Name: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 145 min
Ingredients: 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour ((175 g)); 6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder ((30 g)); 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon cream of tartar (*); ½ teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder, (optional); ½ cup unsalted butter, (softened, room temp (113 g)); ¾ cup granulated sugar ((150 g) ); 1 large egg, (room temp); 1 cup chocolate chunks (or chocolate chips* (170 g)); sea salt flakes, (optional, as needed)

Soft and chewy double chocolate chip cookies. The cookie dough is flavored with cocoa powder and studded with chocolate chunks.

Table of Contents

There is no such thing as too much chocolate. When you want a break from classic chocolate chip cookies, it’s time to amp up the chocolate!

These chewy chocolate chunk cookies are made with a versatile chocolate dough. (More on that below!)

This recipe makes for chewy, cake-like chocolate cookies. The resulting cookies are not very sweet, especially if you use dark chocolate chunks.

If you prefer a sweeter cookie, add 1/4 cup more sugar and use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips.

This easy to make chocolate cookie dough is super versatile! Use it to make a variety of different cookies.

Use this same dough to make these peppermint patty stuffed chocolate cookies and these confetti chocolate sugar cookies. (Recipe links will be posted once live!)

It is a standard straightforward cookie dough that can be mixed together by hand, using an electric hand mixer, or using a paddle attachment in a stand mixer.

To ensure easy mixing, use room temperature softened butter. Leave the butter out at room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour before you start mixing.

As you can see from the image above, this cookie dough contains baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar.

Baking Science

What is cream of tartar?

Cream of tartar is an acidic by-product of fermenting grapes into wine. It’s what is left in the barrels after grape juice has been turned into wine.

Cream of tartar is known by several names including tartaric acid or potassium bitartrate.

This acid salt serves many functions in and out of the kitchen:

Leavening agent
Lowers the pH of baked goods
Prevents crystallization in sugar syrups
Stabilizes meringues and whipped cream
Polish metals, coppers, and poreclain

Why does this recipe have cream of tartar? Can I omit it?

As mentioned above, cream of tartar is an acid salt. It helps to prevent crystallization in sugar. As a result, these cookies will stay soft. They will not crisp up.

The cream of tartar, along with the baking powder and baking soda, will also leaven the cookie dough.

Yes, it’s okay to omit the cream of tartar. It will slightly affect the texture of the cookies.

Is cream of tartar the same as baking powder?

No. Cream of tartar and baking powder are not interchangeable ingredients.

However, cream of tartar is a component of double-acting baking powder. Double action baking powder consists of baking soda, cream of tartar (or other acid), and cornstarch (or other moisture absorber).

If you don’t have cream of tartar, simply omit it. The resulting cookie will have a slightly different texture.

Chocolate Chunks versus Chocolate Chips

Melted chocolate is the biggest difference between using chocolate chunks versus chocolate chips in cookies.

Chocolate chunks creates large puddles and pockets of melted chocolate in the baked cookie.

Packaged chocolate chips or “chocolate morsels” tend to have a lower amount of cocoa butter compared to chocolate bars. They are often mixed with stabilizers and emulsifiers that help to maintain their dollop shape.

For these reasons, packaged chocolate chips can withstand heat and maintain their structure during baking.

This is the same reason why intentionally melted chocolate chips for dipping (such as when used for chocolate dipped strawberry cheesecake) tends to be thicker and viscous compared to melted chopped chocolate.

Chocolate chips are often mixed with coconut oil to make a “chooclate magic shell” that is silkier and runnier.

Chopping your own chocolate chunks is additional work. However, if you want those big chocolatey puddles, it is well worth the extra effort.

If melted chocolate is not a priority, go ahead and use whatever chocolate chips or chocolate morsels you have on hand.

Use a size 40 scoop to portion out cookie dough. Size 40 is roughly 1 ½ tablespoons.

NOTE: Baking time needs adjusting if you choose to use a different cookie scoop size.

Evenly portioned cookie dough results in evenly sized baked cookies. But, more importantly, equal sized portions will cook at the same rate.

Baking 101

Cookie Scoop Sizes

The number size of a scooper is equal to how many scoops it would take to fill a quart container.

For example, size 1 scoop takes one scoop to fill a quart. A size 20 scoop would take twenty scoops to fill a quart.

In other words, the large the scoop number, the smaller to scoop capacity. Or, the smaller the scoop number, the bigger the scooper size.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough scoops

Chilling cookie dough helps to improve flavor. It allows ingredients time to meld and blend together. Think of it as “marinating the dough.”

This time also allows the fats (butter) to regain structure. As a result, the cookie dough will not spread too much during baking.

Keep the portioned cookie dough covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the fridge. Do not expose the dough to the other flavors in the fridge.

Baking Notes

These chocolate cookies have a short baking time. It only takes 10 minutes to bake!

Remove them from the oven and immediately sprinkle with sea salt flakes (such as Maldon salt).

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with sea salt flakes

Cookies will be very soft and fragile. Cool cookies on the hot baking sheet for about 3 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack or cooling rack.

Eat the cookies warm to take advantage of those ooey gooey chocolate puddles!

Storage and Leftovers

Double chocolate chip cookies will stay soft in an airtight container for up to 5 days. However, overtime, they will become fragile and crumble apart easily.

Enjoy at room temperature. Alternatively, reheat or warm up cookies in the microwave as directed in the recipe.