If you’re ready to experience pure chocolate joy in cookie form, you absolutely have to try The Very Best Chocolate Cookies. These cookies combine a soft, chewy center with just the right amount of cocoa intensity, studded with melted chocolate chips and luxurious chunks. Whether you’re baking for a casual family night or to impress friends at a special gathering, this recipe guarantees melt-in-your-mouth cookies that everyone will crave again and again. Let’s dive in and make your new favorite treat together!
Ingredients You’ll Need
You don’t need anything fancy to whip up The Very Best Chocolate Cookies—just perfectly chosen basics that work magic together. Each ingredient here brings a little something special, delivering the ideal texture, deep chocolate flavor, and those picture-perfect, crackly tops.
- Unsalted butter: Provides richness and helps achieve a soft, chewy center—make sure it’s at room temperature so it creams beautifully.
- Brown sugar, packed: Adds moisture and a deep, caramel note that pairs perfectly with the chocolate.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens and helps create crispy edges that balance out the gooey middle.
- Large eggs: Bind everything together and give the cookies their signature soft texture.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the chocolate’s complexity—don’t skip it!
- All-purpose flour: The structure-providing backbone for these decadent cookies.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Intensifies the chocolate flavor, making every bite a chocoholic’s dream.
- Baking soda: Gives the cookies a little lift so they bake up just right.
- Salt: Rounds out all the flavors and keeps the sweetness in check.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: Melt into gooey pockets throughout each cookie for surprise bursts of chocolate.
- Chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chunks (optional): Add extra decadence—opt for this if you love big pools of chocolate in every bite.
How to Make The Very Best Chocolate Cookies
Step 1: Prep Your Oven and Pans
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper so the cookies won’t stick and cleanup will be a breeze. This ahead-of-time organization lets you bake efficiently and helps your cookies turn out perfectly every time.
Step 2: Cream Butter and Sugars
In a large bowl, beat together the softened unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Aim for a texture that is fluffy and lighter in color—this means air is incorporated, which leads to that dreamy tender bite The Very Best Chocolate Cookies are famous for.
Step 3: Add Eggs and Vanilla
One at a time, crack in the eggs and beat well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract. Mixing eggs in individually ensures an even, cohesive dough and the vanilla undertone lifts the chocolate flavor beautifully.
Step 4: Combine Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. This quick mix guarantees everything is distributed evenly—no surprise pockets of baking soda or cocoa!
Step 5: Bring Wet and Dry Together
Gradually add your dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined—overmixing can make cookies tough. You want the dough to be lush and chocolatey with all the dry spots gone, but still tender.
Step 6: Fold in All the Chocolates
Gently fold in the semisweet chocolate chips and, if you’re feeling extra indulgent, scatter in those chunks of dark chocolate. This step ensures pools of molten chocolate in every single bite, which is what truly sets The Very Best Chocolate Cookies apart.
Step 7: Portion and Bake
Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto your lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10–12 minutes—edges should just set while the centers appear slightly soft. If you love gooey centers, underbake by a minute. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them carefully to a wire rack.
How to Serve The Very Best Chocolate Cookies
Garnishes
A simple sprinkle of flaky sea salt just before baking elevates the chocolate flavor with a hint of savory contrast. For an extra-luxe look, shower the warm cookies with a little extra chopped chocolate or a dusting of powdered sugar right out of the oven. It’s the tiny details that make The Very Best Chocolate Cookies truly memorable.
Side Dishes
There’s nothing like pairing these cookies with an ice-cold glass of milk, a steamy cup of coffee, or your favorite hot chocolate. No need to get fancy—sometimes the classics really are the best, and these cookies make any simple moment feel a little more special.
Creative Ways to Present
Turn The Very Best Chocolate Cookies into a show-stopping dessert by making ice cream sandwiches: just scoop your favorite ice cream between two cookies and freeze for 30 minutes. Arrange them on a cozy platter with berries or stack and tie them with bakery twine as charming edible gifts—people will be genuinely delighted!
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
Once cooled, tuck any remaining cookies (if you have any!) into an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay soft and flavorful for up to 4 days—a quick zap in the microwave can revive that just-baked warmth.
Freezing
Both the dough and baked cookies freeze beautifully. For dough, portion onto a baking sheet and freeze before transferring to a zip-top bag—then just bake from frozen, adding a minute or two. Baked cookies can be individually wrapped, then frozen in a container for the ultimate on-demand chocolate fix.
Reheating
To recapture that fresh-baked magic, pop cookies in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 5 minutes or microwave for 10–15 seconds. This brings back a gooey interior and irresistible aroma, making the cookies taste like they just left the oven.
FAQs
Can I use salted butter?
Yes, just omit the added salt in the recipe to keep the flavor balanced. Salted butter works in a pinch, but using unsalted gives you more control over the final taste of The Very Best Chocolate Cookies.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Absolutely! Store dough in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours for even deeper flavor, or freeze scoops to bake whenever a craving strikes.
What cocoa powder is best?
Choose a high-quality, unsweetened natural cocoa powder for the richest flavor. Dutch-process will work too, just note the flavor profile will be slightly mellower and the color a bit darker.
How do I get perfectly chewy centers?
The key is to slightly underbake The Very Best Chocolate Cookies. When the edges are set and the centers look a little soft, take them out—they’ll finish setting as they cool.
Can I add nuts or other mix-ins?
Definitely! Chopped walnuts, pecans, or even white chocolate chips make fantastic additions. Just keep total mix-ins to about 2 cups to maintain the perfect texture.
Final Thoughts
The Very Best Chocolate Cookies are your ticket to instant cookie bliss—fudgy, melty, and utterly irresistible. Baking a batch is as rewarding as sharing it, so don’t wait to indulge yourself and the people you love. Trust me, this is one chocolate cookie recipe you’ll come back to every time you want to wow a crowd or simply treat yourself to something truly special!
Print
The Very Best Chocolate Cookies Recipe
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Indulge in the rich, decadent goodness of The Very Best Chocolate Cookies. These soft, chewy cookies are packed with semisweet and dark chocolate chunks for the ultimate chocolate lover’s treat.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chunks (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream butter and sugars: In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped chocolate.
- Bake: Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until edges are set but centers look slightly soft.
- Cool and enjoy: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
- For extra gooey centers, underbake by 1 minute.
- Add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top before baking for a sweet-salty finish.
- Dough can be chilled or frozen in advance.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 17g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
