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These soft-baked double chocolate chip cookies are rich, fudgy chocolate cookies loaded with melty chocolate chips and finished with a touch of flakey sea salt.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
These double chocolate chip cookies are soft-baked and fudgy in the middle (a must), packed to the hilt with melty chocolate chips (obviously), and finished with flakey sea salt (try it, you’ll see!).
I’ve taken my chewy chocolate chip cookies, filled them with cocoa powder, and amped up the brown sugar. The result is soft, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cookies with enough fudgy flavor to more than satisfy any chocolate craving.
- Double the chocolate. Chocolate is the star of the show. Every bite is filled with rich fudgy flavor and melty pockets of dark chocolate chips, met with a sprinkle of flaked sea salt for an irresistible sweet-salty contrast.
- Quick. Have your fudgy double chocolate chip cookie dough ready for the oven in 10 minutes. No chilling the dough!
- No special equipment. You can easily make this dough with a hand mixer. If doubling the recipe for a larger batch, you might want to consider using a stand mixer.
Ingredient Notes
Double the chocolate, double the fun. Below are some notes on the key ingredients. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full recipe and ingredients list.
- Melted Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter.
- Cocoa Powder – My favorite is Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder, but other types of cocoa powder also work, see below.
- Chocolate Chips – Semi-sweet or unsweetened dark chocolate, or any kind of chocolate chips that you prefer.
- Sea Salt – A sprinkle of flaked sea salt, like Maldon salt, over the finished cookies is magic!
What Type of Cocoa Powder Is Best for Cookies?
My preferred cocoa powder for these chocolate chocolate chip cookies is Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate cocoa powder (linked above and in the recipe card). It gives the cookies a richer, fudgier flavor and produces very consistent results.
Dutch-processed cocoa powder is my next favorite option, or you can use a natural unsweetened cocoa powder, though the flavor and color won’t be as fudgy. Learn more about the differences in my resource post on natural vs. Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
If you’re impatient (like yours truly) then these fudgy chocolate cookies are meant for your kitchen! You don’t need to chill the dough, and you’ll have them ready for the oven in minutes:
Step 1: Combine the wet ingredients. First, cream the melted butter with brown and granulated sugar, then add an egg, and vanilla.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients. Next, whisk together flour with cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet batter to form the dough. It has a similar consistency to brownie batter, but will thicken a bit as it settles. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
Step 3: Scoop the dough. Portion the chocolate cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet using a large cookie scoop. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with flaked sea salt (see below photo).
Step 4: Bake. Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 9-11 minutes. You’ll want to take the cookies out when they’re slightly underbaked. They’ll continue to set up on the baking sheet, after which you can move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Even if you’re a beginner baker, you can rest easy knowing that these double chocolate chip cookies will turn out perfect! Follow these tips:
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- Use a silicone baking mat or line the baking sheet with parchment paper. This keeps the bottoms of the cookies from over-browning and prevents over-spreading.
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- Don’t overbake. The secret to thick, soft, and gooey double chocolate cookies is to take them out of the oven before they’re fully baked and let them finish baking on the sheet.
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- Fix cookies that have spread. Right after baking, take the flat edge of a knife, spatula, or angled spatula, and gently press the edges of the cookie back toward the center. The cookies need to be fresh from the oven for this to work.
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- For a prettier presentation, set aside a handful of chocolate chips and then press them into the tops of the cookies right when they come out of the oven.
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- More add-ins. Change up the add-ins depending on your preference and the season. In addition to or instead of chocolate chips, make double chocolate peppermint cookies for the holidays, or try chocolate peanut butter cookies.
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- Super-size these cookies. Check out my recipe for giant chocolate cookies for a jumbo-sized version.
These are best when baked when the dough is prepared. I find that as the dough sits (or after it’s been refrigerated or frozen), the cookie don’t bake up as nicely. However, baked cookies freeze like a charm. See below for freezing the baked cookies.
How to Store and Freeze
- To Store. Store your chocolate cookies in an airtight container once they’ve completely cooled. They’ll stay fresh at room temperature for up to 4-6 days.
- Freeze. You can also freeze the baked cookies airtight for up to 2-3 months. Thaw the cookies at room temperature or microwave the frozen cookies for approximately 15-20 seconds before serving.
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- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 large cookies
Description
These soft-baked double chocolate chip cookies are fudgy chocolate cookies loaded with chocolate chips and finished with a touch of flakey sea salt.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) Unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (110g) Light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (48g) Granulated sugar
- 1 Large egg
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) Pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (105g) All-purpose flour
- ½ cup (55g) Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¾ cup (135g) Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Melt and cool the butter for a few minutes. Combine the melted butter with the brown and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Next, add the egg and vanilla extract and continue beating until well incorporated.
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Stir to combine add the dry ingredients into the dough, mixing on low speed until the dough starts to form. Before the dough thickens, add the chocolate chips and finish mixing with a spatula.
- Scoop the dough using a large cookie scoop and place on a baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 9-11 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
- 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 1/4 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. To freeze, I would recommend freezing single scoops of dough, thawing to room temperature and then bake.
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American