Sometimes you just need a cookie!  These Double Chocolate Cookies have been on constant rotation in our house for years.  They’re soft, chewy, and come together fast.  I usually change up the chocolate chip combination in this cookie depending on my mood. For this batch I used a mixture of semi-sweet and white chocolate chips…but I’ve used various combinations of bittersweet, semi-sweet, white, and peanut butter chips – all were great.  The texture of this cookie can’t be beat!  It’s stays soft, like a brownie, for days.

Here’s how they’re made!

Start by creaming together some butter and sugar until well combined.

To that mixture, add some eggs and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy.

Next add the soda, salt, baking cocoa and flour all at once.  Tip:  I like to put down the ingredients first that are in smaller quantities (like the soda and salt) so they are covered by the flour and cocoa – kind of like a blanket.  The reason I do this is that sometimes when I first start the mixer, a little of whatever is on top might get splashed out of the bowl and I’d rather have a teaspoon of flour float away than the salt and soda!

Mix just until well combined. Overmixing cookie dough is one of the biggest culprits of tough, dry cookies.

To the finished dough, add your favorite combination of chocolate chips.  For this batch I used 1 1/2 cups of semisweet chocolate and 1/2 cup of white chocolate.  Sometimes I will do all semisweet chocolate, sometimes a mixture of semisweet and bittersweet, and sometimes even a combination of semisweet and peanut butter chips.  Anything works here, just make sure it’s the equivalent of 2 cups of chips.

Use a cookie scoop or measuring spoon to place the dough on a baking sheet in 1 1/2 tablespoon mounds.  The important thing is to just get all of the cookies as close to the same size as you can so they cook at a similar rate.  Press a few extra chocolate chips into the top of each cookie, if you want…

Before Baking

After Baking

The Secret to Perfect Cookies!

The 3 secrets to success in baking cookies are:

1. Don’t overmix the dough so that you don’t develop gluten in your cookies.  Gluten is great in bread, not so great in cookies.

2. Make sure all of the cookies are the same size so they cook at a similar rate.

3. Pull the cookies out of the oven when they are cooked through, but not completely set (see photos above and below).  By letting the residual heat from the oven slowly finish cooking your cookies, they will be soft and chewy instead of hard and dry.  I like to let cookies cool on a baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

See how the cookie is set, but you can still see a tiny bit of wetness in the center?  If you tried to move this cookie off the baking sheet right away it would fall apart, but if you let is set up for 5-7 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack it will be just right…soft, gooey, and perfect!

You’re going to love these cookies!  And I’d love to hear all of the fun chip combinations you come up with – make them your own!!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cups unsweeted cocoa powder (I like Hershey’s brand)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or a mixture of semisweet, bittersweet, white, or even peanut butter chips!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy. Add baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and flour. Mix until just combined, and no lumps remain. Add chocolate chips and stir briefly until combined.

Using a cookie scoop, portion dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon scoops and place on a nonstick cookie sheet (or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper). Press a few more chocolate chips onto the top of each cookie, if desired.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Let the cookies finish cooking slightly on cookie sheets (about 5 minutes more) before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. Store covered, at room temperature, for up to 3 days. This cookie dough also freezes well!!