There’s nothing better than a homemade chocolate chip cookie.
Unless it’s a homemade chocolate chunk cookie.
Homemade Chocolate Chunk Cookies
In a cookie, store-bought chocolate chips don’t melt as well as freshly chopped chocolate chunks.
It’s a little extra work, but if you want that oozy chocolate effect when you take a bite or break that cookie apart, take the time to chop some chocolate chunks from a good chocolate bar.
Now all you need is the best cookie recipe to put those chocolate chunks in.
My Homemake Chocolate Chunk Cookie Tips
I’ve been making cookies…for a long time. Along the way I’ve learned a few things about this humble dessert that’s actually quite difficult to bake just right.
Here are my favorite cookie baking tips and tricks, followed by my chocolate chunk cookie recipe.
Use Freshly Chopped Chocolate Chunks
Did I say that already?
Chop some good baking chocolate up yourself. Milk, dark, semi-sweet—whatever your chocolate preference. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes in the cookies.
Refrigerate or Freeze the Dough
It’s so important to refrigerate or freeze the dough before baking my chocolate chunk cookies. And really, this is a best practice for just about any cookie recipe.
Most cookie dough will bake better, more delicious cookies if you refrigerate it for at least a half hour, and up to two days, before baking. I like to shape the cookie dough into balls first, then refrigerate. (The dough is easier to shape before it gets cold in the refrigerator.)
Alternately, you can freeze the cookie dough balls, and then let them defrost a bit on the cookie sheet while you wait for the oven to preheat before baking.
A scientist could describe this amazing refrigerator phenomenon much more accurately than I can, I’m sure. But basically, letting that dough get cold after we’ve beaten and mixed all those cookie dough ingredients together helps the fat in the dough solidify again, and then the dough behaves better in the oven during baking.
If you’ve ever ended up with really flat cookies that spread out a lot during baking, chances are the dough never got cold enough before it was put in the oven. Refrigerating the cookie dough before baking solves the problem.
Don’t Overbake the Cookies!
This is the biggest cookie mistake I made for the longest time.
For years, I baked cookies until they looked perfect on the cookie sheet in the oven, then I took them out to cool. But by the time they cooled down, those cookies were hard as rocks.
The solution is easy: take the cookies out of the oven while they still look slightly under-baked.
It’s easier said than done. And it’s really hard not to second-guess yourself when you pull a batch of under-baked cookies out of the oven.
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But trust me, those cookies will continue baking on the cookie sheet for several minutes after you take them out of the oven. In that time, they will bake to the absolute perfect cookie texture.
As a rule, I take my cookies out of the oven when they are lightly browned on the edges, and the middle still looks under-baked and dough-y.
Then, I let them finish baking outside of the oven, on the baking sheet, for 5 to 7 minutes.
Only after 5 to 7 minutes will I even think about removing the cookies from the baking sheet. The wait is well worth it, because that cookie texture after cooling is perfect every time.
Always Have Cookie Dough in the Freezer
I make a batch of cookie dough every few months. I roll the dough into balls, then I store them in the freezer. There’s nothing better than inviting friends or family over when you’ve already done the work for an amazing dessert everyone will love: you’ve just got to bake the cookie dough.
This cookie dough stays fresh in the freezer for at least two months, probably longer. I can’t say for certain though, because we always use this chocolate chunk cookie dough within two months!
Make Homemade Chocolate Chunk Cookies!
Utilize these easy cookie tricks, and make my Homemade Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe. You’ll be amazed at the bakery-worthy cookies you can make in your own kitchen.
A Few Things About Chocolate
I prefer to use Trader’s Joe’s Baking Chocolate, Ghirardelli Baking Chocolate, or, when I’m really feeling fancy, Tony’s Chocolonely Caramel Sea Salt Milk Chocolate [aff. links] for the chocolate chunks in my cookies.
The BEST Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
For the wet ingredients:
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the dry ingredients:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 ⅓ cups all purpose flour, (see notes for making these cookies gluten-free)
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 8 oz chocolate, chopped into chunks (I prefer Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate baking bars for a classic taste)
Instructions
Cream the butter and the sugar
- With a stand or handheld electric mixer, cream together the sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Cream until the mixture gets fluffy and lightens, about a minute or two.
Add the eggs and vanilla
- Now add the eggs and vanilla, and beat for two minutes. The mixture will get a glossy look and an even creamier texture.
Add the dry ingredients
- Next, add the almond flour and all-purpose flour, followed by the salt and the baking soda. Mix until everything is mostly incorporated.
- Now add the chocolate chunks. Gently mix the chocolate chunks in by hand with a spatula, until the dough and the chocolate chunks are completely incorporated. Be careful not to overmix!
Shape the dough and refrigerate
- With your hands, roll the dough into cookie dough balls. Each ball should be about 2 Tbsp worth of dough. You will end up with about 18-20 cookie dough balls
- Place the dough balls on a plate or flat dish, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to two days. Alternately, you can freeze the dough balls for later use.
Bake the cookies
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Evenly space out 6 balls of cookie dough on a standard baking sheet. Gently flatten each dough ball with your hand so it looks like something between a ball and a disk. (This is the best shape for making cookies that spread just enough during baking.)
- Bake for 8-11 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are light brown, and the middle is set but still looks soft and dough-y.
Cool the cookies
- Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them rest on the baking sheet for 5-7 minutes. The cookies will set and continue to bake on the baking sheet outside of the oven, so be patient. This step is very important!
Serve and enjoy!
- After 5-7 minutes, remove the cookies from the baking sheet, serve, and enjoy!
14 Responses
You said it, Shannon – the chocolate chip cookie might be readily available, but only few chocolate chip cookies actually rise to the status of being great. With that said, these look amazing! Great tips in here about baking the perfect cookie, too. This post makes me want to bake a batch with Robbie today!
Thanks David! Awww that sounds like the best way to spend the afternoon! MJ and I always love baking cookies together, particularly this recipe! I have to chop extra chocolate when we do though, because between the two of us, a good portion of it doesn’t make it into the cookies…! 😄
I absolutely agree with you on chocolate chips – while they are often convenient to use, they cannot beat real chocolate. You can also play with different types of chocolate in one cookie dough, so you would get a variety of textures and flavours, from rich and bitter dark to sweet white chocolate. Needles to say, these cookies look awesome!
Thanks Ben! Ohhh I totally agree! There’s nothing better–or more addicting–than using multiple types of chocolate in a cookie. 😋
These are so good it’s unbelievable. My family loves these cookies above all others. Thank you! Your tips really work.
That’s so good to hear, thanks Tessa!
The best chocolate chip (or chunk) cookies ever. Thanks for another great cookie recipe!
Thanks for making the cookies Marion, I’m so happy to hear it!
Show stopping cookies right here! This is my go-to cookie recipe PERIOD. I try to always have some of this cookie dough frozen in the fridge. Yum!
That’s so great to hear, thanks Joyce!
This cookie has become a staple for me. I just made another batch last night to keep in the freezer. I always get a little worried when I’m down to my last few! So good!
That’s so great to hear! Haha I do the same thing! Always good to have some cookie dough in the freezer. 😋
These really are the best chocolate chunk cookies. Always a hit when I serve them, thanks!
So happy to hear! Thanks for commenting Isabet!