I refrained from naming this recipe ‘the best chocolate chip cookie’ or some other title containing a superlative because there are so many amazing chocolate chip/chunk cookies out there and each one is special in its own way. I could never claim mine is the best because there are so many other cookie recipes that I truly love. I love Tara O’Brady’s chocolate chip cookie recipe that calls for melted butter and it is my go-to when I do not have room temperature butter handy. I always make Thalia’s recipe whenever I want a cookie with lots of ‘chocolate puddles,’ which is a term I learned from her. I love the brown butter toffee cookies by Kate Davis on the Bon Appetit website and I always have Skor bars in the pantry reserved for those cookies. And Sarah Kieffer’s pan-banging technique takes any cookie to a whole new level. I actually love everyone else’s recipe so much that I never really cared to share my own cookie recipe.
I developed the original version of this recipe for my cookbook, and that floral version is studded with white and dark chocolate and has culinary lavender incorporated into the dough. This one I am sharing today is more of a classic – no floral elements – but still has everything I love about that original cookie — crispy edges, chewy centres, and large pools of chocolate. This cookie dough is a really good canvas for whatever mix-ins or chocolates you like. I usually use a mixture of dark and milk chocolates, but will also fold in some blond or caramelized white chocolate to make them extra special. I love using Valrhona chocolates for my cookies but any good quality chocolate will work. To get the largest chocolate ‘puddles,’ refrain from using chocolate chips and opt for a chocolate bar that you can coarsely chop up yourself. I also save larger pieces of chocolate to top each dough ball before baking.
So this is all I have to say about the cookies. I love them. I hope you love them too.
My Favourite Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 140 g (1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 126 g (1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp) brown sugar
- 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 220 g (1 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 117 g (2/3 cup) coarsely chopped dark chocolate
- 117 g (2/3 cup) coarsely chopped milk chocolate
- 60 g (1/3 cup) coarsely chopped Dulcey chocolate, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until they are smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla and egg to the butter mixture and mix on medium speed until they are fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in two batches to the butter mixture, and mix until the ingredients are just combined, about 1 minute.
- Separate the chopped chocolates into two portions; I like to reserve the larger pieces to top each cookie dough ball before baking. Add one portion of the chocolates to the bowl, and mix until they are just incorporated with the dough, about 30 seconds. Set second portion of chocolates aside.
- With a standard ice cream scoop, form 12 even balls of dough.
- Place filled dough balls about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the baking sheet. Place several pieces of reserved chocolate onto each dough ball.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies are browned and caramelized along the edges and the centres are just set. If you would like your cookies to have the crinkled edges, give the pan a few taps on the oven rack before you take them out of the oven.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Linda says
For the flour, is it 220 g in all? Thank you!
amy h. says
yes! i realized i miss the 'g' — thanks for pointing it out!!
Tiffany says
These cookies look fantastic! Now I’m definitely craving something sweet and packed with chocolate!
Tiffany
Phlanx's Marketing Specialist
Unknown says
For the ripple effect, do you only do it once? The original recipe/method called for multiple taps and curious if just the one tap would be enough.
amy h. says
i do it twice usually to get the ~extra~ ripple!
Unknown says
Thanks!
Unknown says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! They turned out amazing and so aesthetically pleasing😉 my mom tried them and voted them the best cookies yet! They're easy and with the grams its minimal clean up. Cant ask for a better recipe!
Christine says
The recipe requires dark chocolate but I notice that a lot of recipes say dark chocolate when they mean bittersweet chocolate. A dark chocolate baking bar has 99% cacao and a Bitterseet Baking Bar has 65%-70% cacao. So, my question is does this recipe require dark or bittersweet chocolate? Thanks.
Suzanne says
This looks so good!! What a fun way to enjoy even more chocolate in a cookie!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Holly says
I can’t fathom how large your cookies must be because i got 25 good sized cookies out of this recipe even though it asks for 12 balls. Very delicious, chocolatey, buttery, crispy cookies. Will definitely make them again.
Kate says
Hi looks great. Not seeing ingredient or instruction for the flakes (sea salt or sugar?), on top of your cookies.
Tayla says
A little on the sweet side, I’d suggest adding less sugar. They do however, have a nice ratio of crunchy vs soft, especially when you bang them on the counter for the ripple effect!