Best Chocolate Chunk Cookies Recipe – Easy & Delicious!
These chocolate chunk cookies are thick, chewy, and loaded with gooey chocolate! Made with brown butter for incredible flavor, these chocolate chunk cookies create bakery-style treats with crispy edges and soft centers.
If you’ve been searching for the perfect chocolate chunk cookies recipe, your search ends here. These aren’t your average cookies – they’re thick, bakery-style chocolate chunk cookies with crispy edges and soft, chewy centers packed with melty chocolate.
Why These Chocolate Chunk Cookies Are The Best
I’ve tested countless cookie recipes over the years, and these chocolate chunk cookies are hands-down the winner. The secret? Brown butter! It gives these cookies a rich, nutty flavor that regular butter just can’t match. Combined with generous chocolate chunk pieces throughout, every bite is pure heaven.
What makes these chocolate chunk cookies extra special is the texture. They’re thick and substantial, not flat and crispy. The chocolate stays gooey even after cooling, giving you that perfect pull every time you break one of these chocolate chunk cookies apart.
Ingredients for Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Here’s everything you need to make these incredible chocolate chunk cookies:
For the Cookie Dough:
- Unsalted butter: We’ll brown this to give our chocolate chunk cookies incredible depth of flavor
- Dark brown sugar: Creates chewy texture with rich molasses notes
- Granulated sugar: Balances the brown sugar and helps cookies spread just right
- Eggs: Bind the dough and make them tender
- Vanilla extract: Enhances all the flavors in these chocolate chunk cookies
- All-purpose flour: The foundation of any great cookie
- Baking soda: Gives them their lift
- Salt: Makes the chocolate pop and balances sweetness
For the Chocolate:
- High-quality chocolate chunks: Use good chocolate bars chopped into chunks for the best chocolate chunk cookies
How to Make Perfect Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Making these chocolate chunk cookies is easier than you think! Here’s how to create bakery-quality results at home:
Step 1: Brown the Butter
Start by browning your butter in a saucepan over medium heat. This step is what sets these chocolate chunk cookies apart from ordinary recipes. Cook the butter until it turns golden brown and smells nutty. Pour the browned butter into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature – this is crucial for cookies that don’t spread too much.
Step 2: Mix the Dough
Once your browned butter is at room temperature, cream it with both sugars until fluffy. This creates the perfect base for chocolate chunk cookies. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. The mixture should look smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Add Dry Ingredients
Whisk together your flour, baking soda, and salt, then gently fold into the wet ingredients. Don’t overmix or your chocolate chunk cookies will become tough. Mix just until the flour disappears for tender results.
Step 4: Fold in the Chocolate
Now for the best part of making chocolate chunk cookies – adding those gorgeous chunks! Use a generous amount because chocolate is the star here. I like to save some extra pieces to press on top of the chocolate chunk cookies before baking for that professional bakery look.
Step 5: Chill the Dough
For the thickest chocolate chunk cookies, chill your dough for at least 30 minutes. Chilled dough spreads less and has better texture. You can even refrigerate your chocolate chunk cookies dough for up to 48 hours for even more developed flavor.
Step 6: Bake to Perfection
Scoop large portions onto your baking sheet – we’re making big, bakery-style treats here! Bake your chocolate chunk cookies until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly underdone. They’ll continue cooking as they cool, giving you that perfect soft center.
Pro Tips for Perfect Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Use quality chocolate chunks: Your cookies are only as good as the chocolate you use. Invest in good quality bars and chop them yourself for the best results.
Don’t skip browning the butter: This is what makes these chocolate-chunk cookies extraordinary instead of just ordinary. Brown butter adds incomparable flavor.
Room temperature butter is crucial: If your browned butter is too warm, your cookies will spread everywhere. Make sure it’s solidified but soft enough to cream with the sugars.
Make them big: These chocolate chunk cookies are meant to be thick and substantial. Use at least 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie for authentic bakery-style size.
Underbake slightly: The secret to chewy texture is pulling them from the oven when they still look a bit underdone in the center. Your chocolate chunk cookies will firm up as they cool but stay soft and gooey inside.
Add extra chocolate on top: Right after scooping your dough, press a few extra chunks on top. This makes your chocolate chunk cookies look professional and ensures chocolate in every bite.
How to Store Chocolate Chunk Cookies
These chocolate chunk cookies stay fresh for several days when stored properly:
Room temperature: Keep your chocolate-chunk cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They’ll stay soft and delicious.
Freezing baked cookies: Freeze baked chocolate chunk cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm in the oven for fresh-baked taste.
Freezing dough: Scoop dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. Bake frozen directly from the freezer, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Delicious Variations
Once you’ve mastered these classic chocolate-chunk cookies, try these variations:
Double chocolate: Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the dough for even more chocolate flavor
Sea salt chocolate chunk cookies: Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top while warm for a sweet-salty combo
Espresso boost: Add 1 tablespoon espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor in your cookies
Loaded treats: Add chopped nuts, toffee bits, or caramel pieces along with your chocolate for extra indulgence
Why Homemade Is Best
There’s simply no comparison between homemade chocolate-chunk cookies and store-bought versions. These are:
- Made with real butter and quality ingredients
- Loaded with generous amounts of chocolate
- Free from preservatives
- Customizable to your preferences
- Fresher and more flavorful
- More economical per serving
Plus, making chocolate-chunk cookies from scratch means your house smells amazing!
Perfect Occasions
These chocolate-chunk cookies are perfect for:
- Afternoon snacks with coffee or milk
- Bake sales (they always sell out first!)
- Gift-giving (package in a cute box)
- Birthday parties
- Cookie swaps
- Holiday celebrations
- Movie night
- Just because you deserve something delicious!
The Ultimate Chocolate Chunk Cookies Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus chilling time)
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 90 minutes
Yield: 24 large cookies
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned and cooled to room temperature
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces high-quality chocolate, chopped into chunks
- Extra chocolate pieces for topping
Instructions
- Brown the butter: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue cooking until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 4-5 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour until solidified but still soft. This step is essential for the best chocolate chunk cookies.
- Preheat oven: Heat your oven to 375ยฐF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper for perfect results.
- Cream butter and sugars: In a large bowl, beat the cooled brown butter with both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. This creates the ideal texture.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine wet and dry: Gently fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Don’t overmix the dough.
- Add chocolate: Fold in the chopped chocolate, making sure it’s evenly distributed throughout your dough. Reserve some pieces for topping.
- Chill dough (recommended): Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to 2 hours for thicker, bakery-style chocolate-chunk cookies.
- Shape cookies: Scoop 3-tablespoon portions and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart. Press extra chocolate pieces on top of each one.
- Bake: Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are golden but centers look slightly underdone. The cookies will look puffy and soft.
- Cool: Let your chocolate-chunk cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. This allows them to set properly.
- Enjoy: Serve your chocolate-chunk cookies warm or at room temperature. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
- The brown butter must be cooled to room temperature or your cookies will spread too much
- Don’t skip the chilling step if you want thick bakery-style chocolate-chunk cookies
- These are best enjoyed the day they’re baked, but they store well for up to 5 days
- For extra indulgent treats, use a mix of dark, milk, and semi-sweet chocolate
- Make sure to use real chopped chocolate for authentic chocolate-chunk cookies texture
If you make these chocolate-chunk cookies, please leave a comment and let me know how they turned out! Share a photo and tag me – I love seeing your creations!
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