Fudgy, easy-to-make cookies with a double dose of chocolate (melted and chocolate chips) that make them irresistible. It's a one-bowl recipe that comes together in 15 minutes, and the cookies can be baked immediately, or the dough can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for a month before baking.
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Soft and fudgy
Chocolate cookies are a year-round treat, and we have several favorites like brownie cookies or the unique and cinnamony chocolate snickerdoodles that are good for potlucks, bake sales and, of course, the Christmas cookie tray.
These are simple and intense, sweet and chewy. A pretty perfect chocolate cookie for when those chocolate cravings hit out of nowhere. 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.
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.
Testing notes
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.
Dutch-process cocoa powder or natural cocoa powder? Always use unsweetened. Both work for this recipe, as the amount is small. I used natural cocoa for a slightly more intense flavor.
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 the tray 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.
Ingredients
- 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: I recommend creaming 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.
Incorporating the 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 dark 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.
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Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies (no-chill recipe)
Ingredients
- 4.5 ounces semisweet chocolate
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar,
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 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, or chocolate chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Butter or spray a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate: Place 4.5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, 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 light or dark 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 and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and mix until smooth.
- Sift the dry ingredients (2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt) and add them to the butter mixture. You can have them measured and sift them directly when prompted, or have them sifted beforehand in a different bowl.
- Don't overbeat at this point. Simply mix well with a spatula or beat at the lowest speed until no streaks of flour remain.
- Stir in ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips and 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 or make cookie dough balls, and place them 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. Depending on the size, they might take a minute or two more.
- 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 leftover cookies in an airtight container or cookie jar.
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