Chocolate Chunk Cookies
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Chocolate Chunk Cookies (a.k.a. chocolate “chip” cookies on steroids) are rich and buttery, slightly chewy, soft-on-the-inside cookies with dark chocolate chunks in every delicious bite.
This is definitely one robust cookie! Using both dark brown sugar and dark chocolate in the cookie dough, gives the cookies a deeper brown color and a stronger caramel-like flavor, too.
Big ‘ole chocolate chunks require a cookie dough that can really stand up against the larger chunks of chocolate inside. Luckily, this cookie recipe from The Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book was specially crafted to do just that.
Ingredients
- dark chocolate chunks — available at the grocery store with the chocolate chips; you can also use good quality chocolate baking bars broken into chunks
- dark brown sugar — light brown sugar is fine as well
- granulated sugar — for added sweetness
- all-purpose flour — plus baking soda and salt for leavening
- cream of tartar — prevents the sugar in these cookies from crystalizing, resulting in a softer, chewy texture
- light corn syrup — also aids in preventing crystalizing
- unsalted butter — unlike many cookie recipes that call for softened butter, leave it cold and cut into small pieces for this one
- eggs — use at room temperature as cold eggs may result in tough cookies
- vanilla — for added flavor
Instructions
- First, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
- Cut the butter into small pats and let sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes, so that it is a little soft but still cool. Cream the butter and both sugars together in a large bowl, until the mixture is light and still a bit grainy.
- Add the corn syrup, egg and egg whites, and vanilla and beat on medium speed until combined. The mixture should be a little runny.
- With the mixer off, add all of the flour, then beat on low speed just until incorporated. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the chocolate chunks.
- Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to drop the cookies onto the parchment lined cookie sheets about 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets midway, until the cookies are a little brown around the edges.
- Cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then gently transfer to wire racks until cooled completely.
One very important thing to remember when baking Chocolate Chunk Cookies is that they should look a little “under baked” when you remove them from the oven.
The edges should start to brown, while the centers still look a little soft. Leave them on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes after removing the cookies from the oven and they will continue to set and firm up as they cool.
tips
- Always preheat the oven – It’s important to make sure the oven is good and hot before baking. Cookies need even heat to bake properly.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough – Too much mixing and the butter gets warm and the gluten in the flour becomes sticky resulting in flat cookies.
- Properly measure the brown sugar – Because it is coarser than granulated sugar, firmly press the sugar into the measuring cup with the back of a spoon to avoid air pockets.
- Use cool baking sheets – Between batches, always allow the baking sheets to cool at least 5 minutes before adding the next batch of unbaked cookie dough, otherwise the cookies will spread and flatten too much.
FAQs
You can absolutely substitute chocolate chips for the chocolate chunks in this recipe, however I do recommend using semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate chips.
For best results, make chocolate chunks by coarsely chopping a chocolate bar that has a cacao percentage of 65 to 70. That means there’s less sugar in the chocolate which helps it hold up in the dough.
Too flat cookies usually means the butter was too soft or there was too little flour. If the dough seems particularly sticky, try adding a little more flour and refrigerating it for about an hour before baking the next batch.
It’s a good idea to give the flour a quick stir to be sure it’s not packed inside the flour bin. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup until it is overflowing, then level it off with a knife.
Storing and freezing cookies
Chocolate Chunk Cookies will stay fresh when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You may also freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months by laying them flat in a resealable freezer bag.
Since this recipe makes 4 dozen cookies, you may wish to freeze some of the cookie dough to bake at a later time.
How to freeze cookie dough
- Portion out the cookie dough with a cookie scoop and place on a parchment paper lined tray.
- Refrigerate (or place in the freezer for 30 minutes) until cold and firm, then transfer the dough balls to a resealable freezer bag.
- Label and date the bag of cookie dough and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to bake cookies from frozen
When ready to bake a fresh batch of Chocolate Chunk Cookies from frozen, place the cookie dough balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 2 to 3 minutes longer than the recipe instructs.
Behind the recipe: Chocolate Chunk Cookies
A few years ago, my husband and I were franchise owners of a couple of ice cream parlors. Ice cream, waffle cones, homemade brownies, and delicious chocolate chunk cookies were made on site every day. Sounds heavenly, right?
In theory, yes, but owning and managing a business that was open 7 days a week, 12 hours a day became too much of a headache for our family. We closed up shop and I was left with a bin of good quality chocolate chunks.
My chocolate stash has long since been used up, but I still love making these amazing Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Luckily, chocolate chunks are readily available at most grocery stores, like Trader Joe’s.
Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ lb. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 2 sticks
- 1 ⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups dark chocolate chunks
Instructions
- Position the oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Add the butter and both sugars to another large bowl and cream together on medium speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is light but still a bit grainy.
- Add the corn syrup, egg and egg whites, and vanilla and beat on medium speed until combined. The mixture should be a little runny.
- With the mixer off, add all of the flour, then beat on low speed just until incorporated. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the chocolate chunks.
- Working in batches, use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to drop the cookies onto the parchment lined cookie sheets about 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 6 minutes, then rotate the sheets top to bottom and back to front. Continue baking 6 more minutes, or until the cookies are a little brown around the edges.
- Cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then gently transfer to wire racks until cooled completely.
Video
Notes
- Between batches, always allow the baking sheets to cool at least 5 minutes before adding the next batch of unbaked cookie dough, otherwise the cookies will spread and flatten too much.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Baked cookies may be frozen for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
I love chocolate chunks in cookies (much more than chocolate chips so I was excited to make this). Followed the instructions and it came out perfect! Thank for another amazing recipe!
i love chunky cookies. yum!