Is there anything better than a classic, homemade chocolate chip cookie?
The answer is no.
Oh, unless it’s a homemade chocolate chunk cookie.
Chocolate Chunk Cookies are Better
Yep. Have you ever noticed that chocolate chips from the store don’t really have the greatest texture?
Unless that cookie is piping hot from the oven, store bought chocolate chips aren’t really going to give you an oozy chocolate effect when you break that cookie apart.
That’s why chocolate chunk cookies are better than chocolate chip cookies.
Now all you need is the BEST cookie recipe to put those chocolate chunks in, right?
That’s where this recipe comes in. (But you could also check out my Boy Meets World Cookies here.)
My Cookie Tips
I’ve been making cookies…for a long time. And along the way I’ve learned a few things about this seemingly humble dessert that is actually quite hard to bake just right.
So today I’m sharing with you my ultimate cookie recipe, and my ultimate cookie baking tips and tricks. Let’s delve right in.
Use Chocolate Chunks (yep, it's so important I'm saying it twice)
Again, chop some good baking chocolate up yourself. Milk, dark, semi-sweet—whatever your chocolate preference. I’m telling you, you’ll be AMAZED with the difference it makes in your cookies. Chocolate chips are only acceptable in the case of a cookie emergency.
(Yes, cookie emergencies do happen, and I’m guilty of using chocolate chips on those occasions when I can’t bring my lazy self to chop some chocolate. But I always regret it!)
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.
I’ve found that 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 dough into cookie dough 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 whole lot during baking, chances are the dough never got cold enough before it was put in the oven. So refrigerate that cookie dough!
Don’t Overbake the Cookies!
I think 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.
This happen to anyone else????
The solution is easy: take the cookies out of the oven while they still look under-baked.
I know, I know, easier said than done. It’s really hard not to second-guess yourself when you pull a batch of just over half-baked dough out of the oven.
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. And the wait is well worth it, because that cookie texture is to die for every time.
Always Have Cookie Dough in the Freezer
I make a batch of cookie dough every few months. I roll it into cookie dough balls, then I store them in the freezer. There’s nothing better than inviting friends or family over and realizing that you’ve already done the work for an amazing dessert everyone will love: you’ve just got to bake the cookie dough.
Or keep cookie dough balls on hand in the freezer and just make a couple each day to enjoy yourself. I do that all the time.
This 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 up within two months!
Make These Chocolate Chunk Cookies!
Make my Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe, and utilize these easy cookie tricks. You’ll be amazed at the bakery-worthy cookies you can proudly say came out of your kitchen.
A Few Things About Chocolate!
I prefer Ghirardelli Baking Chocolate for my chocolate chunk cookies. Milk, dark, semi-sweet, Ghirardelli does it all to perfection. You can find my favorite Ghiradelli here on Amazon [aff. link], but there should be a nice selection at your local grocery store.
A Chocolate Chunk Cookie Experiment
But when I made these cookies last week, I used a Tony’s Chocolonely Caramel Sea Salt Milk Chocolate bar [aff. link].
And ohhhh my goodness was that one delicious batch of cookies! I discovered Tony’s last summer, and now, I always have a bar to snack on in the house. I can’t believe it didn’t occur to me to use Tony’s Chocolonely in my cookies sooner.
I highly recommend using Tony’s Caramel Sea Salt Milk Chocolate bar, or another one of their amazing bars, in your next batch of cookies. I’ll be experimenting with Tony’s dark chocolate bars [aff. link] next time I make 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
- 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!
6 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!