Dark chocolate lovers rejoice! The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies rank above the rest. These soft, gooey cookies have an indulgent combination of textures and decadent dark chocolate to keep you reaching for more.
Bakery-style dark chocolate chip cookies
One bite of The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies and you’ll understand why they’re superior to classic chocolate chip cookies. Imagine a cookie with a firm, lightly crisped surface, a super soft and fudgy center, and ooey gooey dark chocolate in every bite. Yum!
The key to making chocolate chip cookies like the pros is using two different types of flour, creaming the wet ingredients first, and adding a touch of sea salt. Oh, and quality dark chocolate is a must! High quality ingredients always make all the difference when you want your cookies to stand out among the rest.
If you love dark chocolate as much as I do, be sure to try my Rosemary Dark Chocolate Tart and Dark Chocolate Pecan Donuts.
Ingredient notes
- All purpose flour and bread flour - Yes, you need BOTH. The extra protein in bread flour adds elasticity to the cookie dough, giving the baked cookies an extra tender texture. While you can use 100% all purpose flour, the texture won’t be quite the same without the bread flour.
- Unsalted Butter - As a self-proclaimed butter snob, I’m of the opinion that you should reach for organic, grass-fed, and/or cultured butter for the best results. If you are dairy-free, feel free to swap in your favorite plant-based substitute.
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar - Granulated white sugar aerates the dough while dark brown sugar adds a dynamic caramelized flavor. The combination achieves a cookie that is so soft and tender that it almost tastes creamy when you bite into it.
- Dark chocolate - Use a chopped dark chocolate bar, dark chocolate chips, or chunks! Feel free to use milk chocolate if dark chocolate isn’t your thing.
- Flaky sea salt - I love adding a pinch of flaky sea salt to most things and these chocolate chip cookies are no exception. It livens up the caramelized dark chocolate flavors and sweetens every rich and delicious bite.
Equipment
Making my ultimate chocolate chip cookies is a quite simple task requiring just the most basic kitchen wares. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Mixer - When it comes to creaming butter and sugar, a little electricity will go a long way toward saving your arms. Either a handheld or stand mixer will do well here.
- Medium Bowl & Spatula - Always reaching for these when making cookies!
- Tablespoon or Medium Cookie Scoop - If you have one, a cookie scoop will make your life much, much easier and will yield perfectly sized treats. If not, feel free to measure by tablespoon and roll them with your hands.
- Baking or Cookie Sheet - I highly recommend every home baker invest in a set of good, sturdy, unwarped baking sheets. They’ll make your life better!
How to make dark chocolate chip cookies
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk both types of flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
Step 2: Cream the butter, sugar, and egg. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and whip for a few more minutes.
Step 3: Finish the dough. Slowly pour the dry mixture into the wet and mix until just combined. Finish by folding in the dark chocolate.
Step 4: Chill the cookie dough balls. Scoop the dough into balls and place them in an airtight container. Place the container in the fridge until the balls are firm and chilled.
Step 5: Bake the cookies. Once chilled, transfer the dough balls to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until the edges just start to brown.
Step 6: Salt and cool. Sprinkle each cookie with flaked sea salt as soon as they come out of the oven. Let the salted cookies cool fully, then enjoy!
Expert tips and variations
- Measure precisely - Weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale will give you precise measurements and lead to cookie success!
- Chilling cookie dough - For the best results, chilling the cookie dough in the freezer is non-negotiable. This step firms up the butter and prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
- EXTRA chocolatey dark chocolate cookies - There’s no such thing as too much chocolate. For ultra chocolatey goodness, press a few additional pieces of chocolate into the top of each ball of dough before baking.
- Don’t skip the sea salt - Dark chocolate sea salt cookies are a level above the rest. Just a pinch of flaked sea salt enhances all of the flavors in every bite.
- More cookie mix-ins - It’s perfectly acceptable to pack your cookies with more than just dark chocolate. Try adding white chocolate chips, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, or mini chocolate peanut butter cups (just to name a few).
Storing and freezing
Storing baked cookies - Keep the baked cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 4 to 5 days. You could also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Freezing raw cookie dough - The dough can be frozen and baked straight out of the freezer. To freeze, place the chilled dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm. Transfer the balls to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Baking frozen cookie dough - The next time you crave freshly baked cookies, grab what you need from the freezer bag and bake! The frozen cookie dough will need a few extra minutes in the oven, so keep an eye on them.
Tips for accurate measuring
When it comes to the science of baking, it is imperative that you’re measuring your ingredients as precisely and accurately as possible. This is why I highly recommend that you invest in a kitchen scale! Dry ingredients in particular can vary widely in terms of weight vs. volume (using a measuring cup) depending on how you measure them. Using a scale will also save you time; cut back on cleanup; and will allow for more consistent baking success - a total win!
The importance of room temperature ingredients
In order to properly mix, cream or emulsify ingredients they need to be incorporated at room temperature unless stated otherwise. Adding cold ingredients can create a lumpy or curdled batter instead of a batter that is luxuriously velvety, light and fluffy.
If you haven't remembered to remove your ingredients from the fridge a few hours before baking, there are a few shortcuts that will help to bring ingredients to room temperature quickly!
Room Temperature Eggs: I like to cover my cold whole eggs with warm water for a few minutes before baking with them - after 3-5 minutes in warm water they will reach room temperature.
Room Temperature Dairy: To slightly warm butter and other dairy products I will use the microwave! Bring the microwave power down to 3, then lightly warm the ingredients in 30-second spurts until your dairy is room temperature butter is softened not melted.
Frequently asked questions
These cookies should still be soft in the center with crispy edges. Crunchy cookies mean they’re overbaked. Keep an eye on the oven, especially during the last few minutes of baking. As soon as the sides start to brown, take them out.
Most cookie recipes include a small amount of salt in the dough to enhance the flavor. I prefer to sprinkle flakey sea salt on these ultimate dark chocolate chip cookies AFTER they come out of the oven, which accentuates that deep chocolate flavor.
More cookies to try
As always, I love seeing your creations and hearing from you! If you try these homemade chocolate chip cookies, please leave a review or share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest - for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!
The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Tablespoon or Cookie Scoop
Ingredients
- 120 g (1 Cup ) All-Purpose Flour
- 60 g (½ Cup) Bread Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 114 g (½ Cup) Unsalted Butter
- 100 g (½ Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 100 g (½ Cup) Brown Sugar, packed
- 1 Large Egg, room temperature
- 170 g (1 Cup) Chocolate Chips, chopped as desired
- Flaky sea salt, to finish
Instructions
- Whisk together your dry ingredients – the flours, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt in a bowl and set aside.120 g All-Purpose Flour, 60 g Bread Flour, ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda, ¾ teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- Place the butter and sugars in your mixing bowl and using the paddle attachment, cream until you reach a fluffy, rather pale color. This should take about 5-7 minutes. Make sure to take a second to scrape down the bowl before then adding your egg mixing for an additional 3 minutes.114 g Unsalted Butter, 100 g Granulated Sugar, 100 g Brown Sugar, 1 Large Egg
- Slowly add the dry ingredients in three separate stages. Finally, mix in roughly chopped chocolate.170 g Chocolate Chips
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop your chilled dough into small balls. Place the scooped cookie dough in an airtight container and let them rest in the fridge at least an hour or so until firm and chilled. In the post above, I lay out a few reasons as to why I would recommend letting the dough chill for 24 hours!
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your baking tray with parchment paper.
- Place your preferred number of cookies onto a baking sheet, and bake for about 10-13 minutes or until the edges have JUST started to brown. Remove from the oven and reshape as desired with a large circular cookie cutter, gently scooting the edges back to a perfectly circular shape. Then, let the cookies sit undisturbed for 3-5 minutes. Finally, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.Flaky sea salt
Diana
Do you add the finishing salt before baking?
Diana
Disregard, I see it in the upper notes.
Krystle
This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe!! I’m a dark chocolate lover but even if you aren’t, you’ll like these. My family also requests I make these for almost all gatherings now. I follow the recipe exactly but actually prefer slightly less chocolate. They turn out great every time. Thank you for sharing!
Emily
You're so welcome!