These Double Chocolate Cookies are intensely chocolatey, thick and chewy with crisp edges and fudgy middles. This is the sister recipe to my best EVER Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies. Both recipes make cookies that spread perfectly large with a bakery-worthy appearance. These double chocolate chip cookies are big and thick with a crackled surface to hold pools of melted dark chocolate. They have rich chocolate taste and are for true chocolate lovers so get ready to be swooned! The recipe is simple with one secret ingredient and it does benefit from a little resting time in the fridge to really bring out the chocolate flavor and improve the chewy texture. If you love chocolate cookies but don't always need a full batch, check out my popular Small Batch Double Chocolate Cookies recipe.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Rich chocolate flavor - these cookies have a deep rich chocolatey taste backed by buttery caramel undertones from brown sugar and underlying notes of natural vanilla.
- Crisp edges and soft gooey middles - just like my original Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies, this chocolate version makes cookies with crisp caramelized edges, but they are soft and gooey in the middle.
- Super chewy chocolate chip cookies - if you like chewy cookies, these are certainly for you! And, they stay chewy for days thanks to my secret ingredient that you can read about below.
- Big cookies - each cookie is a nice large size to give you that contrast of textures.
- Not too sweet - there's just the right amount of sugar to give the chewy texture, but they are not overly sweet.
- Dark chocolate chunks - puddles of melted dark chocolate chunks instead of chips takes your "chocolate chip cookies" to a whole other level!
COOKIE SCIENCE: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES
- Ratio of Butter: Getting the right amount of butter to egg ratio is very important. Too much egg will dominate the taste and also make the cookies puff rather than spread so the texture more cakey rather than chewy.
- Egg ratio: The liquid in egg serves to help dissolve sugar in the dough but too much will prevent the edges from becoming crisp. That means you will need to bake the cookies longer to crisp the edges, and they will often become dried out before that point.
- Amount of Flour: It is so important to either weigh your ingredients using a scale, or measure your flour correctly without packing it into your measuring cup. Too much flour will lead to thick cookies, but they will be more doughy and less gooey. Too little flour will make a very soft dough that will spread too much and lead to greasy cookies.
- Baking soda: Not only is baking soda important to help the cookies spread, but it also gives them color! Baking soda is an alkaline ingredient (the opposite of an acid), and the Maillard Browning reaction is encouraged in an alkaline environment. Baking soda will make chocolate cookies look even chocolatier. However, too much baking soda means the cookies will spread too much and maybe burn too quickly, while not enough means the cookies will not spread much at all and will be pale in color.
INGREDIENTS
- Butter - there is no substitute for butter in chocolate chip cookies in my opinion! It is the foundation of the rich butterscotch flavor after all. In this recipe, you can use salted or unsalted butter, but if you choose unsalted then I recommend doubling the added salt to ½ teaspoon. I like to use salted butter because it adds another level of richness.
- Granulated sugar - this recipe uses a combination of simple white granulated sugar and brown sugar. White sugar helps create the crunchy caramelized edges. I wouldn't recommend reducing the sugar because it will compromise the chewy texture.
- Brown sugar - I highly recommend dark brown sugar for this recipe as it has twice as much molasses as light brown sugar and will make a big difference to the flavor. It will also make the dough more acidic which means it will react more thoroughly with the baking soda so that you won't be left with a soapy taste (a defect I find common in many chocolate chip cookie recipes)
- Egg - you'll need one whole egg for this recipe. It's the perfect amount of moisture to make these cookies chewy and not cakey.
- Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to making delicious chocolate cookies. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
- Honey - it's the secret ingredient, just like in my Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies! Honey is a moisture trap so it will keep the cookies soft and chewy for days.
- Salt - don't leave out the salt! It really elevates the rich buttery, caramel flavors! It also enhances the chocolate taste and balances the sweetness.
- All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour makes the best chewy chocolate chip cookies in my opinion.
- Cocoa powder - I recommend getting your hands on some good quality cocoa powder! It's the main flavor and you want it to shine so use the best you can find. I love to use this Dutch Process cocoa powder for this recipe, but natural cocoa also adds a nice fruity flavor - it just means your cookies will be a bit lighter in color. Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder and not cocoa mix.
- Dark chocolate chunks - this is important! I highly recommend using bar chocolate, that is, chunks that you chop up from a block of chocolate instead of chocolate chips. Why? That is because chocolate that is made into bars, also known as "tablets" has a higher cocoa butter content and typically melts smoother than chocolate chips to give you puddles of chocolate in the cookies. I love this effect! Chocolate chips will hold their shape and spread less.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- STEP 1). Beat together butter and sugar. You can use an electric stand mixer, a hand mixer or do this by hand with a spatula. You want to beat until slightly pale and a bit fluffy, but not overly creamed. It will still look like a thick paste or damp sand and this will leave us with chewy cookies. Over-mixing at this point would make more crisp cookies.
- STEP 2). Beat in egg. Add the egg, honey and vanilla and beat until well incorporated and smooth.
- STEP 3). Combine dry ingredients. Blend flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and whisk it to blend evenly. Then, add it to the butter mixture and mix it in until evenly combined.
- STEP 4). Fold in chocolate chunks. Dark chocolate with a higher cocoa content will melt better to give these luxurious pools of chocolate. Chips will hold their shape and won't melt into the cookie. I find milk chocolate too sweet for these cookies and they also don't melt as well due to the high sugar content.
- STEP 5). Refrigerate the cookie dough. This is crucial to developing the chewy texture and rich chocolate flavor.
- STEP 6). Bake. Roll mounds of cookie dough into smooth balls or scoop them directly onto the baking sheet for a more rustic look and bake until darker around the edges, cracked at the surface and still soft in the middle. Do not over-bake as they will continue cooking on the hot baking tray.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR BAKERY STYLE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES:
- Secret ingredient: honey! Just like my popular Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, a teaspoon of honey is the key to making them stay chewy for days. Honey is a humectant which means it is an ingredient that binds water tightly and prevents them from drying out. It is also acidic so it will react with the baking soda to help the cookies spread just the right amount. You can use corn syrup, but do not use maple syrup as it wouldn't have the same effect.
- Don't skip the salt. The right amount of salt is so important in chocolate recipes. You can even use salted butter if that is all you have on hand and they will be even more delicious!
- Use regular large size eggs. Large eggs weigh 57g. Using an extra large egg will add up to 2 teaspoons more liquid to the cookie dough which can throw off the moisture balance and make the cookies spread too much.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough. Refrigerating cookie dough serves several purposes: 1.) Flour hydration - time in the fridge allows the flour to fully hydrate from the moisture of the egg and the water in the butter. If the flour is evenly hydrated, the cookies will be thicker and they will bake more evenly; 2.) Flavor development -as the baking soda becomes more evenly incorporated with the flour hydration, the cookies will brown more evenly which will help them develop flavor more quickly; and, 3.) Chill the butter - butter in the cookie dough will also firm up in the fridge so that the cookies wont be so greasy after they've baked. Chilled fat will also spread less readily during the initial stages of baking so the cookies won't spread uncontrollably.
- Use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients for best results. This is especially important for the flour and cocoa measurements where too much of either can make dry dense cookies that will not spread correctly.
- Use bar chocolate and chop it up into chunks so you get nice puddles that melt into the cracks and crevices of the cookies.
RECIPE FAQ
Chilling this cookie dough is so important for the best results. Of course you can bake them right away, but they will not be as golden, as thick or as chewy and flavorful as they could be if you chill the dough. Ideally you would chill the dough for a minimum of 2 hours. 4 hours is better and overnight (8 hours) will lend the richest flavor and chewiest texture. Chilled cookie dough also yields cookies with a longer shelf life so they will stay chewy for longer.
If your cookies spread a lot, then it could be that the dough wasn't chilled long enough, there was too much honey added (you only need just 1 teaspoon), or there was not the right amount of flour added. Too little flour will mean the cookies will not have enough structure to hold their shape and the dough will be too wet. The best way to measure the flour is using a scale to ensure you use the right amount. Too much will make the cookies thick and less chewy, but too little will mean they will be crispy and thin.
A bit of honey is my secret to making cookies stay chewy for days. Honey is a humectant which means it is an ingredient that binds water tightly and prevents them from drying out. You can use also use corn syrup, but do not use maple syrup as it wouldn't have the same effect.
For the best results, use dark chocolate with over 60% cocoa solids, and use a high quality block of chocolate that you chop into chunks.
To get melted puddles with irregular shapes like in these photos, use chopped chocolate from a block with over 70% cocoa solids. The darker the better when it comes to meltiness because the higher the total cocoa content, the more cocoa butter it will have and that high fat content is what makes chocolate melt and spread easier. Also, block chocolate is tempered as a block that you will break up and expose all sorts of jagged edges whereas chips are tempered in a specific shape that will stay in place.
When you chop chocolate from a block you make a variety of different shapes and shards that will get in all the crevices of the cookie dough. So, use your favorite dark chocolate - the kind that you snack on. Using block chocolate instead of chips will also give you better texture in the cookies. Block chocolate has a higher cocoa butter content so it will melt more evenly and readily to create pools of chocolate that will melt into the crevices. It also helps the dough spread. You can also use dark chocolate feves, callets or discs which are often made from couverture chocolate (high cocoa butter chocolate).
STORAGE AND FREEZING
These cookies are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week. They stay nice and soft and chewy!
Just place the cooled cookies in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. They just need 5-10 minutes to thaw.
With nothing more than a tall glass of cold milk!
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Bakery Style Double Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoon (140g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (165g) packed dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) honey
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cups (190g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (42g) Dutch process cocoa powder (I prefer this one) (measure correctly as too much cocoa will make dry cookies)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt*
- 3 ½ oz (100g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks plus extra for topping (I also love this bittersweet chocolate block)
- ½ cup (85g) semisweet chocolate chips plus extra for topping
*I use this cocoa powder and use ¾ teaspoon salt in the recipe. Other brands of Dutch cocoa can be highly alkaline and may taste too salty, so you can choose to use ½ tsp.
NOTE: for best results, use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients.
Instructions
- Combine soft butter, both sugars and vanilla in a large bowl and "cream" by hand using a wide spatula, mixing well until smooth, lightened in color and slightly fluffy. You can also use an electric handheld mixer or a stand mixer on medium speed and mix for 1-2 minutes. Mix in honey. Add the egg and mix well until evenly incorporated.
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl whisk well to blend evenly.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and fold it in until almost combined, then add the chopped chocolate and chocolate chips and fold them in until evenly distributed and the cookie dough is homogeneous. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a 1.35-oz cookie scoop to portion dough and roll into smooth balls. If the dough is too hard after chilling, let the dough stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes to soften so it is easier to scoop. If you don't have a scoop, then divide the dough into 15 balls. Place them onto your prepared baking sheets spacing them 2 inches apart and flatten slightly if you prefer flatter cookies. You should have no more than six cookies per cookie sheet (assuming you are using an 18x12" cookie sheet). Press a few extra chunks of chocolate into each dough ball and sprinkle on some sea salt.
- Bake the cookies for about 9-11 minutes, until they have puffed a bit in the center and cracked at the surface. Transfer cookie sheets to a wire rack too cool for 2 minutes before transferring them individually to the rack to finish cooling.
- Enjoy them warm or at room temperature and then store in an airtight container overnight to keep them from drying out.
Amna
This is my first time baking double chocolate cookies, Usually I bake the regular chocolate chips cookies, but this time I was craving something more chocolaty and I had all the ingredients.
They were veeeeerrrrryyyyyy goooooood.
My sisters tried them, and they said why don’t you open a bakery 🤣🤣🤍. They were that level of good.
This is not my first recipe from you, and definitely not the last. I tried your recipe of the chocolate chips cookies (the one with brown butter) and it was also soooooo goooood, even my nieces were dying for them🤣✨.
christina.marsigliese
Thanks for the feedback Amna! I'm so glad you have been enjoying my recipes 🙂
Dayna
Do you think these could be made into "bars" instead of individual cookies?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Dayna! I wouldn't recommend making this recipe into bars as they will be too raw in the middle.
Gboluwaga
Thank you for a wonderful recipe. Please can you confirm the size each cookie should be in grams?
christina.marsigliese
You are welcome Gboluwaga! Each dough ball should be around 53-55g.
Mike
i made them yesterday 03-17-2026 they were gone after they cooled down and people were asking for the second and for the third one to eat they were the best cookies was chewy and tasty i made the dough the night before and i let it sit overnight in the fridge but { i know } it will be hard to scoop and even leaving it on the counter for over half hour the best think i did portion the dough to two equal balls and shaped like a cylinder and wrap it with plastic wrap cut the plastic wrap twice longer then the dough and roll it between the plastic wrap to about 1- foot long and about- 1 1/2 -inches in round diameter shaped as example like the garden wooden shovel handle for the thickness and the shape and leave them wrapped in the plastic wrap and leave in the fridge over night next day pre heat your oven unwrap the dough on a cutting board and slice about 3/4 inch slices and you can adjust how thick or thin you like but you have to adjust your cooking time and bake was much easier than scooping and you can wrap and put back the extra dough in the fridge or slice and freeze and have them fresh baked everyday you just take out of the freezer as many you want or sliced from the fridge thank you Christina for another amazing recipes i really recommend this recipe and I'm sorry for the big explanation i wish i could upload pictures it will be more easier to explain and butter for your fallowers to
my question is since i live in Canada and it's the maple season can i use maple syrup instead of honey
christina.marsigliese
Thanks for the feedback Mike! I'm so glad everyone enjoyed the cookies. 🙂 I wouldn't recommend substituting with maple syrup as the sugar content is lower than honey and it will affect the texture and spread.
K St. John
These cookies were insanely good. The real test for me with a double chocolate cookie is whether they are still soft on day 2 and these were perfection. The only change I made was to add 1 tsp of espresso powder. Not sure if it matters or not but in some cases I find it enhances the deepness of the chocolate flavor. I have also started weighing my ingredients and comparing to what would have happened had I used just the standard measuring cup scooping method. In all cases my flour, sugar and cocoa powder would have had pretty noticeable differences. Thank you for the great recipe, video and all of the information you provide around the science of baking. I have learned a lot reading your posts.
christina.marsigliese
You are welcome K St. John! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for the feedback 🙂
Bridget
This cookie recipe is AMAZING. Stuffed full of chocolate and deep chocolate flavor, and moist even when cool, with crispy edges. One of my new favorites. Thanks for sharing!
christina.marsigliese
You are welcome Bridget! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe 😀
Glenda Andrade
Hi, I am planning to bake your cookies, but I was wondering if they could be stuffed with pistachio cream.
christina.marsigliese
Hi Glenda! I'm not sure how well that will work as it would depend on how bake stability of pistachio cream. If it is too runny it will leak out of the cookie.
Sophia
Hi, before I bake I wanted to say I was surprised to see you paired dutch process cocoa with baking soda and that the cookie outcome will be chewy? Is it the honey that gives them the chew? What outcome will happen if I add 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Sophia, the brown sugar and the honey provide the acidity to react with the baking soda. Baking soda does more than just leaven, it also promotes flavor development. If you add cream of tartar, the cookies will be more puffy with an open texture and more crumbly.
Justin
I love the breadth of knowledge you bring to your answers (and recipes!). Thank you for sharing it.
I have a batch of these finished on the counter...I've made them a few times and just love them. I completely blame you that I'm staring at my Amazon cart and hovering over "Buy" for an 5kg bar of 70% dark chocolate and that this would add to the two 2.5kg bags of Callebaut callets (semisweet and bittersweet) in my cabinet. It's been worth it!
christina.marsigliese
You are welcome Justin! I'm so glad you enjoy these cookies. Lol you can never have enough chocolate!
Mariam
I've tried other double chocolate chip cookies but I would find them to end up being sometimes too thick or too thin or dries out the next day. These tho, came out perfect. They don't dry out and they have the perfect thickness, crispy edges, and chewiness. I did an even mix of 60g white chocolate, 60g milk chocolate, and 60g dark chocolate. A super decadent cookie. Thank you so much Christina for all your effort. Hands down you got the best chocolate cookie recipe on the internet
christina.marsigliese
You're welcome Mariam! Thanks the feedback! I'm so glad you enjoy my recipes 🙂
Vee
Hi there! Your link to your dark chocolate not working.. what brand do you use, and is this unsweetened or sweet dark chocolate? Thank you
christina.marsigliese
Thanks for letting me know Vee! Link is now fixed. I use 70% bittersweet dark chocolate from either Guittard or Callebaut.
Justin
Hi! The link for the dark chocolate isn't working and I'm wondering what percentage you're using. "Dark Chocolate" seems unclear since Ghuittard makes a 70% dark chocolate bar, 100% unsweetened dark chocolate bar, etc. Are we specifically going for unsweetened baking chocolate in this case?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Justin! Sorry, the link is now fixed. I recommend 70% bittersweet dark chocolate for this recipe.