Ultimate Chocolate Cookies

Thick, fudgy, and supremely chocolatey, these ULTIMATE chocolate cookies are loaded with melty chocolate! They are easy to make without a mixer and need just 30 minutes to chill. Recipe includes a how-to video!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy to make; there’s no creaming butter, rolling out dough, or long chilling time. Just a 30-minute stint in the fridge, and you’re ready to scoop!
• Ultimate chocolate flavor. thanks to bloomed cocoa, a hint of instant coffee, and chopped chocolate bars.
• Thick, chewy, and fudgy like brownies. They even have that shiny, crackly top that all the best brownies have!
• Large, bakery-style size. This just enhances the indulgence! You could always make them smaller if you want normal-sized cookies though.

I haven’t been so in love with a cookie since my worst chocolate chip cookies (or maybe just since the last cookie recipe I shared, honestly 🤷🏼‍♀️). Ridiculously indulgent, thick and chocolatey, these are truly a chocolate lover’s dream; rich, gooey, cocoa-infused chocolate cookies positively loaded with melty chocolate.

Today’s post is actually an updated version of my original chocolate cookie recipe. The original was good (I linked to it in the recipe card for anyone who wants it), but I wanted something richer, fudgier, and more chocolatey (I was calling them the ultimate chocolate cookies, after all). My taste-testers agreed hands-down that the new version was the clear winner.

What You Need

Here’s what you need to get started:

• Cocoa powder. While you can use any cocoa powder in this recipe, I prefer natural cocoa to Dutch process or dark cocoa here. You can read about the differences between them in my post on natural vs. Dutch process cocoa and decide for yourself which you want to use.
• Sugar. We’ll use a blend of granulated and light brown sugar for flavor and a nice chewy texture.
• Instant coffee. This is optional, but highly recommended! Adding it won’t make your cookies taste like coffee, but it will enhance the chocolate flavors that are already present. I recommend keeping this stocked in your pantry; I use it for everything from my coffee frosting to my chocolate zucchini bread.
• Chocolate. I like to use a semisweet or dark chocolate baking bar for the best melting and indulgence (the fine pieces melt into the dough and add so much flavor). You could use 8 oz of chocolate chips instead, but I recommend chopping your own bar for the most gourmet results.
• Vanilla. This complements and rounds out the chocolate flavor without competing with it. I recently received some pushback that vanilla doesn’t belong in chocolate recipes, let alone chocolate cookies, and I couldn’t disagree more. The vanilla is complementary to the chocolate flavor and only enhances it. I add it to my devil’s food cake too, and that’s about as chocolatey as you can get!

SAM’S TIP: I highly recommend sprinkling your cookies with some flaky sea salt within a minute or two of removing them from the oven. Yum.

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Chocolate Cookies

1. Melt the butter, then whisk in the cocoa and instant coffee. Adding these ingredients while the butter is still hot will bloom them and enhance their flavor.
2. Vigorously whisk in the sugars, eggs, and vanilla until the batter is smooth and well-combined.
3. Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula until completely combined.
4. Add the chopped chocolate and keep folding until incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.

5. Roll large scoops of cookie dough between your palms and place on your prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake, then let cool completely on the baking sheets before removing and enjoying.

SAM’S TIP: These cookies should still be soft and the centers may seem even a little under-done when they come out of the oven. Allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet where they’ll finish cooking. This ensures you’ll have nice, soft, chewy chocolate cookies that stay soft, even after they’ve cooled.

Frequently Asked Questions

My double chocolate muffins and chocolate lava cookies are more crave-worthy chocolate treats 🤎

Enjoy!

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Chocolate Cookies

Thick, fudgy, and supremely chocolatey, these ULTIMATE chocolate cookies are loaded with melty chocolate! They are easy to make without a mixer and need just 30 minutes to chill.

Recipe includes a how-to video!

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: cookie, Cookies, Dessert, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 cookies

Calories: 285kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
• ▢ ⅔ cups (65 g) natural cocoa powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon instant coffee grounds optional
• ▢ 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
• ▢ ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 ¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon table salt
• ▢ 8 oz semisweet or dark chocolate bar chopped into small pieces

Recommended Equipment

• ▢
  Mixing bowls
• ▢
  Baking sheet
• ▢
  Parchment Paper

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Place butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until completely melted.
  1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
• Immediately add cocoa powder and instant coffee (if using) and whisk until well-combined.
  ⅔ cups (65 g) natural cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon instant coffee grounds
• Add sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk vigorously until thoroughly combined and batter is smooth.
  1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
  2 ¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon table salt
• Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet until completely combined.
• Add chopped chocolate and stir until well distributed.
  8 oz semisweet or dark chocolate bar
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Once dough has chilled, scoop into 3 Tablespoon-sized scoops (60g) (for more uniform cookies, roll between your palms into smooth balls) and place on prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” (5cm) apart.
• Transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) oven and bake for 9-11 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying.

Notes

Cocoa powder

I prefer this recipe with natural cocoa powder but Dutch cocoa and dark cocoa powder work as well.

Size

This recipe makes large cookies, you can certainly scoop them smaller, just bake for less time.

Storing

Allow cookies to cool completely then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Original recipe

The original recipe was published in 2019 and I improved upon this recipe, making the cookie more fudgy and chocolatey. If you’re looking for the original, you can find it here, but note that I am no longer accepting comments on the original. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 165mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 312IU | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

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Related Recipes

I originally published this recipe in May of 2019 but have updated it. I’ve updated and (in my opinion) improved the recipe and taken new photos and a new video. For the original recipe, please see the bottom of the recipe card.