Pin It!

Chocolate Cookie Recipe

This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details

Bakery Style Chocolate Cookies with flakey sea salt are rich, thick & dense, chewy and perfectly fudgy. You can make this easy cookie recipe in under an hour!

A large chocolate cookie leaning up against a glass of milk

The Best Fudgy Chocolate Cookie Recipe

I didn’t think it was possible to love my double chocolate chip cookies more than I already did, but here we are, I’ve outdone myself.

These are giant chocolate cookies loaded with gooey chocolate chips and flakey sea salt. Don’t skip the sea salt you guys, trust me. I’ve eaten more than my fair share of these when we were testing recipes, and it was worth every calorie.

I’ve packed even more chocolate into these cookies, do you see all those chocolate chips on top? I am sharing all my tips with you today so you can enjoy these anytime the craving hits.

A stack of 4 half cookies showing the melty chocolate chips inside

What makes these cookies so good?

  • They are thick and dense and did I mention they’re huge?
  • The edges are crisp, but the centers are gooey and fudgy!
  • They’re rich and chewy thanks to the additional brown sugar and egg yolks
  • You don’t need to chill the dough, so you can have warm cookies in less than an hour

The secret to bakery style cookies- don’t skip this step

I’ve been chasing the elusive giant bakery style cookies since I originally set out to make a perfect chocolate chip cookie.

Let me tell you the secret- it’s two big scoops of cookie dough stacked on top of one another.

two scoops of chocolate cookie dough stacked on top of one another

This allows the dough to spread enough when baking, but still produce a thick & dense cookie with a crispy edge and a fudgy center.

These cookies are giant though, like the size of my hand, and I am not the least bit mad about it. This recipe is specifically designed to be this way, so baking them with only one scoop of dough will not produce the same results as I described above.

It’s best if you can use a large cookie scoop for the dough because it’s a bit sticky, and it will help you to maintain the right size, which is 3 tablespoons of dough per scoop. So each cookie is approximately 6 tablespoons of dough. Also be sure to bake these on parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 

Pro tip: Right when these come out of the oven, take the flat edge of a knife, spatula or angled spatula, and press the edges of the cookie back towards the center of the cookie. Then throw a few more chocolate chips on top with another sprinkle of sea salt.

an overhead shot of a cooling rack with chocolate cookies on it

What makes these different than my original double chocolate chip cookies?

Besides the actual size (these are double the size), I’ve added more brown sugar and egg yolks. The combination of the two provide the right amount of softness and chewiness for these cookies.

My original recipe uses melted butter, but this recipe uses softened butter. It should be slightly softened, but not fully room temperature, this holds the dough together better during baking, so they don’t spread too thin. I suggest letting the butter sit for about 20 minutes.

What makes these cookies so chewy?

Using more brown sugar than granulated sugar makes for a much chewier cookie. This recipe has 3 times the amount of brown sugar than white sugar.

The addition of egg yolks also adds fat which helps to make them richer and maintains moisture but also adds to the chewiness to these cookies.

5 chocolate cookies stacked on one another

Recipe Ingredients

  • Butter: I’ve made this recipe with both salted and unsalted butter. Either will work. If using salted butter, reduce the added salt to 1/2 teaspoon. It should be slightly softened, but not fully room temperature.
  • Light brown sugar & granulated sugar: This recipe uses mostly brown sugar for added chewiness
  • Eggs & egg yolk: The addition of egg yolk adds richness and chewiness to these cookies
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder is my preferred cocoa powder for this recipe. It’s dark color lends to a more fudgy and rich flavor. It produces very consistent results.
  • Salt & baking soda
  • Chocolate chips: Any type of chocolate chips can be used, but I recommend semi-sweet.
  • Flaky sea salt: Don’t skip this, it seriously makes these cookies SO much better.

Cocoa powder: I only tested this recipe with the Hershey’s special dark. However, when developing my original double chocolate cookie recipe, I tested it with a Dutch processed and natural unsweetened cocoa powder and all 3 variations worked just fine, but the special dark is what gives this cookie the rich dark chocolate color and deeper flavor.

a hand holding the beater of a mixer filled with cookie dough

How to Make Giant Chocolate Cookies

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven, soften the butter for approximately 20 minutes.
  2. Cream the butter and sugars together
    two side by side images of a mixing bowl showing the process of making cookies
  3. Add the liquid ingredients: eggs, egg yolks and vanilla extract and continue beating until well incorporated.
  4. Add the cocoa powder: I prefer to add this separate from the flour to ensure it incorporated into the dough without over beating the flour.
    two side by side images of a mixing bowl showing the process of making cookies
  5. Combine and add remaining dry ingredients. The dough will thicken to a fudgy consistency. As the dough is thickening, add the chocolate chips.
  6. Stacking the dough (super important- don’t skip this step!) Using a large cookie scoop, place two scoops of the dough, one stacked on top of the other, and place on baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt
  7. Bake for 15-16 minutes.

Storing and Freezing these cookies

These are best stored in an airtight container once completely cooled. You can also freeze these baked cookies in an airtight container. Microwave the frozen cookies for approximately 15-20 seconds.

I have not tested this pre freezing the dough. If you would like to pre freeze the dough, I would recommend freezing single scoops of dough, thawing to room temperature and then proceeding to stack the dough prior to baking.

More of my favorite cookie recipes

A close up of a white plate with large chocolate chocolate chip cookies

Follow Beyond Frosting

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

 

 

Print
A close up of a white plate with large chocolate chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate Cookie Recipe

  • Author: Julianne Dell
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 10 cookies

Description

Bakery Style Chocolate Cookies with flakey sea salt are rich, thick & dense, chewy and perfectly fudgy!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups (330g) packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup (95g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large egg
  • 2 large egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (110gHershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon (5g) salt
  • 1 teaspoon (4g) baking soda
  • 1 ½ cups (270g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Flaky sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Allow the butter to soften for 20 minutes. Combine the butter with the brown and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until well combined, 2-3 minutes.
  2. Next add the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla extract and continue beating until well incorporated.
  3. Add the cocoa powder and beat until well combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients: flour, salt and baking soda. Stir to combine and slowly add the dry ingredients into the dough, mixing on low speed until dough starts to form. As the dough thickens, add the chocolate chips. Beat until incorporated.
  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking sheet. Using a large cookie scoop, place two scoops of the dough, one stacked on top of the other, and place on baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
  6. Bake for 15-16 minutes. The center of the cookies should be slightly under baked but not too gooey. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

  • Don’t skip this step! These are large cookies, the recipe is designed to be thick, so don’t skip the step of stacking the cookie dough. A single scoop of dough will not yield the same results.
  • Chocolate chips: Any type of chocolate chips can be used
  • Cocoa powder: My preferred cocoa powder is Hershey’s special dark. A Dutch processed cocoa powder is my next favorite option, but an natural unsweetened cocoa powder will also work.
  • Butter: I’ve made this recipe with both salted and unsalted butter. Either will work. If using salted butter, reduce the added salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
  • Pro tip! Right when you pull these from the oven, place a few chocolate chips on top of the cookie for extra chocolate goodness.
  • Storing and Freezing these cookies: These are best stored in an airtight container once completely cooled. You can also freeze these baked cookies in an airtight container. Microwave the frozen cookies for approximately 15-20 seconds. I have not tested this pre freezing the dough. If you would like to pre freeze the dough, I would recommend freezing single scoops of dough, thawing to room temperature and then proceeding to stack the dough prior to baking.
Nutrition Information:
1 cookie
578
58g
388mg
29g
17g
79g
5g
7.5g
123mg
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, easy chocolate cookies, chocolate cookie recipe, bakery style chocolate chip cookies

Leave a Comment

Recipe rating

6 Responses
  1. Belle

    i just recently made them about 2 days ago and they flattened out quite a bit in the oven. is there something i did wrong or something i could do to fix this problem? they still taste great though!

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Hi Belle- you can try letting the dough sit for a little bit longer to let the butter firm up. Also it might be an imbalance of ingredients or perhaps an issue with the leavening agent.

  2. Rachel Smith

    I love this recipe! I have used it three times in the past two weeks since finding it. I only soften my butter and I use gluten free flour (1 to 1) and it comes out perfect every time!
    First time I melted Andes mints on top and swirled them around.
    Second time I put caramels inside.
    Third time I did chocolate chips as suggested. Loved them all!

5 BAKE FROM SCRATCH SECRETS!
Subscribe to my newsletter and get my fav tips to take your cakes & cupcakes to the next level.