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These Dark Chocolate Cookies are not for the faint of heart. Intensely fudgy, with melt-in-your-mouth centers and a positively outrageous amount of dark chocolate chips, these ooey-gooey beauties are dangerously delicious.
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These deep, dark cookies take classic double chocolate chip cookies a step farther with THREE TIMES the chocolate.
Cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and a heap of chocolate chips each play a special role in making them the ultimate chocolate experience.
These chewy dark chocolate cookies have a smooth, glossy, almost brownie-like dough (as Brownie Cookies know). You don’t even need to chill it prior to baking!
And if all of the above hasn’t already convinced you to run to your kitchen to bake them immediately, the finishing sprinkle of sea salt certainly will.
One thing you’ll notice about these dark chocolate cookies with sea salt is the seemingly outlandish amount of chocolate chips (a full, 12-ounce bag).
As you stir them in, you may think that there’s no possible way the batter can hold all of these together.
But persevere! The smooth, glossy, brownie-like cookie dough will turn out exactly as it should.
Plus, I suspect that once you try them, you’ll never want them any other way.
These chocolate cookies are unquestionably decadent. For healthy dark chocolate cookies, be sure to check out The Well Plated Cookbook, which has my favorite recipe for FLOURLESS dark chocolate cookies that are more wholesome (and outrageously tasty!).
And for loaded cookies, check out the BEST Monster Cookies.
The Difference: Semisweet, Bittersweet, or Dark Chocolate?
- The terms “semisweet” and “bittersweet” are both subcategories of dark chocolate and are used in baking to indicate the ratio of sugar to cocoa solids; you can find this ratio labeled as a percent. Anything greater than 35% cocoa can be labeled “dark chocolate.”
- Usually, chocolate labeled “semisweet” has more sugar/less cocoa than chocolate labeled “bittersweet.” Semisweet usually hovers in the 50% to 60% range; it will taste sweeter than bittersweet chocolate.
- Bittersweet chocolate usually falls somewhere in the 70% range, though I’ve seen “bittersweet” chocolate in stores that’s 60%. (Confusing!)
- The good news is, you have choices! For my baking, when I want “dark” chocolate, I look for something around 65%. The higher the percent, the more intense the chocolate flavor will be, so choose to suit your own preferences.
- Wondering about “unsweetened” chocolate? This has NO sugar added and is intensely bitter. You don’t want to use this in a recipe without adding some other kind of sweetener.
5 Star Review
“I just love this recipe! It’s perfection in cookie form.”
— Gretchen —
How to Make Dark Chocolate Cookies
The secret to these dark chocolate chip cookies’ bewitching, melt-in-your-mouth texture is using a combination of both cocoa powder and melted chocolate. The cocoa makes them ultra rich-tasting, while the melted chocolate makes them chewy.
Now you’ll know what homey and luxurious tastes like at the same time!
The Ingredients
- Chocolate. Melted chocolate plays a vital role in this cookie recipe, for good reason as Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies also proves. It provides part of the chocolate flavor trifecta and aids in making the cookie centers ultra moist and gooey.
- Chocolate Chips. Nestled throughout every bite of each cookie, chocolate chips add a wonderful textural element and pack additional chocolatey goodness.
The Best Dark Chocolate for Baking
Splurge on high-quality chocolate for these cookies. The flavor payoff is oh so totally worth it! I think the best brands of dark chocolate for cookies are:
- For Chocolate Bars: Ghirardelli is my go-to. It’s perfectly rich at a decent price point. For a splurge, I sometimes use Lindt. Trader Joe’s brand is also quite good.
- For Chocolate Chips: Guittard is hard to beat. Ghiradelli makes good chocolate chips as well.
- Cocoa Powder. For creating an even richer, deeper chocolate flavor (like in these cloud-like Chocolate Meringue Cookies).
- All-Purpose Flour. This recipe uses very little flour compared to other cookies, which is part of what makes them so fudgy.
- Butter. Some butter is necessary in this recipe to make sure the cookies develop that scrumptious melty center.
- Sugar. A little sugar helps balance any bitterness in the chocolate.
- Vanilla. Chocolate + vanilla = a perfect match.
- Flaky Sea Salt. While optional, this is a final flourish that truly takes these cookies to the next level (just ask these Almond Flour Cookies).
Substitution Tip
You can also use dark chocolate instead of chocolate chips when baking this dark chocolate chip cookie recipe. Chop 12 ounces of chocolate bars into rough pieces, then stir them into the batter. The result will be fabulous. I love how some pieces are small flecks and others are big puddles.
The Directions
- Sift the dry ingredients.
- Melt the chocolate and butter together.
- Beat the eggs and sugar together, then add the vanilla.
- Combine the butter/chocolate mixture with the egg mixture.
- Incorporate the dry ingredients.
- Mix until the batter is thick and shiny.
- Stir in the chocolate chips (yes, all of them).
- Drop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 9 to 10 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough. ENJOY!
The Best Variations to Dark Chocolate Cookies
Perhaps a tsunami of dark chocolate is a little too much for you? We can’t be friends. You have options! Here are some delicious variations to try. You also can do a mix:
- White Chocolate Chips. Dark chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips are a wonderfully complementary combination.
- Nuts. Use half chocolate chips and half chopped walnuts or pecans for a rich, buttery flavor. (This is one of my favorites!)
- Dried Fruit. Take your pick! Cranberries, cherries, apricots. Have fun playing around.
- Chocolate Chunks. Up the chocolate ante by making dark chocolate chunk cookies by swapping the bag of dark chocolate chips for chocolate chunks.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Place cookies in an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze. Freeze cookies in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Thaw and enjoy as desired.
Tip!
For fresh cookies on demand, freeze your cookie dough. Drop the cookie dough by tablespoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, then freeze until solid. Store the frozen dough balls in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen as directed, adding a few extra minutes baking time if needed.
What to Serve with Dark Chocolate Cookies
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Healthy Hot Chocolate
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- Cookie Sheet. This one is long-lasting, non-stick, and warp-resistant.
- Batter Scoop. For perfectly-portioned cookies, muffins, and more.
- Stand Mixer. This appliance is a worthy investment if you love to bake.
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PrintDark Chocolate Cookies
4.87 from 29 votes
Chewy, gooey deep dark chocolate cookie recipe loaded to the max with three kinds of chocolate chips and chunks, and topped with sea salt!
Prep: 30 minutes mins
Cook: 10 minutes mins
Total: 50 minutes mins
Servings: 30 small cookies
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Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped I used 60%; the darker the chocolate, the more intense the cookies will be
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 6 pieces
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips about 2 cups
- Flaky sea salt such as Maldon or Fleur de Sel (optional)
Instructions
Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water's surface. Add the bittersweet chocolate and butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, just the chocolate and butter are almost fully melted. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and stir until it melts completely and looks smooth and shiny. Let cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until they are pale and foamy. Beat in the vanilla.
Scrape down the bowl, then reduce the speed to low and add the cooled chocolate mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
Scrape down the bowl again. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing just until the dry ingredients disappear into the batter.
The batter will be thick and shiny and brownie batter-like.
By hand with a rubber spatula, gently stir in the chocolate chips.
For small cookies (2-inch) cookies, drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space between the mounds of dough. For larger (3-inch) cookies, drop into mounds that are 2 inches across (you'll need about 2 tablespoons of dough). Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a pinch of flaky salt.
Bake the cookies for 9 minutes (if smaller) or 10 minutes (if larger). The tops of the cookies will appear slightly dry and the inside will be soft. Let rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then gently transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature (or as long as you can stand).
Repeat with the remaining dough, baking only one sheet of cookies at a time in the center of the oven. If you are reusing the same baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches.
Notes
- If when the cookies are cooled, the chocolate is still gooier than you’d like, simply refrigerate the cookies for about 10 minutes.
- Actual cookie yield may vary depending upon the size of the dough scooped.
- TO STORE: Place cookies in an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze cookies in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Thaw and enjoy as desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 30)Calories: 143kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 16mgPotassium: 121mgFiber: 2gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 71IUCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
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Erin Clarke
Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!
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