Rich, fudgy chocolate cookies with chocolate chips. Easy and delicious--these will be your go to cookie for the chocolate lovers in your family. This recipe calls for Dutch process cocoa and a blend of sugars for a perfect balance of sweetness and dark chocolate flavor. Recipe makes approximately 24 medium sized (2 and 3/4 inch diameter with a 40 scoop) or 30 small (2 inch with a 60 scoop) cookies.
1/3cupdutch process cocoasuch as Hershey's Special Dark
1 ¼tspespresso powder
1/2tspbaking soda
1/2tspbaking powder
1/2tspfine salt
1/2cupunsalted butter, cut into chunks1 stick
1largeegg
2Tbspmilksub creamer or half & half
1tspvanilla extract
1cupAll Purpose flour
1 ½cupssemi-sweet chocolate chips9-10 ounces
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the brown sugar, cane sugar, cocoa, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and espresso powder with a spatula or spoon. (Manually blending helps avoid a cloud of cocoa from the mixer).
Affix paddle attachment to mixer. Add butter (cut up into chunks) to mixer bowl and turn on to lowest setting (1 or "stir"). Let combine with cocoa mixture for 1-2 minutes on lowest setting until chunks are incorporated and cocoa/sugar is no longer a loose powder. Increase mixer speed to medium and cream for 30 seconds to 1 minute to fully combine.
Add the egg and beat on medium for 1 minute, scraping down sides after and beating again if needed. Add in vanilla extract and milk and blend on medium, 20-30 seconds.
Stir in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, just until combined. Dough will resemble thick frosting at first and will become stiff when all flour is fully incorporated.
Fold in the 1 ½ cups chocolate chips. This process takes a few minutes to evenly distribute the chips as the dough is stiff.
Chill Cookie Dough
Place dough in a medium sized bowl and cover tightly. Store in fridge for at least 4 hours but up to 2 days.
Bake the cookies
Remove cookie dough from fridge and let stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before scooping.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 pans with parchment or baking mat if desired. Scoop dough out by the rounded tablespoon and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies appear set and tops are losing their shine. Keep an eye on the bottoms and do not overbake. Cookie middles will appear soft but will firm up during cooling.
Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes or until completely set then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Storing Cookies:
Store cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Cookies become crunchier over time.
Notes
This recipe calls for chilling the dough because it produces a better crumb and texture (a cookie that's chewy on the inside but crispy on the edges).
However, you can definitely bake these right after making the dough! Cookies may spread a little more and will be slightly crunchier. Simply preheat the oven when you begin making the dough and you'll be eating fresh cookies in no time.
Tips for better cookies:
Use butter (not margarine)
Use quality ingredients for the best flavor
quality doesn't mean more expensive but some chocolate chips are better than others :)
Spoon and level flour for an accurate measure
simply scooping out a cup can actually leave you with up to 1/4 cup too much!
Scoop and level dough so cookies are uniformly sized (this helps them bake evenly)
If your oven has hot spots, rotate the pan once during baking