Close-up of chocolate cookies stacked on a wooden board, with chocolate chunks visible on top

These double chocolate chunk cookies have melted dark chocolate in the dough, chocolate pieces throughout and a soft, moist centre. The chocolate isn’t just an occasional extra you come across between bites of cookie. It’s very much the main event. 😁

The idea came from using up partly opened chocolate bars, which is a rather satisfying way to tidy the cupboard. The important part is keeping the balance of the recipe, even when the collection of chocolate waiting to be used is tempting you to improvise.

Why You’ll Love These Cookies

First of all, the flavour. Melted chocolate runs through the dough, while the chunks add little pockets of chocolate with a different texture. If you like desserts that actually taste of chocolate, there’s plenty to enjoy here.

They’re also a good way to use those half-finished chocolate bars sitting in the cupboard. That’s exactly how this recipe started. Just keep the quantities in the recipe card and set aside the chocolate for melting separately from the chocolate you’ll fold in at the end.

Tidying the cupboard doesn’t mean everything you find needs to go into the bowl. Tempting, though. 😀

Which Chocolate I Used and Why It Matters

I used dark chocolate with 75% cocoa for the melted chocolate mixture and chocolate with 47% cocoa for the chunks. They do different jobs: the melted chocolate gives the dough its base flavour, while the chopped chocolate creates distinct pieces within each cookie.

Those percentages describe the version I made. Different chocolate bars can change the balance of sweetness and bitterness, as well as how the chocolate behaves during baking. For your first batch, I’d stay close to the combination in the recipe card so you have a useful starting point.

When chopping the chocolate, leave recognisable pieces rather than turning it into fine shavings. You want to notice the chunks separately from the chocolate dough.

At the other extreme, very large pieces can make the dough awkward to portion and leave the chocolate unevenly distributed. One cookie gets everything, while another wonders what happened to its share. 😄

Chocolate chunk cookies piled in a black tin with a gold rim and gold swirl decorations

Tips for Cookies with Soft Centers

Let the melted chocolate cool slightly

Low heat makes the butter and chocolate easier to melt gently and evenly. Once the pan is off the heat, give the mixture a little time to cool before adding it to the eggs. It should still be fluid, but no longer hot.

There’s no need to let it set again. You’re simply taking the heat out of the mixture before combining it with the other ingredients.

It’s a small detail, but an easy one to overlook when you’ve lined everything up and want to get straight on with the mixing. Moving directly from the hob to the mixing bowl won’t save much time here.

Don’t add extra flour to firm up soft dough

Weigh the flour and stick to the amount in the recipe card. Warm dough can feel softer than you expect, especially when it contains melted butter and chocolate.

Its temperature affects how easy it is to handle. Adding more flour changes the balance of the recipe and can take you further away from the moist centre you’re aiming for.

Once the flour is added, mix only until everything is combined. You don’t need to keep beating the dough after it looks uniform.

Chocolate cookies stacked and arranged in a row on a wooden board beside an open tin filled with cookies

Keep the portions a similar size

Cookies of roughly the same size bake more evenly. A tray containing both tiny portions and much larger ones makes it difficult to get the same texture throughout the batch.

Leave room between them, too. Baking another tray is easier than trying to separate one enormous tray-sized cookie afterwards. Although I can see how that might have its appeal.

If you bake in batches, remember that the baking time applies to each tray. It isn’t the time needed to bake all the dough, unless everything fits into a single batch.

Look at the texture rather than the colour

With a dough this dark, browning is harder to judge than it is with plain butter cookies. Don’t wait for the cookies to become completely firm in the oven: the centre is meant to stay moist.

Let them rest briefly on the baking tray before moving them. They’ll be easier to handle once they’ve had a chance to set a little.

A warm cookie is more delicate than a cooled one, so give it that settling time before judging the final texture.

Serving and Storing

Serve these cookies with coffee or a glass of milk. There’s already plenty of chocolate in each bite, so they’re lovely just as they are.

For storage, let them cool completely before putting them in an airtight container. Keeping the container closed helps prevent them from drying out, while packing the cookies away when they’re still hot can trap steam and cause condensation.

Four chocolate cookies stacked on a wooden board, with large chocolate chunks on the top cookie

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to chill the dough?

It isn’t essential, but I recommend it. I chilled mine for about 30 minutes, which made it firm enough to roll into balls. Chilling makes the dough easier to handle and helps limit spreading during baking.

Why are my cookies dry inside?

Baking them for too long can dry out the centres. Mine baked for exactly 12 minutes at 180°C (350°F), leaving the inside moist. Extra flour can also change the texture, so avoid adding more just to make soft dough feel firmer.

Does this recipe contain cocoa powder?

No. The dough gets its chocolate flavour and colour from melted chocolate and the chocolate hazelnut spread. There’s no need to add cocoa powder: it would change the balance of dry ingredients and could affect the texture.

More Chocolate Cookie Recipes

Since the chocolate cupboard is already open, here are a few ideas for your next batch. 😁

Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies — soft-centered cookies coated in icing sugar, which forms their distinctive cracks as they bake.

Chocolate Brownie Cookies with Walnuts and Caramel — chocolatey centers, crunchy walnuts and caramel. Another recipe where caramel somehow managed to find its way in. 😂

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies — inspired by hot chocolate, with melted marshmallows in the middle and a layer of chocolate on top.

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Soft Centers

Recipe by Loredana Arion

Servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories per cookie

130

kcal

Rich chocolate cookies with melted dark chocolate in the dough, chocolate chunks throughout and soft, moist centers.

Ingredients

100 g butter
150 g dark chocolate, 75% cocoa, for melting
2 eggs
80 g brown sugar
1 tablespoon Nutella
100 g plain flour
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
A small pinch of baking powder
A pinch of salt
100 g chopped chocolate, chocolate flakes or chocolate chips — I used chocolate with 47% cocoa

Directions

Place the butter and the chocolate for melting in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth, then remove from the heat. Leave to cool slightly so the mixture is no longer hot when added to the eggs.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and brown sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the Nutella, melted chocolate and butter mixture, flour, vanilla essence, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.
Gently fold in the chopped chocolate with a spatula.
If chilling the dough, cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls and arrange them on the tray, leaving space between them. If you skip chilling and the dough is too soft to roll, use two teaspoons to portion it.
Bake for 12 minutes per tray in the preheated oven. Don’t continue baking until the centers are dry: they should remain moist.
Leave the cookies on the tray briefly to set, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool.