The Ultimate Soft & Chewy Chocolate Cookies
These are the ultimate chocolate cookies and they’re made for the serious chocolate lover! Soft, rich and chewy, they’re basically cookie brownies. These chocolate cookies have crisp edges, a crackly top, and a perfectly fudgy center. It’s like chocolate sugar cookies had a baby with the perfect brownies!
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No fancy equipment needed so tuck away that stand mixer and paddle attachment. The dough comes together in one bowl, by hand, with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. And if you’re feeling a little extra, you can customize them with chopped nuts, peanut butter chips, or even chocolate chunks or chocolate chips for the ultimate double chocolate chip cookie!
Whether you’re looking for an answer to your chocolate cravings or just for your next go-to cookie recipe, these chewy cookies might just be the best cookies to ever come out of your oven.
Looking for more amazing cookie recipes? Check out this contest-winning chocolate chip cookie recipe, these brown butter s’mores cookies or these classic confetti cookies! If chocolate recipes are more your thing check out these recipes below!
Key Ingredients
Flour. A 50/50 blend of all-purpose flour & cake flour is used for this recipe. All-purpose flour ensures that the cookie’s structure is stable enough for it to hold together. Cake flour lowers the total gluten percentage in the cookies giving it a softer texture.
Cocoa powder. Regular unsweetened cocoa powder is used in this chocolate cookie recipe. This powdered form of chocolate also helps to prevent the cookies from spreading too much!
Sugar. Another 50/50 blend of granulated sugar and brown sugar. I use dark brown sugar but light brown sugar or even maple sugar work equally well as substitutes. Granulated white sugar works with the all-purpose flour to make the cookies sturdy while tenderizing the texture & adding the necessary sweetness. Brown sugar is incorporated to make the cookies chewy but it also complements the deep chocolate flavor.
Unsalted butter. Carries the flavor in this cookie while adding richness and the fat ensures the cookies aren’t dry and crumbly. Additionally the water content in the butter helps to act as a solvent for the sugar giving the cookies a crackle top, similar to brownies.
Cornstarch. Helps keep the cookies soft even after they cool.
Flaky sea salt. Balances the flavor of the cookie so they’re not cloyingly sweet. It’s okay to swap in regular table salt, but I prefer flaked sea salt for tiny salty bursts once they’re baked.
Baking soda. Balances the acidity of the cocoa powder and gives the cookies a fudgey texture compared to baking powder which would make them more cakey.
Tips for the Best Chocolate Cookies
- Use room temperature ingredients. This is especially important for the egg since the water content also helps to dissolve the sugar which is what gives the cookies a crackly top similar to brownies! The sugar will dissolve much more easily at room temperature than with cold ingredients.
- Mix well to make the sugar is completely dissolved after adding the egg. During baking the moisture in the recipe evaporates leaving behind a thin, shiny & crackly top making the outside just a little crisp but the inside soft and fudgy!
- Use an oven thermometer! I recommend one for literally all my baking recipes. It takes out the guess work since your oven can have hot spots or run hotter (or cooler) than the displayed reading. A precise temperature is especially important for this recipe since it will dictate whether the cookies spread just enough or too much. I use this one since it’s display is outside of the oven making it easy for quick reads that don’t involve burning a finger or singeing an eyebrow.
- Don’t place the cookie dough on an already hot or warm pan. Doing this will cause the cookies to spread more. Since my most of my cookie recipes usually yield 8-10, I always have at least 2 cookie baking sheets or sheet pans ready to account for sufficient spacing.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is this recipe in grams? Grams are also a smaller unit of measurement than ounces so they are more precise! I tend to measure by weight instead of volume (using measuring cups) for many of my baking recipes since it allows for consistently replicable results! Although alternative measurements (in cups) for dry ingredients are provided, please note that these are only estimates as this can differ from person to person. For best results use a kitchen scale and measure in grams (or ounces).
- Can I substitute regular cocoa powder for Dutch processed? Yes but the cookie will taste a little sweeter and the chocolate flavor a little muted but also smoother. The cookies will also have a much darker color than if regular cocoa powder was used. If you like a more intense and rich flavor and are using Dutch-processed cocoa powder you can add a bit of espresso powder or instant coffee.
How to Make these Soft & Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Step 1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
Step 2. Add the all-purpose flour, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cornstarch & salt to a bowl and stir to evenly distribute all the ingredients. Set aside.
Step 3. In a large microwave-safe bowl heat the butter until completely melted. You’ll want the butter to be hot so that the sugar dissolves more easily.
Step 4. Add the granulated and brown sugars to the melted butter and mix until smooth.
Step 5. Add the vanilla extract and the egg. Mix again until the sugar is dissolved. A little undissolved sugar is fine since the concentration of sugar in relation to liquid is quite high but you should try to dissolve the sugar as much as possible at this point. This is what will give the cookies that iconic shiny & crackly top (similar to brownies).
Step 6. Add the dry ingredients from earlier and fold into the sugar/egg mixture until there are no more dry spots. Don’t over mix since this could result in cookies that are more cake-like and dry.
Step 7. Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. Starting with a cool/cold batter will help to prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
For a thicker cookie that’s more bakery-style chill the cookie dough for a minimum of 20 minutes. The cookie dough might be a little harder to scoop (so make sure you use a sturdy ice cream or cookie scoop) but the cookies’ spread will be minimal!
Step 8. Scoop the cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow for at least 2 inches of space around each cookie to account for spreading. Be sure to use a cool baking sheet given that you will likely need to bake on a separate baking tray to allow for adequate spacing of the cookies.
Step 9. Bake cookies for 9 minutes at 400°F on the middle rack of your oven. If you prefer a softer, more fudgy center you can bake for 8 minutes. I recommend setting a timer once you put the cookies in the oven since even an extra minute can a make a difference!
Step 10. Allow to cool on the baking tray (no wire rack needed) at least slightly before serving. Enjoy plain or dust lightly with confectioner’s/icing sugar!
Store in an airtight container and serve within 5 days for optimal taste and texture!
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Equipment
- cookie jar or other airtight container
Ingredients
- 100 grams all-purpose flour 3½ oz or ¾ cup minus 1 TBSP
- 100 grams cake flour 3½ oz or ¾ cup
- 26 grams unsweetened cocoa powder 1 oz or 4 TBSP
- 120 grams granulated sugar 4¼ oz or ½ cup
- 120 grams dark brown sugar 4¼ oz or ½ cup plus 1 TBSP packed
- 140 grams unsalted butter 5 oz or 10 TBSP
- 1 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp flaked sea salt
- confectioner's sugar for dusting optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Add the all-purpose flour, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cornstarch & salt to a bowl and stir to evenly distribute all the ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl heat the butter until completely melted. The butter should be hot so that the sugar dissolves more easily in the next step.
- Add the granulated and brown sugars to the melted butter and mix with a spatula until smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract and the egg and mix again until the sugar is dissolved. A little undissolved sugar is fine but try to dissolve the sugar as much as possible at this point. This will give the cookies a crackly top.
- Add the dry ingredients from earlier and fold into the sugar/egg mixture just until there are no more dry spots.
- Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. For a thicker cookie chill the cookie dough for a minimum of 20 minutes.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow for at least 2 inches of space around each cookie to account for spreading.
- Bake cookies for 9 minutes at 400°F on the middle rack of your oven. If you prefer a softer, more fudgy center, bake for 8-8½ minutes.
- Allow to cool on baking tray/cookie sheet at least slightly before serving. Enjoy plain or dust lightly with confectioner’s/icing sugar!
- Store in an airtight container and serve within 5 days for optimal taste and texture!
Notes
-
- For best results use a kitchen scale and measure in grams (or ounces). Grams are more precise and allow for consistently replicable results! Although alternative measurements (in cups) for dry ingredients are provided, please note that these are only estimates as this can differ from person to person.
- Use room temperature ingredients.
- Don’t place the cookie dough on an already hot or warm pan. Doing this will cause the cookies to spread more.
