These dark chocolate chunk cookies are built from a single bar of high-quality dark chocolate and a few pantry staples. They tie with my double chocolate chip cookies as one of my go-to quick and easy homemade chocolate cookies. The dough benefits from a short chill—worth it for crisp edges and chewy centers. Finish with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt and a glass of milk for the perfect bite.
“Bake time was quick, and [these cookies] were ready to go after a few minutes out of the oven. The sprinkle of salt. The pools of chocolate. Cookie heaven!!!” -Hakima
Ingredients for Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
The dark chocolate is the star here—choose the best bar you can for a richer flavor and better texture. The rest of the ingredients are simple and likely already in your kitchen.
- Good quality dark chocolate (a bar)
- Salted butter (room temperature)
- Brown sugar (packed)
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Flaky sea salt for finishing (optional)
Quick Tips for Prepping Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Using dark chocolate keeps these cookies from being overly sweet, making them ideal if you prefer a more balanced chocolate flavor. A brief chill solidifies the butter so the cookies bake up with crisp edges and soft centers.
How to Chop a Bar of Chocolate
Chopping a chocolate bar is simple: break the bar into its segments, then use a sharp chef’s knife to slice across in roughly 1/4″ rows. Rotate the board and repeat in the other direction. The pieces will vary in size, which adds character to the cookies. Trim any pieces that are too large.
How to Cream Together Butter and Sugar
Cream butter and both sugars for about three minutes until light and fluffy. Then add the egg and vanilla and beat another minute until the mixture is airy. This traps air in the dough for lighter cookies with small pockets instead of a dense bite.
If your kitchen is warm, slightly chilled (not frozen) eggs help keep the butter from overheating during mixing. For uniform cookies, fill a cookie scoop, press out air, level the top, and scoop onto the sheet. A medium scoop yields roughly 14 cookies from this recipe.
Substitutions and Finishing Touches
You can use dark chocolate chips if you prefer, but chopped bar chocolate gives irregular pockets of molten chocolate that I love. Topping warm cookies with a pinch of flaky sea salt is optional but highly recommended—it accentuates the dark chocolate and balances the sweetness.
Dish Cleanup: Not Too Bad
I rate cleanup on a scale from 1 to 5. This recipe lands at a 2: a cutting board and knife for chopping the chocolate are the only extras. If you skip staging ingredients in multiple prep bowls, you’ll have very few dishes. Lined baking sheets reduce scrubbing; parchment generally prevents mess from reaching the pans.
Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies Recipe
Thanks for stopping by! If you make these cookies, please leave a review in the comments to let others know how they turned out.
Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 oz (170 g) good quality dark chocolate
- 1 ½ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup (113 g) butter, room temperature (1 stick)
- ½ cup (95 g) brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Chop the chocolate into rough chunks, about the size of a large blueberry at most.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and both sugars together in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 2 more minutes until very fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the flour mixture until just combined, about one minute. Avoid overmixing.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks with a spatula until distributed. Cover and chill the dough at least 30 minutes and up to 72 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough with a medium cookie scoop and place 3 inches apart on the sheets (about six per half-sheet pan).
- Bake one sheet at a time for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are light golden. Optional: after removing from the oven, gently bang the pan on the counter to create cracks, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Let cookies cool on the pan for at least 30 minutes before transferring.
Notes
*If you don’t have a cookie scoop, roll dough into balls using about 2 tablespoons per cookie.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 7 days, or freeze up to 6 months.
Recommended Supplies
- Maldon-style flaky sea salt (for finishing)
- Cookie scoop (medium)
- Silicone spatula
Nutrition
If you make these, I’d love to see your results—tag @floralapronblog on Instagram or use the hashtag #floralapronbakes to share a photo.