These best ever chocolate chunk cookies have buttery crisp edges, a soft gooey center, and puddles of melty chocolatey goodness throughout each bite! This is the only chocolate chip cookie recipe that you need!

black hand holding chocolate chunk cookie in the air

Fall is officially almost here, y’all. I mean, just whewwwww.

The year 2020, thus far, has been literally all of the things. I feel like there has been so much chaos, introspection, goodness, sadness, blessings, and everything in between for me. How about you? It helps me to pause more and reflect on the silver lining of things. For example, being thankful for my health, the people in my life, the incredible opportunities, the reminders to be still/present, and of course, good food.

Listen, if anything we’ve all done the most this year, it has probably been getting real intimate with our kitchens, ha! I already cook/bake on the regular but my goodness, my oven and stove have been on overdrive. I’ve been going back to a few older posts and updating them with new photos and more! And since Fall is coming, baking season has commenced. These chocolate chunk cookies are one of my faves!

chocolate chunk cookies on black wire rack with striped linen on the side

Okay so, you saw that I’ve dubbed this recipe as the best ever chocolate chunk cookies. I do realize that I’m being a tad bit presumptuous with that title but hear me out. I consider myself a cookie connoisseur and feel like I’ve clocked in enough hours to be able to know what a good cookie is. In my opinion, a bomb chocolate chip cookie is soft yet crispy, rich + buttery, filled with a gooey chocolate center, and flavorful!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies Ingredients

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

  • all-purpose flour
  • baking soda
  • chocolate chunks
  • chocolate chips
  • chopped pecans
  • salted butter
  • dark brown sugar
  • granulated sugar
  • large eggs
  • vanilla extract
  • almond extract
  • sea salt flakes
raw chocolate chunk cookie dough balls on silver baking sheet

These chocolate chunk cookies are no exception. The edges have just the right amount of crunch with that typical buttery-crispy outer edge and a slightly under baked inside. The center is so damn gooey and pillowy soft with bursts of oozing chocolate pockets throughout the entire cookie! Yeah, I said oozing chocolate pockets…get into these food descriptions, ha! They really are the most perfect cookies to make.

Tips For The Best Chocolate Chunk Cookies

  1. Room temperature ingredients! Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature.
  2. Freeze cookie dough! I always recommend freezing cookie dough before baking. When mixing the dough together, most of the ingredients are at room temperature. Freezing the cookie dough for a quick 10 minutes allows the dough/butter to get nice and solid again before entering the hot oven.
  3. Give ’em a good pan-banging! Okay, this sounds odd huh. However, I know this method to come from Sarah Kieffer of The Vanilla Bean Blog and it’s genius! When the cookies are done, take your baking pan and gently drop it onto your counter a few times. This method creates textures and allows for the chocolate to spread and pool out. And it is mainly the chocolate chunks that provide this effect.

Other Must-Try Dessert Recipes

chocolate chunk cookies on black wire rack

What Kind Of Chocolate To Use

The key for superb chocolate chunk cookies is to use high-quality chocolate chunks and chocolate chips. Some of my favorite exceptional chocolate brands for baking include- Guittard, Ghiradelli, Callebaut, Valrhona, and See’s chocolate. I am also a huge fan of Trader Joe’s bittersweet baking bars that I chop up into chunks! Overall, an excellent chocolate chip cookie is only as good as the chocolate used.

How To Make Chocolate Chunk Cookies

  1. Let your butter and eggs sit out to come up to room temperature.
  2. Sift the flour and baking soda together and set aside.
  3. Combine chocolate chunks, chocolate chips, and pecans together and set aside.
  4. Beat the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy.
  5. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  6. Then add in both vanilla and almond extract- both flavors give nice flavor!
  7. Slowly add in flour mixture a quarter at a time.
  8. Lastly, pour in chocolate chunks/chips/pecans and mix until just combined.
  9. Scoop out cookie dough into balls and place onto a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place cookie dough balls into the freezer for at least 10 minutes to get cold.
  10. Bake desired amount of cookies. When cookies come out, bang them a few times on your counter until you see the chocolate pools spreading. Sprinkle with salt flakes if you’d like and enjoy immediately.
black hand dipping chocolate chunk cookie into a glass of milk

How To Enjoy These Chocolate Chunk Cookies

When I can, I like to enjoy my warm chocolate chunk cookies with an affogato, so delicious! An affogato is Italian for “drowned.” You simply pour a shot or two of espresso over a generous scoop of ice cream/gelato in a cup and get your entire life! It is basically the process of drowning ice cream into coffee. The ice cream will melt a little and you can dunk these chocolate chunk cookies in for ultimate eating pleasure. If this is too bougie for ya, you can also pair with some good ole fashioned milk of your choice and enjoy, ha!

Tips For Storing These Cookies

  • After rolling cookie dough into balls, freeze them solid for at least 1 hour.
  • Transfer cookie dough balls into a large resealable bag for future use- since solid, they won’t stick.
  • When ready to bake cookies, place desired amount of cookies onto a baking sheet and bake. Remember that cookies baked straight from the freezer require a bit more baking time since frozen solid.
chocolate chunk cookies on round black wire rack

Can I Use This Or That Kind Of Flour?

Please know that I have only tested this recipe using all-purpose flour. Substitute at your own risk!

Can I Substitute the Pecans?

I personally love pecans and a little crunch in my chocolate chunk cookies but please feel free to substitute for your own favorite kind of nuts. For example, walnuts and hazelnuts work well in this recipe too. And if nuts aren’t your thing, simply just leave them out. You do, you!

Let’s Talk About Salt

For these chocolate chunk cookies, I use salted butter (the greatest!) and no additional salt within the actual cookie recipe itself. I like it this way primarily because I top my cookies with some flaked salt when they come out. It adds a nice contrast in flavor against the sweetness. This, too, is totally optional.

black hand grabbing a piece of chocolate chunk cookie on wire rack

I sincerely hope y’all enjoy these cookies too and I cannot wait to see the recreations!

This post was originally published on 9/26/2018 and has been updated as of 9/15/2020.

REMEMBER TO LEAVE A ⭐️STAR RATING⭐️AND TAG ME ON THE ‘GRAM IF YOU MAKE ANY OF MY RECIPES! I ALWAYS LOVE TO SEE IT WHEN YOU DO!

Until Next Time…Love and Butter,

Q.

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black hand holding chocolate chunk cookie in the air

Best Ever Chocolate Chunk Cookies

★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews
  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 20 cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

These chocolate chunk cookies have buttery crisp edges, a soft gooey center, and puddles of melty chocolatey goodness throughout each bite! This is the only chocolate chip cookie recipe that you need!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups plus 2 tbsp [265 g] unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups [270 g] bittersweet chocolate chunks
  • 1 cup [180 g] semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup [227 g] salted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup [220 g] packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup [100 g] granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • *Sea salt flakes, optional- I love Maldon

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. You may need two baking sheets or you can simply bake in batches.
  2. Sift the flour and baking soda together into medium bowl then set aside. In a second medium bowl, combine the chocolate chunks, chocolate chips, and pecans together and set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Be sure to stop and scrape down sides of bowl along the way.
  4. Add in eggs, one at time, beating/scrapping after each addition. Add in vanilla/almond extract.
  5. On low speed, add in flour mixture, a quarter at a time. Then add in chocolate/nut mixture with the last of the flour mixture and mix everything together until just combined.
  6. Using a medium-size ice cream scoop, scoop out cookie dough onto a small baking sheet. Freeze the cookie dough that you plan to bake same-day for 10 minutes. To store cookie dough balls for future use, allow to freeze for one hour and then transfer balls into a large resealable bag and keep in the freezer.
  7. Place desired amount of cookies to bake onto prepared baking sheet with at least 2 inches apart.
  8. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until they’re browned and crispy at the edges and soft in the middle.
  9. Remove cookies from oven and immediately and gently slam/drop baking sheet onto counter surface to let the chocolate chunks pool out. I usually do this one, maybe, two times. No need to fret if you don’t see as many chocolate puddles on the surface, they’re in there- I promise!
  10. If desired, sprinkle salt flakes on top of cookies and enjoy warm.

Notes

  1. Cookies can be stored in a large resealable bag if frozen for up to two months.