more about it in how to use espresso powder.
- Extra tip: To ensure that you can see chocolate bits in the cookies on top, press a few chocolate pieces into the top of the dough balls before baking.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Delicious! Moist and chewy and a hit with friends and family!
This recipe is like a perfect combination between a cookie and a brownie.The chewy yet not too much texture is perfect,i’ve been doing these more than 3 times and it was perfect !
Still,there’s TOO MUCH sugar in this recipe,every bite is almost sugar,so for the total,instead of 413g,i put just 350g,and they turn out better.
The video said 1-1/2 cup flour, the recipe says 2-1/2 which is it
Hi Minnie, It looks like that video has a mistake (sorry about that!). The written recipe is correct.
Thank you for another exceptionally tasty recipe and a keeper. Very easy to make. I used Kerry Gold Butter and Guittard unsweetened cocoa powder and they turned out absolutely declicious. They got raves reviews. They were chewy, crispy and seriously good!! Pamela
Super tasty!
I made these without chocolate chunks…I used them as a sandwich cookie. I had attempted to make Hershey’s cocoa fudge but my candy thermometer didn’t read correctly…so I filled these cookies with fudge filling. They are wonderful and would make good ice cream sandwiches as well.
These were absolutely delicious and easy to make. Actually, I find all of your recipes to be superior. Back to the cookies. I froze some dough balls, but I’m not sure how to bake them. Could you please advise? Thanks for all of the great recipes.
Delicious and also quick and easy to make.
These cookies are amazing. Followed the recipe exactly including the espresso which just makes them perfectly delicious!!!! Love these cookies!!!!
Made these for the first time. I used 2 big dark chocolate bars. It gave them a great flavor! I think this is my new favorite chocolate cookie.
That’s so great, Crystal! Thanks for coming back.
These cookies are soooo good! They are super rich and satisfying. They remind me of the edges of a brownie in cookie form, which I love! I followed the recipe exactly except I used semisweet chocolate chips instead of the chunks since its all I had. I didn’t weigh my ingredients but was careful to spoon and level my flour and they turned out perfect.
Best cookies I have had in a long time! I would recomend flattening the cookies before you put it in the oven- as they don’t flatten down much by themselves.
yeah because i did one batch without flattening and they were still really good but they dont flatten