These fudgy chocolate cookies made with cocoa powder and chocolate chips are a dream for chocolate lovers! They are crispy on the outside and fudgy on the inside, just like we all love.
These are my favorite double chocolate cookies! I've been baking them for about 12 years, and I never get tired of them. They're crispy on the outside but soft and fudgy on the inside. They have an intense chocolate flavor and are incredibly delicious!
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Ingredients and possible substitutions
- Softened butter: For flavor and texture purposes we need butter in these cookies. Don't substitute it for oil.
- White and dark brown sugar: The combination of sugars is necessary to ensure the fudgy texture inside and the crispy texture outside.
- Eggs: To help with the moisture and structure of the cookies.
- Vanilla extract: If possible, try not to use imitation vanilla flavor. The vanilla extract really complements the flavor of these cookies.
- All-purpose flour: Don't change the flour. Doing so might drastically change the outcome of these cookies.
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder: You can use regular unsweetened cocoa, but the dutch-processed is the best option for these cookies. Read the section "Which cocoa powder should I use" in this article, to understand more about it.
- Baking soda: Don't change it for baking powder. Baking soda is the best choice due to the use of cocoa powder.
- Salt: To enhance the flavor.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: You can sub them for white chocolate chips, dark chocolate pieces, peanut butter chips, etc.
How to make chocolate cookies with cocoa powder
These chocolate cookies with cocoa powder are so easy to make that you don't even need to refrigerate the batter. Just mix everything and take it straight into the oven. Look at the step-by-step photos to see how simple it is.
The secret for fudgy chocolate cookies
A few ingredients in this recipe are key for fudgy cookies, such as brown sugar and dutch-processed cocoa powder. Don't change these ingredients if you want fudgy cookies, and you should be set up for success.
Also, don't overmix the batter, and don't overbake it. All these together will ensure that you get delicious fudgy cookies.
Which cocoa powder should I use?
I suggest using dutch-processed cocoa powder in this recipe, and here is why:
Cocoa powder is slightly acidic, which means that when combined with baking soda, they chemically react, creating carbon dioxide.
The Carbon dioxide expands inside the cookies, causing them to be airy and rise in the oven. That would be great if we wanted a cake-like consistency for our cookies, but here we are looking for soft and fudgy cookies.
This is why I recommend using the dutch-processed cocoa powder. This process, known as Dutching or alkalizing, raises the cocoa powder's pH, reducing its acidity. As a result, we get:
- Darker color;
- Deeper and earthier flavor;
- Less acidity = less rise = more fudgy consistency;
- More fat = More flavor and moisture.
Here's an amazing article called "Which Cocoa Powder Should You Buy", by Cooks Illustrated, which explains in detail what are the biggest differences between the 2 types of cocoa powder, and when to use each one.
Tips
Properly cream the butter
The process of creaming butter and sugar together creates microbeads of air in the dough; this helps sugar and butter to melt slower and slightly raise the dough, resulting in soft and thick cookies instead of flat ones.
To properly cream butter and sugar, the butter needs to be at around 67ºF (19ºC). You can achieve this temperature by leaving the butter outside of the fridge for about an hour or so or beating it for a longer time. The cold butter beaten with sugar will eventually raise its temperature (because of the heat created by the friction), becoming light and fluffy. It just takes longer for it to happen this way.
In the article "Cold vs Softened Butter for Creaming" by Cooks Illustrated, you can find more details about this subject.
Lightly press them
These cookies don't spread much, so it's good to lightly press them once rolled and placed on the cookie sheet.
FAQ
You can keep the cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature. When it's time to eat, you can pop them in the microwave for a few seconds, and they will be warm and delicious.
You can store the dough in the fridge for 2 to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. (USDA times suggestion)
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📖 Recipe / Receita
Fudgy Chocolate cookies (with cocoa powder)
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (regular unsweetened cocoa could also be used)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line baking sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the mixer's bowl, cream the butter and both sugars until it becomes light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add one egg at a time and the vanilla, beating until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this combination to the batter, beating at a low speed until just incorporated. Don't overmix it. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Make portions of 1 tablespoon each, rolling the dough between your hands and placing them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press them lightly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until you see that it's not shiny on top anymore. Don't overbake it. They will set as they rest on the baking sheet. Let them cool for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.Enjoy!
Nutrition Estimate:
All nutritional information above is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Nutritional content may vary according to brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, substitutions, optional ingredients, etc. Simple Living Recipes is not responsible for any miscalculation or misinformation in the nutrition label.
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Lys says
How big are the cookies in diameter once baked? Or weight of one cookie?
Lilian Vallezi says
Hi Lys! I would say between 2.5" and 3" in diameter. Hope you enjoy them.
SquallyTea says
I doubled the recipe and some how managed to make 100 cookies from it! Most of 'em the size of my hand! I was worried by substituting dark brown sugar with White sugar n molasses they would come out bad... But they taste amazing! Just as described, crunchy outside soft inside. Thank you for the tasty recipe!
Oh, I also had to chill the dough since it came out very sticky. But that's probably due to me using molasses? No problem for me though!
Lilian Vallezi says
Hi! I'm so glad you liked it! Great job on making your own brown sugar! I'm happy it worked!
Lilian
Cynthia says
These look great, but seems like a lot of sugar, can the amount be reduced?
Lilian Vallezi says
Hi Cynthia! Chocolate cookies use a little more sugar than regular cookies because cocoa powder is bitter. You could try reducing the amount of sugar, but it could result in changes in the texture of the cookies.
Hope this info was helpful.
Thanks for stopping by!
Lilian
Esther says
Best chocolate cookies we’ve ever tried! It’s the house favorite!! The Dutch processed cocoa makes a huge difference!! Great idea!
Lilian Vallezi says
Thanks Esther!! I'm so glad to hear that! These are my favorite cookies too!
Connie says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Its my first time to bake cookies and I was so happy with the outcome. The 2 cups of sugar was too sweet to my taste so I intended to reduce it next time. Do you think it will change the consistency? Nevertheless, I love the chocolatey taste.
Lilian Vallezi says
Hi Connie!!
I'm so glad you like these cookies!!
The sugar does help with the consistency of the cookies, but depending on how much you reduce, it might not have a significant impact. Some things we really gotta try to see the results. Good luck with your tweaks! Cooking is science and is so much fun! If you ever try it, let me know your results; I'd love to know.😉
Linda says
Recipe baked perfectly...I did use organic cacao powder because that's what I had, and it worked fine.
Lilian Vallezi says
I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your comment.
Lilian
Kat says
These are ridiculously sweet cookies and the dough is super sticky. I put the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before rolling into balls and the dough was much easier to work with. I also sprinkled a teensy bit of coarse sea salt on each cookie before baking. The sea salt grows to cut the sweetness and added a splash of decadence.
Great recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Lilian Vallezi says
Hi Kat!
I'm glad you liked the final result. Thanks for trying it out.
Lilian
Shari Laport says
Can I add coconut to these cookies? I just made the batter and have to fold in the chocolate chips and the coconut came to mind. I'll try it in a couple of them and let you know results
Lilian Vallezi says
Hi Shari!
Sounds delicious! Let me know how it turned out.
Thanks!