These Chewy Chocolate Cookies are a brownie lover's dream. Made with dark cocoa powder and without chocolate chips, they have a rich, fudgy texture and deep chocolate flavor that make them completely irresistible. Inspired by classic chocolate sugar cookies, this homemade recipe is simple and easy to follow.
Why This Recipe is the Best
We tested this chocolate cookie recipe multiple times to get everything just right-from the cocoa-to-flour ratio to the exact butter temperature. These cookies come out with a crinkle-top and a gooey brownie-like center that stays thick and soft even after cooling.
They're perfect on their own, but we also love them with caramel bits or a swirl of brown butter for an even more decadent flavor. Best of all, no chilling time is required, and the dough freezes wonderfully. These are the best chipless chocolate cookies you'll ever make.
You'll also love our triple chocolate cookies, double chocolate cookies, and chocolate peanut butter chip cookies.
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Key Ingredients
You'll love these quick and simple triple chocolate chip cookies. They have the best brownie-like, fudgy texture!
- Slightly softened butter - This is critical. The butter should be cold enough to still feel firm, but soft enough to leave an indent when pressed. For extra flavor, you can brown the butter and chill it to the correct firmness.
- Cocoa powder - We recommend a high-quality dark or Dutch-processed cocoa powder, like Ghirardelli or Hershey's Special Dark, for that intense brownie flavor.
- Brown sugar - Adds moisture and richness to make the cookies soft and chewy.
- Granulated sugar - Creates the perfect crispy crackle top.
- Caramel bits - Optional, but highly recommended. Fold in 2 cups for a gooey caramel surprise in each bite.
How to make Chocolate Cookies
Learn how to bake Chocolate Cookies with these easy to follow step by step process photos.
- Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gently mix the dry ingredients using a rubber scraper to get the sides. Don't overmix or you will have tough cookies.
- Roll the dough into 1" balls and roll them in a bowl of granulated sugar. Add the cookies to a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10-11 minutes.
Hint: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to finish setting up.
Common Mistakes
These cookies are best when pulled from the oven while the centers still look a little underdone. If you wait until they appear fully baked, they'll continue cooking on the pan and end up dry or cakey instead of soft and chewy.
Top tip
Be careful not to over-soften your butter. If it's too soft or melted, the cookies will spread too much and lose their thick, chewy texture. Also, don't overbake. Pulling them out slightly underdone and letting them rest on the pan is the key to keeping them soft and gooey in the center.
Recipe
Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter slightly softened, see note 1 below. I used salted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- granulated sugar in a bowl, for rolling the dough balls.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set to the side.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Cream together slightly softened butter, sugar and brown sugar together in a bowl using an electric mixer. Beat on medium high until well combined and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium high until well combined and it starts to lighten in color a bit, about 30-60 seconds.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until combined, no longer. See note 2. Form the dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons in size. Roll around in the granulated sugar then place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes until the cookies have puffed up. The edges will be set and the tops will be matte. The little cracks that have formed may not be quite matte. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes. See note 3.
Notes
- It is very important in this recipe that the butter is only slightly softened and not fully. For slightly softened butter you want it to be pretty firm and cold and also be able to make an indent in the butter when you press your finger into it.
- If your butter is fully softened, these cookies will spread too much and not be that thick gooey cookie we love to love.
- It's so important when making cookies to not over mix once adding the dry ingredients. If you over mix it will ruin the texture of the cookie.
- In order not to over bake the cookies, we remove them from the oven while they're still slightly undercooked. It's important to let them rest on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes so they can finish baking and setting up.
Nutrition
Substitutions
Mix and match flavors to have fun with these cookies.
Mix-ins - These cookies work great with caramel bits, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or even chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans.
Espresso - Add ½ teaspoon of instant espresso powder to deepen the chocolate flavor.
Gluten-free - Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend such as King Arthur or Cup4Cup for a delicious gluten-free version.
Bakery Style - For large, bakery-style cookies, scoop double the dough and bake for an extra 1-2 minutes.
Peppermint - Add a teaspoon of peppermint extract for a festive twist. For a festive look, try these Peppermint Cookies.
Storaging Chocolate Cookies
These cookies store beautifully. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze the dough. Scoop it into balls and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake directly from frozen, just add an extra minute or two.
Baked cookies can be frozen as well. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, store in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Warm them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to enjoy like they're fresh from the oven!
Andrea says
Love these chocolate cookies, so easy to make!