How should I store these cookies to keep them soft and chewy?

Store them at room temp in an air-tight container for maximum freshness.

Can I add chocolate chips?

Great idea! Yes, that definitely works. All the chocolate, please.

Can you freeze the cookie dough?

Yes! To make it even easier when you're ready to bake the cookies, form the cookies into little balls you can just pop on a baking sheet.

Can you freeze the chocolate cookies after baking?

Yep! These are shockingly delicious cold/frozen and will keep for up to 6 months!

Can I use regular cocoa powder?

Absolutely. The dark cocoa powder just adds a bit more rich flavor and deeper color.

The Very Best Chocolate Cookies Recipe

Description

These are really the very best Chocolate Cookies! Thick, soft-centered, and crispy-edged. All your basic cookie ingredients here plus dark cocoa powder and ground cardamom to make things extra festive!

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 cups brown sugar, loosely packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/4 all-purpose flour (see notes for exact grams)
1 cup dark cocoa powder (see notes for exact grams)
1–2 tablespoons espresso powder (optional, but recommended if you’re using regular cocoa powder to give the flavor more depth)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
extra cane or granulated sugar for rolling
1 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing gently until just combined.
Add flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined into a soft dough.
Form into balls (about ¼ cup per cookie / ball). Roll each ball in the extra sugar (mixed with cardamom, if you want). Bake for 10-12 minutes (I recommend 6-8 at a time on the baking sheet, so you’ll need to bake in batches). Remove from oven and let them rest – you want the cookies settle down a bit and give you crisped edges with thicker, soft-baked centers.

Notes

These cookies are delicate and they can break easily, so be sure to let them cool fully before handling them too much. I’d recommend storing them in the fridge so they stay a bit stronger for transporting around to all your various Christmas events. 🙂

If you find the dough is very sticky, or if you aren’t getting the slightly puffed centers like you see in the photos, try adding a tablespoon more flour to the remaining dough.

Cocoa Powder: We suggest about 100 grams of dark cocoa powder if you’re making a standard batch of these cookies. Regular cocoa powder will also work, we just prefer dark here.

All Purpose Flour: We suggest using 470 grams of flour if you’re making a standard batch of these cookies.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

Keywords: chocolate cookies, chocolate cardamom cookies, cookie recipe