Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and chewy double chocolate chip cookies with crisp edges and gooey centers. Cocoa powder in the dough and semi-sweet chocolate chips folded throughout give you a double-hit of chocolate in every bite.

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Ingredient Notes

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Unsalted butter. Brands of salted butter vary in how much salt they add, so unsalted gives you control. Soften to room temperature so it creams properly with the sugars. It should leave an indent when pressed but still feel cool to the touch.
• Granulated and brown sugar. The combo is what gives you crisp edges and a soft, chewy center. Granulated handles the structure and crispness, brown sugar adds moisture and that slight caramel note.
• Eggs. Two large eggs at room temperature so they blend evenly into the creamed butter and sugar.
• Vanilla extract. A full 2 1/2 teaspoons. It sounds like a lot, but cocoa-heavy doughs need more vanilla to round out the flavor.
• All-purpose flour. Spoon it into the measuring cup and level off with a knife, or weigh it. Packed flour is the number one reason cookies turn out dry or cakey.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder. Use 100% natural cocoa (Hershey’s, Ghirardelli, or Nestle) so the acid can react with the baking soda. I love subbing 1/4 cup with Hershey’s Special Dark for a richer flavor. Don’t swap the full amount for Dutch-processed since it won’t give you the same rise.
• Baking soda and baking powder. Both, not one or the other. The soda reacts with the cocoa for lift, the powder gives them a little extra puff.
• Fine sea salt. A full teaspoon balances all that sugar and chocolate. If using salted butter, drop this to 3/4 teaspoon.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips. My go-to. Milk chocolate makes them sweeter, dark chocolate makes them more intense, or use a mix.

How to Make Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baking Tips

• Measure flour correctly. This is the number one reason cookies turn out flat or dense. Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Don’t scoop directly from the bag or pack it down.
• Line your baking sheet. As the butter melts it creates grease that can cause overspreading. I always use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
• Don’t skip the chill. Even 15 minutes in the fridge firms up the butter and keeps the cookies from spreading too thin.
• Add a pinch of espresso powder. Just 1/2 teaspoon stirred into the dry ingredients deepens the chocolate flavor without tasting like coffee.
• Choose your cookie size. A medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) gives you 36 cookies. A large scoop gives you 24 thicker cookies. Add 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time for the larger size.
• Press extra chips on top before baking. Bakery-style trick that makes them look magazine-perfect.

Ways to Change it Up

• Make them triple chocolate. Swap 1/2 cup of the semi-sweet chips for dark chocolate chunks to turn them into my triple chocolate chip cookies.
• Bake as sheet pan cookie bars. Press the dough into a parchment-lined half sheet pan and bake at 350°F for 18 to 22 minutes. This is also one of the doughs I include in my 4-in-1 sheet pan cookie bars.
• Brown butter. Brown the butter first, then let it cool back to a soft, scoopable consistency before creaming. Adds a nutty, toffee depth that pairs beautifully with the cocoa.
• Top with flaky sea salt. Sprinkle on a pinch right out of the oven. Makes the chocolate flavor pop even more.