Chocolate Chunk Cookies
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This chocolate chunk cookie recipe delivers the ultimate cookie—chewy with perfectly crisp edges and gooey chunks of chocolate in every bite!
I’ve been baking chocolate chip cookies since the fifth grade, and the classic Nestlé Toll House recipe still holds up. I’ve tried making improvements—resting the dough overnight, browning the butter, and swapping flours—but the extra effort rarely makes a noticeable difference. That said, the Toll House recipe has its flaws (sorry, Toll House!). As written, the cookies often turn out too flat.
To make the cookies more foolproof, I use a bit less sugar, more flour, and always chill the dough. This chocolate chunk cookie recipe is a slightly upgraded version, featuring two types of chocolate chunks instead of basic chocolate chips. Tender, puffy, and fudgy with perfectly crisp edges, they truly are the ultimate cookies!
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Butter: Softened butter creates a tender, chewy texture and slightly puffy cookies; it also adds richness.
- Granulated Sugar & Dark Brown Sugar: Together, they add sweetness, moisture, and a hint of molasses flavor, helping the cookies develop a crisp edge and chewy center.
- Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the sweetness and adds depth to the cookie’s flavor.
- Large Eggs: Give the cookies structure and moisture.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the rich chocolate flavor.
- Baking Soda: Helps the cookies rise and develop a lovely golden color.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the cookie’s base and structure. I highly recommend King Arthur All-Purpose Flour for this recipe—it’s high in protein and gluten and helps the cookies hold their shape.
- Bittersweet Chocolate: Adds gooey pockets of intense chocolate flavor.
- Milk Chocolate: Balances the bittersweet chocolate with a creamy sweetness and smooth texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
To begin, combine the butter and both sugars in the bowl of a hand-held or stand mixer.
Beat until light, fluffy, and cafe au lait-colored. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
Add the vanilla and eggs and beat for 2 minutes more. Scrape down the bowl.
Add the salt and baking soda and beat briefly until evenly combined.
Add the flour and both chocolates.
Mix on low speed until the flour is completely blended and the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or scrape the dough into an airtight container and let rest in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop the dough in 1.5-tablespoon balls onto prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until golden around the edges but still soft and pale in the center. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; freeze for longer storage.
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Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (packed) dark brown sugar (fine to substitute light)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2½ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off (preferably King Arthur flour - see note)
- 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, best quality such as Ghriardelli, roughly chopped
- 2 oz milk chocolate, best quality such as Ghirardelli, finely chopped
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars for 3 minutes, or until light, fluffy, and cafe au lait-colored (use high speed on a hand mixer and medium speed on a stand mixer). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat for 2 minutes more. Scrape down the bowl. Add the salt and baking soda and beat briefly until evenly combined. Add the flour and both chocolates, and mix on low speed until the flour is completely blended and the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or scrape the dough into an airtight container and let rest in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours. (Alternatively, if you don't want to wait, form the dough into balls on the baking sheet as instructed below and chill in the fridge until firm, about 30 minutes.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set a rack in the middle position. Line a 13 x 18-in (33 x 46-cm) baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Drop the dough in firmly packed 1.5-tablespoon balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. (I use a #40/1.5-T cookie scoop with a wire trigger.) Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until golden around the edges but still soft and pale in the center. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Some readers have had issues with the cookies being flat. This can happen as a result of using a "softer" flour. I highly recommend King Arthur All Purpose Flour for this recipe—it is high in protein and gluten, and helps cookies hold their shape.
- Freezing Instructions: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) The baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Forgot to mention, In Australia we don’t have King Arthur flour. I just used the cheapest plain old flour from the supermarket and I was still very impressed with the results 🙂
These are really the best cookies I’ve made in ages. I love a chocolate chip cookie but over the past few years I’ve felt there has been something lacking in each recipe I use. So many end up hard and unappealing in the end. These, however, are tender, perfectly balanced and completely delicious! They also look beautiful once baked 🙂 I ended up decreasing the granulated sugar by a couple tablespoons and used only 54% callebaut chocolate chips and they came out so good. My work friends said I should open my own cafe and serve your baked goods 😉 Thank you Jenn!! I will always come back to this recipe from now on.
I made these for the Super Bowl party I attended and they were a hit. Jen your recipes always come out great for me. I am anxiously awaiting the delivery of your new cookbook. I have it waiting to ship in my Amazon account. Happy New Year to You!
You too Jacqueline! 🙂
Hi Jen, could I use dark chocolate instead of the milk chocolate. I don’t really like milk chocolate. I can’t wait to make these😊
Sure, Toni. Enjoy!
Hi Jennifer,
Since the dough needs to be frozen before baking, do you think I could use browned butter in this recipe? I love the extra flavour it brings.
Thanks, Sheila
Unfortunately not, Sheila. In order to brown the butter, you’d need to melt it, and melted butter won’t work for the creaming step necessary in the recipe. Sorry!
Hi Jen. I’m baking for myself and would rather not make 3 dozen cookies in one sitting. How long can I keep the batter in the fridge before I have to throw it out? Thanks in advance. 🙂
HI Rosa, you could keep the dough in the fridge for about 5 days. You can also freeze the dough or the baked cookies.
These cookies are terrific ! Even so, do you think if I reduced the sugar by half, would they keep their form when baking or would other ingredient adjustments need to be made?
Hi Beth, glad you like the cookies! I think you could decrease the sugars by a few tablespoons, but wouldn’t suggest more than that as it could affect the texture of the cookies. No other modifications would be necessary.
Hi Jenn,
I love your recipes and use your site regularly. A quick question, can this cookie dough be frozen?
thanks, H
Sure, Haema. Glad you’re enjoying the site! 🙂
Best chocolate “chip” cookies ever! One question: can these be made into bar cookies? If so, how do I adjust the recipe?
Glad you like them, P. 🙂 For bar cookies, I recommend using this blondie recipe – and you can sub chocolate chunks for the chocolate chips, if you like.
My grands loved the chunky chocolate chip cookies, they keep asking for more.