Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
TASTE: An homage to chocolate with three different kinds packed into one cookie!
TEXTURE: Thick, fudgy like a brownie, with big chunks of chocolate throughout.
EASE: No mixer required, but you do need to chill the dough for best results. Luckily, the cookies take just 7 minutes to bake!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: Your friends will think you bought these at an expensive bakery. They don’t need to know how easy they were to bake!
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I have been counting down the days to share this recipe! Its creation was a labor of love. The recipe was meticulously tested across a dozen experimental batches to nail a cookie that’s perfectly thick, chocolatey, and rich that anyone can make.
In fact, one taste tester called these “the best cookies ever!”
I originally got the idea for this recipe while visiting New York City and sampling one of Levain’s Double Chocolate Cookies for the first time.
What Makes Cookies Chewy, Crisp, or Cakey?
My free guide reveals the ingredients and tweaks that matter.
I didn’t want my version to be quite as massive and dense as the Levain cookies, but still wanted to yield decadently rich and fudgy brownie-like cookies with glistening pools of chocolate.
I’ve published an entire cookbook on cookie baking, as well as dozens of cookie recipes right here on my website, but I still get ridiculously excited when I nail a new recipe.
Read more below to peek into my recipe development process, as well as all my tips to ensure perfect cookies.
Sprinkle of Science
Key Ingredients for Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Learning about specific ingredients helps you understand how and why your favorite recipes work, and how to troubleshoot when things go sideways. The full ingredients list is found in the recipe card at the bottom, but here are a few special ingredients that help guarantee recipe success.
- Bleached All-Purpose Flour: This recipe was developed with Gold Medal Bleached All-Purpose Flour. When tested with unbleached flour, the dough was looser and stickier due to its lower absorbency compared to bleached. If using unbleached flour, you may need to add 1-2 extra tablespoons, especially if you live in a humid climate.
- Light Brown Sugar: We use only brown sugar to provide more moisture, flavor, and less spread than white granulated sugar.
- Egg Yolk: In addition to the whole egg, an extra egg yolk offers more richness for a fudgier texture.
- Natural Cocoa Powder: Typically I prefer the taste and color of Dutch-processed cocoa, but in this recipe, I found that natural cocoa created a chewier texture and a more nostalgic chocolate flavor.
- Instant Espresso Powder: This is a totally optional ingredient! Just a touch helps amplify the chocolate flavor without much noticeable coffee flavor.
- Milk Chocolate Chips: Milk chocolate balances the intensity of chocolate flavor while also providing a contrasting color tone for gorgeous, gourmet-looking cookies. I prefer the Ghirardelli ones, which are slightly oversized.
- Semisweet Chocolate “Super” Chips: I love using the Guittard Super Chips in this recipe. They’re giant chocolate chips that get all puddly and melty in cookies. They are pricey, so I like to stock up when they’re on sale at Sprouts. You could also use chopped chocolate chunks instead.
How to Avoid Dry Chocolate Cookies
Cocoa powder tends to zap moisture from cookie dough. This is why we’re using moisture-boosting ingredients like brown sugar and an extra egg yolk. However, it’s KEY to avoid over-measuring the cocoa powder, which will create dry, crumbly cookies. This is shockingly easy to do when using volume measuring cups.
I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale to measure both the flour and cocoa powder in this recipe. It’ll ensure perfect accuracy for no dry cookies. See exactly how I measure flour the right way here.
Do I really need to chill the dough?
Yes, but I promise it’s worth the wait! Chilling the dough intensifies the chocolate flavor and creates more moist, thick, and fudgy cookies. Scoop the dough, wrap well in plastic, then chill in the fridge for at least an hour but preferably overnight or up to 48 hours. Learn more about chilling cookie dough here.
For Thick Cookies, Bake at a Higher Temperature
In one of my rounds of testing, I baked dough from the same recipe, portioned at the same size, at three different oven temperatures:
I found that not only were the cookies from the 400°F temperature batch thicker, they were significantly softer, fudgier, and more moist inside and stayed that way for longer after baking!
Can I Make Smaller or Larger Cookies?
Yes! Here are some guidelines:
- Smaller Cookies – portion dough into 1.5-tablespoon balls (use a medium cookie scoop) and bake at 400°F for about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Extra Large NYC-Style Cookies – portion dough into 6-ounce balls and bake at 400°F for about 10 minutes.
How to Store Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To keep the cookies extra soft, add a tortilla or piece of white sandwich bread to the container.
How to Freeze Double Chocolate Cookie Dough
Place the pre-portioned, already-chilled scoops of cookie dough in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Bake at 380°F for 11 minutes. Note that freezing will make these cookies slightly less moist.
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Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (143 grams) all-purpose flour*
- 2/3 cup (57 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (85 grams) milk chocolate chips, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup (85 grams) semisweet chocolate super chips or chunks, plus more for garnish
- Flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter in 20-second bursts until melted. Whisk in the brown sugar. Let cool until just warm. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until completely smooth and combined. With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder (if using), and salt. Fold in both chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. Dough will appear slightly greasy and sticky and will firm up as it sits.
- Using a large spring-loaded scoop, drop 3-tablespoon balls of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Roll dough scoops between your palms to smooth. Dot generously (more than you think!) with additional chocolate chips, pointing any tips down into the dough to avoid scorching.
- Wrap the scooped dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferably overnight or up to 48 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Bake for about 7 minutes or until just set. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle each cookie with flaky sea salt. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
The Ultimate Cookie Handbook
Learn the sweet SCIENCE of cookie baking in a fun, visual way to customize your own recipes frustration-free. Plus, my best 50+ homemade cookies!
This recipe was originally published in 2014 and recently revamped with an improved recipe and new photos. Photos by Jess Gaertner.
These will be a new go-to cookie in my kitchen. So, so good! I made the 1.5 T size, and 6 minutes was perfect. Thank you, Tessa, for another wonderful recipe!
Love you Tessa, and your wonderful cookie recipes! I made these double chocolate chip cookies for my family and they turned out perfect, so tasty!
Is it possible to substitute the cocoa powder with flour and get the same thick, soft cookie? I’ve tried several recipes to get a thick ,soft cookie without using cocoa powder. And yes I always refrigerate my dough before baking. My family prefers a vanilla cookie with chocolate chips, but I just can’t seem to get a thick, soft cookie. I have even tried adding 1/4 cup of cornstarch to the recipe, but that didn’t help much.
Maybe I should find a recipe that contains only 1 stick of butter to reduce the spread? Or add more flour? I am very interested in the science of baking . Please help me find a solution.