Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
These double chocolate chip cookies are thick, chewy, and packed with melty chocolate chips in every single bite. If chocolate is your love language, this is the cookie jar recipe you will come back to again and again.
I brought a batch to a neighborhood cookout last summer and watched them vanish before the burgers even hit the grill. That is the kind of dessert that earns a permanent spot in the recipe box, and these cookies are so easy to throw together, you will wonder why you did not make them sooner.
You do not need fancy equipment or pastry skills. One electric mixer, two bowls, and a little patience while the dough chills are enough to turn out bakery style cookies in your own kitchen.
The recipe makes 24 servings with 15 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cook time. Simple enough for a beginner, impressive enough for a holiday platter, and rich enough to satisfy the most devoted chocoholic at the table.
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Why You’ll Love These Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate shows up twice here. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder goes into the dough for a deep, dark base, and semi sweet chocolate chips deliver pockets of melted chocolate in every bite.
The texture is the real hook. These cookies bake up rich and fudgy in the middle with slightly set edges, closer to a brownie than a thin, crispy wafer. Soft centers, crackly tops, and warm chocolate, that is the whole package.
They are also wonderfully flexible. Serve them plain with a cold glass of milk, warm one for a few seconds and top it with vanilla ice cream, or sandwich two cookies around a scoop of ice cream for an instant dessert.
Feeling ambitious? Stack the baked cookies with frosting between the layers for a small cookie cake, or press the dough into a pan for a brownie style slab. Same dough, a completely different dessert.
And because the dough chills for at least 3 hours, you can mix it the night before and bake fresh cookies the next afternoon. That is the kind of flexibility that makes this recipe a weekly favorite.
Ingredients
Everything on this list is a pantry staple, so you can likely start baking without a special trip to the store. Here is the full lineup with quantities.
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240g) all purpose flour
- 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
- 2 tablespoons milk, plus more as needed, no more than 1/4 cup total
- 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips, divided
- Sea salt for garnish, optional
Here is what each one is actually doing for the final cookie.
- Unsalted butter gives the cookies a tender, crumbly texture and lets you control the salt level.
- White sugar adds crispness and helps the edges set as they cool.
- Brown sugar brings a deeper caramel note and keeps the centers chewy.
- Eggs act as the binder, adding moisture and structure.
- Vanilla extract rounds out the flavor and enhances the chocolate.
- All purpose flour provides the structure that holds everything together.
- Cocoa powder delivers the intense chocolate flavor and that dark, almost black color.
- Baking soda helps the cookies spread and gives them a light crumb.
- Salt balances the sweetness so the chocolate never tastes flat.
- Espresso powder is optional, but it enriches the chocolate flavor without making the cookies taste like coffee.
- Milk loosens the dough so it is thick but scoopable.
- Semi sweet chocolate chips add bursts of sweetness and a creamy melt.
One quick note on the milk. Start with 2 tablespoons and add more only if the dough feels stiff. You will rarely need the full 1/4 cup, and too much liquid makes the dough greasy.
How to Make Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
You are looking at about 30 minutes of hands on work plus chilling time.
Follow these steps in order and you will get consistent results every single batch.
Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugars
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the white sugar and brown sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then blend again until combined.
Step 2: Whisk the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and the espresso powder if you are using it. Whisking breaks up any cocoa lumps, which matters because cocoa powder loves to clump.
Step 3: Combine and Add the Chocolate
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until almost combined. Stir in 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips. If the dough is very thick, add more milk as needed. It should be thick but scoopable, never dry and crumbly.
Step 4: Chill the Dough
Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least 3 hours, or overnight. This rest lets the flavors meld and helps the cookies hold their shape instead of spreading into thin puddles.
Step 5: Prep the Oven and Pans
Let the dough soften at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes, then preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper so nothing sticks and cleanup stays easy.
Step 6: Scoop and Top
Scoop the dough into 2 to 3 tablespoon sized balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches of space between each cookie. Press the remaining chocolate chips onto the tops and sprinkle with sea salt if you like.
Step 7: Bake
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are still slightly soft. Resist the urge to bake them longer. They firm up considerably as they cool.
Step 8: Cool and Serve
Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve and enjoy.
Tips For the Best Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
A few small habits make the difference between good cookies and great ones.
- Use quality chocolate and cocoa. With this much chocolate in the dough, the brand you choose really shows up in the flavor.
- Do not overmix. Stop as soon as the flour disappears. Extra mixing develops gluten and leads to tough, dense cookies.
- Chill for at least 3 hours. This is the step most people skip. Chilling melds the flavors and keeps the cookies from spreading too thin.
- Start with room temperature ingredients. Soft butter and room temperature eggs blend into a smoother dough and trap air better during creaming.
- Leave about 3 inches between cookies. These cookies spread, and a crowded pan bakes unevenly.
Texture is easy to dial in. For chewier cookies, bake for 10 to 12 minutes. For crisper cookies, bake for 13 to 16 minutes. Just keep an eye on the edges and pull them when they look set.
Want to change things up? Fold in chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch, or swap some of the semi sweet chips for white chocolate chips. Both work beautifully against the dark cocoa base.
One more habit worth building: scoop the dough with a cookie scoop or measuring spoon so every ball is the same size. Even sizing means even baking, and no one ends up with a burnt cookie and a raw one on the same tray.
A chilled dough is a well behaved dough. Give it those 3 hours in the fridge and your cookies will bake up thick, tall, and chewy instead of flat.
How to Store
This dough is a fantastic make ahead project, which is one reason I keep a batch in the fridge most weeks.
- Refrigerator: Store the prepared dough covered in the fridge for up to 3 days after chilling.
- Freezer: Freeze the dough for up to 3 months after chilling.
Bake chilled dough as directed. If you bake it straight from the freezer, add an extra 3 to 5 minutes to the baking time and check the centers before pulling the tray.
Baked cookies keep well too, which is handy when you want a treat ready for lunchboxes or late night cravings.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- To freeze baked cookies, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze until firm, then transfer them to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
A slice of bread tucked into the container helps keep the cookies soft, and about 10 seconds in the microwave brings back that fresh from the oven chocolate melt.
More Ultra Chocolatey Treats You’ll Adore
If these cookies hit the spot, keep the chocolate going. Chocolate truffle cake, double chocolate banana bread, chocolate sandwich cookies, and triple chocolate muffins all deliver that same deep cocoa flavor with a completely different texture.
FAQs
What makes a cookie double chocolate?
A double chocolate chip cookie gets its intense cocoa flavor from both unsweetened cocoa powder in the dough and semi-sweet chocolate chips stirred into the batter. This recipe uses 1 cup of natural unsweetened cocoa powder along with 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, giving you chocolate in every bite.
Why do you need to chill double chocolate chip cookie dough?
Chilling the dough for at least 3 hours, or overnight, is essential for the best texture and flavor. During this time, the flour absorbs moisture and the sugars dissolve, which creates a chewier, more uniform cookie and prevents the dough from spreading too thin in the oven.
How do you get chewy double chocolate chip cookies?
For chewy cookies, bake them for 10 to 12 minutes at 350°F, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft. Using a mix of white and brown sugar also helps, as the brown sugar adds moisture and a deeper caramel flavor that contributes to a chewy texture.
Can you freeze double chocolate chip cookie dough?
Yes, you can freeze the dough for up to 3 months. After chilling, scoop the dough into balls, place them on a baking sheet in a single layer to freeze solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag. When ready to bake, add 3 to 5 extra minutes to the bake time without thawing.
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe These double chocolate chip cookies are thick, chewy, and packed with melty chocolate chips in every single bite. If chocolate is your love language, this is the cookie jar recipe you will come back to again and again.
- Total Time: 30 min
- Yield: 24 servings 1x
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
2 tablespoons milk, + more as needed (no more than 1/4 cup total)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Sea salt, for garnish
Instructions
1-In a large mixing bowl, cream the: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then blend again until combined.
2-In a separate bowl, whisk the flour,: In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder, if using.
3-Gradually add the dry ingredients to the: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until almost combined. Stir in 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips. If the dough is very thick, add more milk, as needed. It should be thick but scoopable.
4-Cover and chill the dough for at: Cover and chill the dough for at least 3 hours (or overnight) to allow the flavors to meld.
5-Let the dough soften at room temperature: Let the dough soften at room temperature for 10-20 minutes, then preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
6-Scoop the dough into 2-3 tablespoon-sized balls: Scoop the dough into 2-3 tablespoon-sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches of space between each cookie. Press the remaining chocolate chips onto the tops and sprinkle with sea salt, if using.
7-Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the: Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are set and the centers are slightly soft.
8-Remove from the oven and let cool: Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve and enjoy!
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Method: bake
Nutrition
- Calories: 268 cal
