Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies have the perfect balance of tenderness and texture. Three different kinds of chocolate make these incredibly rich and irresistible. Every cookie has gooey pockets of goodness in each bite.
What You’ll Love About Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies:
- Irresistible texture
- Chocolate chunks in each bite
- Easy to make
- No-Chill cookie dough recipe
- Customize with your favorite chocolate, nuts, and more
- Soft, chewy, and crisp edges–the perfect cookie
- Easy to freeze and enjoy later
There is just so much to love about these Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies–from the warm vanilla flavor and buttery taste, to the perfect soft and chewy texture, these cookies have it all!
Have you ever purchased one of those ginormous bakery style chocolate chip cookies that you may or may not have felt guilty about eating? Well, no need to spend half your wages on one single cookie when you can make an entire batch that tastes even better and fresher, right at home.
These chocolate chunk cookies will literally melt-in-your-mouth and leave you spellbound. No seriously. Each bite will have you forgetting about your decision to eat more salads in 2025. 😊
This cookie recipe is wonderful because while they do feel like a special indulgent treat (plus they’re gorgeous right?) they are incredibly easy to make. In 30-minutes you can enjoy a gooey and rich chocolate chunk cookie hot out of the oven.
You might also enjoy these Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookies or for something lighter, my Hearty Breakfast Cookies.
Simple Ingredients:
- Flour– I use all-purpose flour for the perfect texture.
- Baking soda- To help the cookies rise and spread evenly.
- Salt– Balances the flavors.
- Butter- Use salted or unsalted butter.
- Brown sugar– This cookie recipe uses a generous amount of brown sugar for a rich taste.
- Granulated sugar– Helps the cookies rise and keeps them soft and moist.
- Eggs– Eggs help with the chewy texture and offer additional richness.
- Vanilla extract– An absolute must have ingredient. Vanilla gives these cookies a warm and rich flavor. Make sure to use pure vanilla extract.
- Chocolate– I like to use a combination of semi-sweet, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate for the ultimate chocolate cookie taste.
Variations:
There are so many ways to customize or doctor up these cookies with even more flavors and texture. These variations can help you personalize your cookies depending on your preferences and cravings!
- Nuts: Add chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, or almonds to give the cookies a crunchy contrast to the chewy texture.
- Sea Salt: Sprinkle a little sea salt on top of the cookies before or after baking. This is my favorite! Just a touch to create a savory-sweet combination.
- Peanut Butter: Swirl in some peanut butter or add peanut butter chips for a classic combo of chocolate and peanut butter.
- Dried Fruit: Toss in dried cranberries, raisins, cherries, or apricots.
- Other Baking Chips: Toffee bits offer a layer of sweetness and buttery texture. You can also use all dark chocolate if you want a more intense chocolate taste. Mint chips would be a fun addition especially around the holidays.
- Espresso powder: Adding a small amount of instant espresso powder will deepen the chocolate flavor.
- Marshmallows: For a S’mores like experience add it some mini marshmallows.
How To Make Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies:
See full instructions in recipe card below
Step One. Prepare the chocolate bars and dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Use a sharp knife to roughly chop the chocolate bars into medium size pieces.
Step Two. Cream together butter and sugars in a separate bowl, then add vanilla and eggs. Continue to beat until soft dough forms.
Step Three. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chunks and baking chips.
Step Four. Form large balls of dough using a cookie scoop and place on a large sheet pan a few inches apart. Bake until puffed and lightly golden brown.
Important Tips:
- 💡Fresh ingredients- It’s important that your ingredients are fresh and not expired, even the flour and baking soda, which is crucial for a perfect rise in your cookies.
- 💡Quality chocolate- You really want to choose a quality chocolate for an exceptional taste. I love to use Lindt chocolate or Ghirardelli.
- 💡Room temperature butter– It’s important that the butter is room temperature soft but not melted. Room temp butter will ensure the cookies don’t fall flat during the baking time.
- 💡Use room temperature eggs– It’s important to use room temp eggs. If you don’t remember to set out your eggs to bring them to room temperature, you can add them to a cup with lukewarm water for 5-minutes.
- 💡Don’t overmix the dough- When adding the dry ingredients to the wet, mix just until combined. Overmixing can result in tough cookies.
- 💡Dough is too soft- The dough should be thick and tacky. If you feel your dough is too soft and worry about the cookies baking flat, you can refrigerate the dough for 30-minutes prior to baking.
- 💡Use a cookie scoop for even baking- Using a cookie scoop can ensure that each cookie bakes exactly the same.
- 💡Don’t overbake- To make sure your cookies come out soft an chewy, you want to bake the cookies just until golden brown but the center is slightly underdone. They will continue to set up and cook through during the resting time.
- 💡Use a silicone mat- Using a silicone baking mat can help cookies bake evenly and prevent sticking to the pan.
Common Questions:
If your cookies bake flat the dough might have too much butter, melted butter, or not enough flour. Ensure you are measuring your ingredients correctly and following the instructions accordingly. See “Important Tips” for the best results.
Yes, you can substitute whole wheat flour for part or all of the all-purpose flour in your recipe. However, whole wheat flour will make the cookies denser and change the flavor slightly. I like to use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all-purpose for the perfect balance.
Yes! Portion the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet to freeze individually. Transfer dough balls to a freezer-safe bag. You can bake them directly from the freezer, just adding a couple of extra minutes to the bake time.
Yes! Make sure cookies are completely cooled and place in a single layer in a freezer safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Pull individual cookies out of the freezer when you get a craving and allow to thaw on the counter or place in the microwave to warm up.
Absolutely! Make sure to adjust the baking time so they don’t overbake.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (low-carb)
- Lighter Chocolate Brownies
- S’mores Rice Krispie Treats
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Equipment
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 large mixing bowl
- hand or stand mixer
- 2 half sheet pan
- 2 silicone baking mats optional
- 1-2 cooling racks
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 14 tbsp room temperature butter salted or unsalted
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 (3.5) ounce milk chocolate bar, roughly chopped I use Lindt chocolate
- 1 (3.5) ounce dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped I use Lindt chocolate
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate baking chips
- sea salt optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375℉ and prepare 2 half sheet pans with silicon mats or parchment paper.
- In a medium size mixing bowl combine 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt.
- In a large bowl use a hand mixer (or if you have a stand mixer) to cream 14 tbsp butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar, making sure the butter and sugar are well combined. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and blend. Then add 2 eggs and blend until completely smooth and creamy.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet, and use a large spoon to fold until dough just starts to come together. Add in chopped milk and dark chocolate, along with 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Gently fold until chocolate is well distributed in the dough but being careful not to overmix the dough.
- Use a large cookie scoop or 3 tbsp of dough and roll into a ball. Place on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the rest of the dough making sure balls are several inches apart on baking sheet so they have room to spread out. At this point you can add a touch of sea salt or directly after coming out of the oven.
- Place one baking sheet in the oven at a time and bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. The center should still be slightly underdone. Allow the cookies to set on the baking sheet for 10-minutes (this will finish cooking the cookies through) then transfer to a cooling rack. Place the second baking sheet in the oven and repeat the baking and setting times.
Notes
- Fresh ingredients- It’s important that your ingredients are fresh and not expired, even the flour and baking soda, which is crucial for a perfect rise in your cookies.
- Quality chocolate- You really want to choose a quality chocolate for an exceptional taste. I love to use Lindt chocolate or Ghirardelli.
- Room temperature butter– It’s important that the butter is room temperature soft but not melted. Room temp butter will ensure the cookies don’t fall flat during the baking time.
- Don’t overmix the dough- When adding the dry ingredients to the wet, mix just until combined. Overmixing can result in tough cookies.
- Dough is too soft- The dough should be thick and tacky. If you feel your dough is too soft and worry about the cookies baking flat, you can refrigerate the dough for 30-minutes prior to baking.
- Use a cookie scoop for even baking- Using a cookie scoop can ensure that each cookie is the same size which will help them to each bake evenly.
- Don’t overbake- To make sure your cookies come out soft and chewy, you want to bake the cookies just until golden brown but the center is slightly underdone. They will continue to set up and cook through during the resting time.
- Use a silicone mat- Using a silicone baking mat can help cookies bake evenly and prevent sticking to the pan.
- Nuts: Add chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, or almonds to give the cookies a crunchy contrast to the chewy texture.
- Sea Salt: Sprinkle a little sea salt on top of the cookies before or after baking. This is my favorite! Just a touch to create a savory-sweet combination.
- Peanut Butter: Swirl in some peanut butter or add peanut butter chips for a classic combo of chocolate and peanut butter.
- Dried Fruit: Toss in dried cranberries, raisins, cherries, or apricots.
- Other Baking Chips: Toffee bits offer a layer of sweetness and buttery texture. You can also use all dark chocolate if you want a more intense chocolate taste. Mint chips would be a fun addition especially around the holidays.
- Espresso powder: Adding a small amount of instant espresso powder will deepen the chocolate flavor.
- Marshmallows: For a S’mores like experience add in some mini marshmallows.
Nutrition
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