Everyone has what they call a perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I love that about the internet, there's room for everyone's favorites. But what is one person's favorite may not be another's, which is why I wanted to share MY version of perfect chocolate chip cookies – chocolate chunk cookies. They're somewhere between thick and thin, with crisp slightly crinkly edges and a chewy, gooey center. I use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips so it integrates into the cookie more seamlessly and you get nice puddles on top. I also use a little extra salt to balance the sweetness. PLUS with melted butter, there’s no chill time required.
Ingredients
These chocolate chunk cookies use very standard cookie ingredients, just in the most perfect (in my opinion) combination to yield the crispy edges, chewy center, and perfectly sweet yet salty flavor.
- Unsalted butter: unsalted butter is ideal for baking so you can fully control the saltiness because every salted butter has a different quantity of salt.
- Brown sugar: brings the deep rich sugar flavor with the addition of molasses. Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar both work. I happen to be partial to dark brown sugar.
- Granulated sugar: classic white sugar.
- Flour: all purpose flour.
- Baking soda: the leavening agent.
- Salt: kosher salt, always. I prefer Diamond Crystal.
- Egg: one large egg.
- Vanilla extract: amps up the warm cozy flavors.
- Semisweet chocolate bar: as it sounds, a perfect balance of sweet and bitter. If you really like dark chocolate you can absolutely use that instead. Or even 50/50 semisweet/dark.
How to make them
With no chilling required, these cookies are a go-to.
1. Whisk together the melted butter and sugar (granulated and brown).
2. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract.
3. Fold in the flour, baking soda and salt until almost fully combined.
4. Fold in the chopped chocolate.
5. Scoop the chocolate out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden on the edges and just set in the center. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before eating.
Tips and tricks
- I recommend getting a kitchen scale if you can – for baking it makes your end result more exact.
- However, if you don’t have a kitchen scale, it’s important to spoon and level flour when you measure it. Meaning, use a spoon to drop it into the measuring cup, then using the handle of the spoon measure it off so it is exactly the size of the measuring cup.
- This recipe makes 8 pretty large cookies, if you want more than 8 I suggest either doubling the recipe or making them smaller. However, making them large cookies is what gives you the result of a crispy exterior with gooey just-baked centers.
- When you chop the chocolate, leave some larger pieces and reserve them on the side. Then place the larger pieces on top of the dough balls before baking and you’ll get nice chocolate puddles.
- For perfectly round cookies, right when you take them out of the oven use something round that is larger than their circumference (a biscuit cutter is perfect), place it over the cookie and gently scoot around it in a circular motion to smooth the edges.
- To help get the crispy edges, when you take the cookies out of the oven bang the pan flat on your counter a few times, it'll help deflate them and crinkle the edges.
Cookie scoop 101
I recommend using a cookie scoop if you want to get consistently sized cookies. They are most commonly found in sizes 20, 40 and 60. The smaller the number, the larger the cookie. For example size 20 is 3 tbsp, size 40 is 1.5 tbsp, and size 60 is 1 tbsp. I use a size 20 for this recipe.
Storage
- Baked cookies: These chocolate chunk cookies stay good at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I recommend warming them in the microwave for 15-30 seconds before enjoying.
- To freeze the dough: place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Then transfer the frozen dough to a freezer bag or container and it'll keep for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen at 325°F for 15-18 minutes.
FAQs
Usually around 40% – 65%, it’s the sweetest variety of dark chocolate. For comparison, milk chocolate has about 10% – 40% cacao.
I found it to be melting the butter!
Soften butter will create more of a cake-like texture with air bubbles whereas melted butter will make a more dense, chewy cookie.
You can, but the cookies might not turn out as pictured here, this recipe is specifically developed for chocolate chunks and how they melt in with the dough.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating and review below and tag me on social!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 oz semisweet chocolate chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
- Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Fold in the flour, baking soda, and salt until almost fully combined.
- Fold in the chopped chocolate (reserving some large chunks on the side).
- Scoop 3 tablespoon balls of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Top each dough ball with a large chunk or two of chocolate.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges are just golden brown.
Deb says
How much baking soda do you use? Missing from list of ingredients. ~1/2 tsp
Haley says
Yes, so sorry! Just added it, you are correct – 1/2 tsp.