Last updated on June 1st, 2023.

These Chocolate Chunk Cookies are the best homemade chocolate chip cookies. Instead of small bites of chocolate, we have large shiny pools of melted chocolate. This great recipe is easy to follow and only calls for one bowl with no chill time.

Chocolate chunk cookies

Ingredients

Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list, including measurements.

  • All-purpose flour. I am using unbleached; add one tablespoon of milk with the vanilla extract if you only bleach.
  • Baking soda. This is a chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe, and they do not puff much—the baking soda help to spread the cookies and provides a golden brown color.
  • Light brown sugar and granulated sugar. A large amount of light brown sugar is what makes this a chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe, and changing the ratio of the two types of sugar will yield a crunchy cookie vs. a chewy cookie with a toffee-like flavor. 
  • Melted unsalted butter. Do not use salted butter, the baking soda will release a small amount of salt, and we are adding some as well.
  • Egg and egg yolk. The extra egg yolk is also extra fat and tender texture to the recipe.
  • Chopped chocolate. Use the chocolate you enjoy eating and can’t get enough of, I love the combination of semi-sweet dark chocolate and milk chocolate. 
  • Pure Vanilla extract. Vanilla enhances the chocolate and brown sugar flavors.
  • Chopped Chocolate. Use your favorite type, I used a combination of dark chocolate and milk chocolate.
  • Optional: Add two tablespoons of Brown Milk Powder to the melted butter for deep and rich brown butter flavors.

What Chocolate To Use

That’s an easy question; the answer is always the same: the type of chocolate you enjoy and love. It will set the overall tone and flavor of the cookies, so if you use chocolate you do not like you will not enjoy the cookies.

Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, even white chocolate, or a combination of the three are all good options.

Some brands like Scarffen Berger (not sponsored, not affiliated), have real chocolate in chunks form that I recommend.

Ingredients to make chocolate chip cookeis

How to make chocolate chunk cookies

You can make this recipe using a stand or hand mixer, but I recommend a large mixing bowl, a whisk, and a rubber spatula. 

Make The Doght

Ensure the ingredients are at room temperature, the melted butter is not too warm, and the eggs are not too cold.

  1. Measure and sift the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt. Chop the chocolate and set aside.
  2. Mix the melted butter and sugar in a large bowl, then add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla until you have a smooth mixture.
  3. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three parts. 
  4. Before adding the last portion of the flour, add half the amount of the chopped chocolate, then the rest after mixing in the last flour portion.
How to make cookies

Scoop Bake And Shape

When deciding the size of the cookies, remember these two points; one, the larger the balls of dough, the more the cookies will spread. And two, rolling the dough with the palm of your hands will compress the dough, remove air, and the cookie will spread less. 

  1. Use a cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough balls. Place over a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving 3-inches gaps between each cookie, and bake.
  2. Once baked and still warm out of the oven, use a large cookie cutter to swirl around the warm cookies and give them a symmetric shape, like these Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies.
a pan with cookie balls and a pan with baked cookies.
chocolate chip cookie with melted chocolate

Storing and Freezing 

The cookies are best when fresh and can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or frozen for up to four weeks.

Freezing Raw Cookie Dough

You can freeze the raw chocolate chip cookie dough for up to eight weeks. Scoop the dough, then place the cookie balls in a freezer bag lined in a single layer.

Baking Frozen Cookie Dough

There are two ways to bake the frozen cookie dough:

  1. Bake when frozen. Line the dough oven with a baking tray and bake at 350F (180C) for 15 minutes. Because the dough is frozen, the cookie might be set before spreading. To prevent this, allow the dough to warm to room temperature, or use a light-colored baking pan and place it on the middle higher oven rack.
  2. Bring the dough to room temperature. Remove the frozen dough from the freezer straight on the baking sheet, and allow it to warm to room temperature before baking for about 60-90 minutes.

Recipe Tips

  • Use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients, especially the dry ingredients. Too much flour means dense cookies that will not spread.
  • The color of the pan makes a difference; dark-colored pans absorb the heat and bake the cookies faster, so they might not spread as much as when using a light-colored pan, which sends the heat back to the oven space.
  • If your cookies spread too much, increase the oven temperature and use a dark pan; if the cookies don’t spread reduce the oven temperature and use a light color pan.
  • When chopping the chocolate, make sure to chop it into even pieces so you’ll have an even distribution of the chocolate.
  • For the beautiful chocolate spot on top, place 3-5 pieces of chopped chocolate on top of the cookie dough before baking.
  • For chewy cookies, bake for 17-18 minutes.
  • For tender cookies, reduce the light brown sugar amount to 3/4 cup (150g) and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Chocolate Chucks vs. Chips

Let me answer the obvious question and say that using chocolate chips alone or in combination with chocolate chunks is ok. Chocolate chips do not contain any cocoa butter and are engineered to retain their shape when baked. Chocolate chunks are made by chopping chocolate bar and are composed of genuine chocolate containing cocoa butter, causing them to melt and spread at temperatures around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The chunks not only improve the cookie’s appearance and help it spread. They also provide a pleasurable eating experience as the chocolate melts in our mouths when we take a bite.

I used chips for this Pecan chocolate chip cookies recipe and these Triple chocolate chip cookies, and a combination in this Coffee Cookies recipe. But, like in this recipe, chocolate chucks are also a great option.

tender chocolate chunk cookie

More Cookies Recipes

Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies, Chocolate Rolled Cookies, Mandel Bread

Chocolate Chunk Cookies Recipe

Tender and slightly chewy cookies with chocolate chunks

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword chocolate chunk cookies
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 15 Large Cookies
Author Dikla

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 Cups AP Flour (270 g / 9.5 oz)
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted (226 g / 8 oz)
  • 1/4 Cup Sugar (50 g / 2 oz)
  • 1 1/4 Cup Light brown sugar (250 g / 9 oz)
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1 Large Egg Yolk
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Cups Chopped chocolate (340 g / 12 oz)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2-3 cookie sheets with baking paper.

  2. In a bowl sift flour, salt and baking soda. Mix to combine and set a side.

  3. Place the sugars in a bowl of a standing mixer and pour in the melted butter.

    Mix on low with the paddle attachment.

  4. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. 

  5. Sprinkle in the flour mixture and the chocolate chips and stir just to combine.

  6. Shape the dough into 85g / 3 oz balls. Let the shaped cookie dough rest in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

  7. Remove from the freezer and place 3-4 cookies in a pan.

  8. Bake for 8 minutes, until the cookies have spread and the center is puffy. Open the oven door, lift the pan about 4" and bang in against the oven rack. Close the oven door and bake for 2 minutes and then bang again.

  9. Repeat baning the pan for about 2-3 more times. Each bang will creat raffles at the edges of the cookies. The cookies needs about 14-16 minutes baking time total.

  10. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to set for about 5 minutes before placing on a cooking rack.

Recipe Notes

    • Use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients, and use room temperature ingredients.

    • A dark-colored pan absorbs the heat and bakes the cookies faster, so they might not spread as much as when using a light-colored pan, which sends the heat back to the oven space.

    • If your cookies spread too much, increase the oven temperature and use a dark pan; if the cookies don’t spread reduce the oven temperature and use a light color pan.

    • When chopping the chocolate, make sure to chop it into even pieces so you’ll have an even distribution of the chocolate.

    • For the beautiful chocolate spot on top, place 3-5 pieces of chopped chocolate on top of the cookie dough before baking.
    • If the cookies are too dry and don’t spread, most likely because of too much flour.
    • If the cookies spread too much, it could be not enough flour, or too much sugar/butter.
    • For tender cookies, reduce the light brown sugar to 3/4 cup (150g), and bake for 13-15 minutes.
    • For chewy cookies, bake longer, 15-18 minutes.

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