These Soft & Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies combine rich cocoa flavor with plenty of melty chocolate chips for the ultimate chocolate lover's treat. Bake some now and freeze extra dough so you're never far from a warm cookie when a chocolate craving hits!
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Quick Recipe Summary ✨
Soft & Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies: Rich cocoa powder and plenty of chocolate chips combine for double the chocolate flavor in every bite.
No chill time required: The dough comes together quickly, so you can go from mixing bowl to warm cookies in about 30 minutes.
Perfect for make-ahead baking: Freeze extra dough balls and bake a few cookies whenever a chocolate craving strikes.
Active Time: About 15 minutes • Bake Time: 10 minutes • Total Time: About 30 minutes
Difficulty Level: ⭐ Easy. A simple drop-cookie recipe that's perfect for beginner and experienced bakers alike.
Yield: about 24 cookies • Freezer-friendly: Both baked cookies and unbaked cookie dough freeze beautifully • Make ahead: Scoop and freeze the dough for fresh-baked cookies anytime.
👉 Follow the detailed instructions and troubleshooting tips below to make bakery-quality Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with success every time!
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Why this recipe works
- Brown sugar helps keep the cookies soft and chewy for days
- Cocoa powder provides deep chocolate flavor without making the cookies overly sweet
- A generous splash of vanilla extract enhances the chocolate and adds extra depth
- The dough spreads just enough to create tender centers with lightly crisp edges
- Freezing portioned dough means warm homemade cookies are always within reach
Sometimes you just want to do something nice for someone special.
My older daughter aced a really important certification test, and I wanted to celebrate. And I do that by baking her a surprise treat. She is really fond of chocolate chip cookies, but I wanted to do something a little more special.
It was a really BIG test.
Leaving out the fresh mint from Double Chocolate Mint Cookies leads to easy soft and chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies. They're truly something special!
Also known as chocolate chocolate chip cookies, these soft and chewy double chocolate chip cookies have rich chocolate flavor with hints of vanilla peeking through. Their soft, chewy texture holds up even after they've cooled and been out on the counter for a few hours.
It's fun to take chocolate chip cookies beyond the normal variety. The aforementioned Double Chocolate Mint Cookies add a subtle hint of mint, or go seasonal and make Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Mix things up a bit!
My daughter loved her surprise, both the baked cookies and the bag of frozen dough balls I prepared for her to take home. I was so happy to be able to celebrate her accomplishment.
I invite you to celebrate someone special with Double Chocolate Cookies they will love!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
These cookies are sooo good! I wanted something quick and chocolatey for dinner and this was just perfect. Sharing the recipe with my family!
- Emilia
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this Double Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe:
Ingredient Notes
This double chocolate chip cookie recipe is a modified version of the classic Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe. Adding cocoa powder and extra vanilla extract gives them their rich double-chocolate flavor.
Cocoa powder: Having cocoa powder in the dough creates a richer chocolate flavor and softer, brownie-like texture than traditional chocolate chip cookies.
You can use regular cocoa powder or dark chocolate cocoa powder in this chocolate cookie recipe. The darker you go, the more intense the chocolate flavor in the cookie.
If possible, use natural cocoa powder rather than Dutch process. The former is more acidic and will react better with the baking soda, ensuring the cookies rise well. It's not crucial though since brown sugar is also acidic.
Chocolate chips: Use semisweet or dark chocolate chips in this cookie recipe for best results. Again, the darker you go, the more intense the flavor. Or, substitute white chocolate chips for fun reverse chocolate chip cookies (aka white chocolate chocolate chip cookies).
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
The method for making this cookie dough doesn't really vary from most cookie recipes. It's an easy and quick process, especially if you use a stand mixer or hand mixer.
Step 1: Make the cookie dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a medium bowl for a hand mixer), cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together, beating until the mixture is light and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat for an additional minute (photo 1).
Sift the flour and cocoa powder together (just to eliminate the possibility of lumps), then whisk in the the baking soda and salt (photo 2).
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat at a low speed until the dough is just combined, stopping to scrape the bowl as necessary. Fold in the chocolate chips, holding some back to press in later (photo 3).
The dough should look creamy and will be soft and pliable after mixing.
Step 2: Portion the cookie dough
You don't have to chill this cookie dough before portioning.
Use a small cookie scoop to gather one tablespoon of the dough, and roll into a ball about 1½-inches wide (photo 4).
How to make larger, bakery-style cookies
You can use a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) or large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) to make larger cookies. Just add 2 to 4 minutes to the baking time, watching for set edges and soft centers.
Step 3: Bake the cookies
Space six to eight cookie dough balls on a half sheet baking pan lined with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper (the cookies will spread a bit). Press a few of the reserved chocolate chips in the top of each cookie. You want the cookies to look as good as they taste!
Bake the cookies at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies look set (photo 5).
Underbaked vs overbaked cookies
These cookies might look a little underdone after 10 to 12 minutes of baking, but that's what helps keep them soft and chewy. The edges should look set while the centers still appear slightly soft, as they'll continue baking on the hot pan after coming out of the oven.
Truly underdone cookies will appear soft and shiny and will be very soft when pressed, while overbaked cookies will look dry and will be firm to the touch.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then use a large spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. The hardest part of the whole process is waiting long enough for them to cool before chowing down!
Storage instructions
Storage instructions: Baked cookies will keep for 2 to 3 days at room temperature (if they last that long!), and for much longer in the freezer. Frozen cookie dough can last up to 3 months in the freezer.
How to freeze cookie dough for later
After portioning the cookie dough, you can freeze them to bake later. Just place them on a rimmed baking pan lined with wax paper for about 30 minutes, then transfer to a ziplock bag for storage.
It isn't necessary to defrost frozen cookie dough when you're ready to bake them, just bake at 325°F for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies look set.
The result? Warm cookies from the oven anytime the mood hits you!
Cookie troubleshooting
Here are some issues you might encounter when making double chocolate chip cookies:
- Cookies didn't spread: Cookies that don't spread are usually caused by too much flour or an oven that wasn't fully preheated
👉 Measure the flour carefully. Using a kitchen scale will give you the best results, or at least spoon and level the flour instead of scooping directly from the bag. Also, verify your oven temperature with an oven thermometer - Cookies spread too much: Cookies that spread too much are often caused by butter that was too soft, too little flour, or a baking sheet that was still warm from a previous batch.
👉 Make sure the butter is softened but not melty, measure the flour carefully (use a kitchen scale or the spoon and level technique), and let the baking sheet cool completely between batches - Cookies turned out dry: Dry cookies are often the result of too much flour or baking a minute or two too long
👉 Measure the flour carefully (scale or scoop & level), and remove the cookies when the centers are still slightly soft - Cookies are cakey instead of chewy: Too much flour or overmixing the dough can create a lighter, cakier texture instead of a chewy one
👉 Mix only until the ingredients are combined and be careful not to pack extra flour into the measuring cup (say it with me now, a kitchen scale is truly the answer!)
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
Semisweet or dark chocolate chips are the best choices for chocolate chip cookies. Look for chips with 50% to 85% cocoa solids for the best results.
This double chocolate chip cookie recipe is soft and chewy from increasing the amounts of brown sugar and baking soda. Plus, taking the cookies out of the oven when they're they look a little underdone helps their texture remain soft.
Having the butter at room temperature is best for creaming with the sugars. During the creaming process, air is trapped in the dough, making the cookies rise and be fluffy during baking. Any warmer, the butter won't be able to trap as much air, leading to flatter cookies.
Yes, but the cookies may spread a bit differently and have a smoother, less tangy chocolate flavor than when made with natural cocoa powder.
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I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L'chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More recipes with chocolate chips to try
Recipe
Soft & Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- small cookie scoop (1 tablespoon) see Recipe Notes
- spatula
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder, see Recipe Notes
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 ounces chocolate chips, see Recipe Notes (1 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line two half-sheet baking pans with Silpat silicone mats or parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a medium bowl for a hand mixer), cream ½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup dark brown sugar together, beating at medium-high speed until the mixture is light and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1 large egg and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract and beat for an additional minute.
- In a small bowl, sift together 1¼ cups all-purpose flour and ⅓ cup cocoa powder to remove any lumps, then whisk in the 1 teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat at low speed until the dough is just combined, stopping to scrape the bowl as necessary. Fold in 6 ounces chocolate chips, holding some back to press in later.
- Use a small cookie scoop to portion out one tablespoon of the dough into your hand, then roll into balls, about 1½-inches wide.
- Space six to eight balls on each cookie sheet (the cookies will spread a bit). Press a few of the reserved chocolate chips in the top of each cookie.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies look set, rotating the pans half-way through. They might look a little underdone, but that's what helps keep them soft and chewy.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then use a large spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve and enjoy!
- Storage instructions: Baked cookies will keep for 2 to 3 days at room temperature (if they last that long!), and for much longer in the freezer. Frozen cookie dough can last up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Make-ahead instructions: After you've portioned out the cookie dough into balls in Step 5, you can freeze them on a rimmed baking pan lined with wax paper for about 30 minutes, then transfer to a ziplock bag for storage. It isn't necessary to defrost frozen cookie dough, just bake at 325°F for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies look set.
Emilia says
These cookies are sooo good! I wanted something quick and chocolatey for dinner and this was just perfect.
Sharing the recipe with my family!
Tammy Spencer says
I’m so glad you liked them! 🙂
Shira says
So yummy!
Tammy Spencer says
Thanks!