Description
This recipe delivers bakery-style chocolate chip cookies that feature a perfectly balanced texture: crispy edges with a soft, chewy center. Using a high-quality dark chocolate and a lengthy chilling time enhances the flavor depth and texture, making these cookies truly irresistible and ideal for sharing or indulging as a decadent treat.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or 3/4 teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter)
Wet Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons (140g) salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (165g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp (80g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) honey or corn syrup
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
Chocolate
- 7 oz (200g) dark chocolate (55-70% cocoa), roughly chopped into chunks plus extra for topping
Optional
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly blended. This ensures your baking soda and salt are well distributed for even rising and flavor.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, combine the softened salted butter with dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Using a rubber spatula or mixer, vigorously mix the ingredients together by hand using the creaming method until you achieve a smooth, slightly fluffy texture resembling damp sand or a paste rather than an aerated batter. Then mix in the honey or corn syrup until fully incorporated.
- Add Egg: Add the large egg to the creamed butter mixture and mix thoroughly until fully incorporated, forming a cohesive dough base.
- Combine Flour Mixture With Wet Mixture: Add all the whisked flour mixture to the butter mixture at once and stir until most of the flour is absorbed, ensuring not to overmix.
- Fold in Chocolate Chunks: Before completely mixing in all flour, fold in the chopped dark chocolate chunks gently but thoroughly, distributing the chocolate evenly throughout the soft, moderately moist dough.
- Chill Dough: Cover the dough surface tightly with plastic wrap directly on top and refrigerate for 8-24 hours to enhance flavor and improve texture. If time is limited, chilling for a minimum of 4 hours will suffice.
- Prepare for Baking: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper for a non-stick surface.
- Scoop Dough Balls: Use a 1 ½-ounce cookie scoop or divide into 16 balls. If dough is too firm, let it warm at room temperature for 20-30 minutes to soften. Place dough balls on prepared baking sheets spaced 2 inches apart without flattening. For slightly smaller cookies, divide into 18 balls.
- Add Extra Chocolate Topping: Gently press a few extra chocolate chunks atop each dough ball to add an inviting chocolatey finish.
- Bake Cookies: Bake 6 cookies per sheet for 9-11 minutes until cookies are puffed, golden at the edges, and still soft in the center. Smaller cookies require 8-10 minutes. Avoid overbaking, as cookies will continue cooking on the hot sheet after removal.
- Cool and Serve: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer carefully to a wire rack to cool completely. Optionally, sprinkle flaky sea salt over warm cookies for a delightful finish.
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale for best accuracy with ingredient measurements.
- Chilling the dough for at least 8 hours improves flavor and cookie texture significantly.
- You can substitute honey or corn syrup, but read expert tips about their effect on texture and moisture.
- If you prefer semisweet chocolate chips, use high-quality ones for optimal taste.
- Do not overbake cookies to keep their soft centers; they will continue cooking slightly on the hot baking sheet.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
