Fudgy, easy-to-make cookies with a double dose of chocolate that makes them irresistible. They come together quickly and can be baked immediately, or the cookie dough can be refrigerated or frozen for several days or weeks.
Chocolate cookies are a year-round treat, and we have several favorites like chocolate snickerdoodles and brownie cookies that are good for potlucks, bake sales and, of course, the Christmas cookie tray.
These are simple and intense, sweet and chewy. A dreamy chocolate cookie to make often. They're fantastic with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee in the afternoon.
The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days or frozen for a month before baking.
- Easy to make: this is a one-bowl recipe that can be made and chilled for a few days before baking.
- Freezing: you can freeze the scooped cookie portions and bake them when needed.
- They are great for gifting. Of course, they are great year-round; what cookie isn't? But they are especially good as Christmas cookies as they travel well.
Ingredient list
- Chocolate: use your favorite dark semisweet chocolate.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: any brand you already use works fine.
- Cocoa powder: make sure it's unsweetened.
- Vanilla extract.
- Unsalted butter.
- White granulated sugar.
- Brown sugar: light or dark.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- All-purpose flour.
- Baking soda: make sure it's not expired.
- Salt.
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Melt the chocolate: always start with chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe or glass bowl. You can use the microwave (short 10-15-second spurts, stirring well between each one until it's fully melted) or a double boiler, with the bowl containing the chopped chocolate not touching the water. In both cases, make sure it doesn't scorch.
- Electric mixer: it's recommended to cream the butter, sugars, and eggs. A stand mixer with the paddle attachment also works, and make sure you mix at low speed after adding the dry ingredients.
Chocolate
Add the melted chocolate while still warm but not starting to set, so it integrates well with the butter mixture.
Dry ingredients
Don't overmix or overbeat at this point, so the cookies aren't tough after they're baked. The final chocolate cookie dough will be thick.
Add-ins
The chocolate chips are added to the cookie dough at the end and folded with a spatula.
Do a test bake
I always recommend baking two or three cookies to find your sweet spot regarding baking time and texture. Check the time to ensure you don't over or underbake them. Also, see how much they expand and adjust accordingly if needed so they don't touch during baking.
Baking
I butter the cookie sheets lightly and don't use parchment paper. But you can if that's what you usually bake cookies on.
Leave about 1 ½ inches of space between cookies to allow them to expand during baking. When you take them out, they will still be soft in the center.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Chocolate: the better the chocolate and cocoa powder you use, the better the flavor of the cookies. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Chilling: I usually bake them directly but have chilled the dough for several hours and up to 2 days. There is not much difference in my experience. They're a tad more compact but not very noticeable. So, use the refrigerator to make the cookie dough ahead of time if you need to.
- Freezing: you can freeze the scooped cookie portions and bake them later. Put the scoops on a baking sheet and pop it in the freezer. When the dough balls are rock solid, transfer them to a plastic bag or freezer container to free up the baking pan and space in the freezer. Bake them directly as instructed in the recipe. They might take an extra minute or so.
- Extra chocolate: you can sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top of the cookies before baking them.
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Double Chocolate Cookies
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Ingredients
- 4.5 ounces semisweet chocolate
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, light or dark
- ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Butter or spray a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate: Place chopped 4.5 ounces semisweet chocolate in a microwave-safe or glass bowl. You can use the microwave (short 10-15-second spurts, stirring well between each one until it's fully melted) or a double boiler with the bowl containing the chocolate not touching the water. In both cases, make sure it doesn't scorch.
- Beat ½ cup unsalted butter with ¼ cup white sugar and ⅓ cup brown sugar in a large bowl for about 3 minutes, until creamy.
- Add 1 egg beating well. Scrape the sides of the bowl each time.
- Add the melted chocolate, ½ teaspoons vanilla, and mix until smooth.
- Sift the dry ingredients (2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt) before adding them to the butter mixture, or have them measured and sift as you add them.
- Don’t overbeat at this point. Simply mix well with a spatula or beat at the lowest speed until no streaks of flour remain.
- Add ½ cup semisweet chocolate chipsand fold with a spatula to incorporate. At this point, you can bake the cookies or cover the bowl and refrigerate the cookie dough for a day or two.
- Scoop portions on the prepared baking sheets making sure they're separated 2 inches from each other.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until the edges are dry but the centers are still soft.
- Let cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes and carefully remove from the sheets and let cool completely on the cooling racks.
- Store in an airtight container or cookie jar.
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