5 from 15 votes

Ultimate Chocolate Cookies

Name: Chocolate Cookies
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter; ⅔ cups natural cocoa powder; ½ teaspoon instant coffee grounds (optional); 1 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed); ¾ cup granulated sugar; 2 large eggs (room temperature); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ¾ teaspoon table salt; 8 oz semisweet or dark chocolate bar (chopped into small pieces)

By Sam MerrittPublished Oct 07, 2024

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67 Comments

Servings: 20 cookies

40 mins

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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!

Overhead view of neat rows of chocolate cookies on a cooling rack.

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.

Two halves of a chocolate cookie stacked on top of each other.

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:

Overhead view of ingredients including chocolate, cocoa powder, brown sugar, and more.

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, for some recipes (like my chocolate sugar cookies or chocolate shortbread) Dutch is the better choice, but not here..
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

4-photo collage showing the steps to make chocolate cookie dough

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.
Vigorously whisk in the sugars, eggs, and vanilla until the batter is smooth and well-combined.
Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula until completely combined.
Add the chopped chocolate and keep folding until incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.

2-photo collage showing scooping and baking the chocolate cookie dough

Roll large scoops of cookie dough between your palms and place on your prepared baking sheets.
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.

Overhead view of a chocolate cookie on a gold foil wrapper surrounded by other cookies and chocolate shards.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to add the coffee?

You don’t have to add it, but your cookies won’t have as deep of a chocolate flavor if you leave it out. I am not a coffee drinker, but I keep instant coffee on hand and add it to my chocolate desserts all the time (like my chocolate mousse!). I promise it won’t make your cookies taste like coffee!

Can I freeze the dough?

Yes! After chilling the dough, you can follow the instructions in my post on how to freeze cookie dough. I especially love to do this during the holiday season!

Why are my cookies falling apart?

These chocolate cookies are extremely fragile while warm. It’s important to let them cool completely on the baking sheet before trying to handle them. This also ensures a chewy texture; we’ll underbake them in the oven so they can finish baking on the hot cookie sheets outside the oven. If they’re still falling apart once cooled, they may have just needed more time in the oven.