Triple-Chocolate Cookies
61 comments » 
I’ve talked a lot about what I feel are the absolute best chocolate chip cookies on the planet – the Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. About two years ago, I was like most people. On an endless search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Looking high and low for the recipe that would become “the one”. That is how most people spend their time, right? Right. Since I started baking as a teenager, I have tried countless chocolate chip cookie recipes, and many of my own creations, but none of them ever wowed me. Then I bought Baking Illustrated
These cookies pack a powerful chocolate punch, thanks to cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and chocolate chips creating a fudge-like batter. There is no skimping when it comes to chocolate in this recipe. I like it. Like most cookies, you don’t want to overbake these, so once you see the edges just begin to set and the middle is still soft, take them out. They will continue to bake on the hot baking sheet once out of the oven.
Now, many of you may also remember the Better-than-Brownies Chocolate Cookies from last summer. And you’re probably wondering how these two recipes compare. I would say that the Brownie Cookies definitely have more of a brownie texture, while these cookies have the texture of, well, cookies. That’s the biggest difference. Both recipes use a full pound of melted chocolate and are deliciously rich, so you really can’t go wrong with either. Grab yourself a glass of milk and enjoy!
Thick and Chewy Triple-Chocolate Cookies
Yield: About 42 cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes (active), 30 minutes (inactive)
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1½ ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1½ cups packed (10½ ounces) light brown sugar
½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar
12 ounces (about 2 cups) semisweet chocolate chipsDirections:
1. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth; remove from the heat. (Alternatively, you could melt the chocolate in the microwave.) In a small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla lightly with a fork, sprinkle the coffee powder over to dissolve, and set aside.
3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Beat in the sugars until combined, about 45 seconds; the mixture will look granular. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate in a steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl wit a rubber spatula. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat. Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a 1¾-inch ice cream scoop, spacing the mounds of dough about 1½ inches apart.
5. Bake until the edges of the cookies have just begun to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets about 10 minutes, slide the parchment with cookies onto wire racks, and cool to room temperature. Cover one cooled baking sheet with a new piece of parchment paper. Scoop the remaining dough onto the parchment-lined sheet, bake, and cool as directed. Remove cooled cookies from the parchment with a wide metal spatula.
(Recipe from Baking Illustrated
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These look great! I love chocolate baked goods with that bit of coffee for added depth. So yummy!
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These are lovely. I love a thick cookie in my belly.
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Mmmm….I love this recipe. I saw them make it on America’s Test Kitchen once and I immediately forced my parents to buy me the ATK cookbook for my birthday. It was this recipe, actually, that really jumpstarted my love of baking! If only I could snag those out of my computer screen now…
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Mmm! Those look delicious Michelle! Two years is quite a long time for only one chocolate chip recipe, but I can tell that it’s just a testament to their quality =D.
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I am a huge fan of all Baking Illustrated recipes, especially their chocolate chip cookies. Their cookbooks are worth their weight in gold!! I have the America’s Test Kitchen book and it would have to be pried from my cold dead hands before I’d give it up!! I’ll have to try these cookies for sure.
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I actually just made this recipe on Monday. It was delicious. I agree you should be careful not to over-bake, but don’t under-bake either. My first two trays I baked for 10 minutes and when they were finally cooled, they were thin and fudgy. The last tray I let bake for 13 minutes and they were thick and chewy. Both were tasty, but I preferred the thicker cookie. These are so moist and packed with chocolate, they won’t dry out quickly so I recommend giving them an extra minute or two if you’re not sure they are quite set enough.
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holy wow. is it bad that i may or may not have licked the screen upon seeing those photos?
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Now these are definitely a chocolate lover’s cookie. They look fabulous!
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Wow, these look delicious!
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I just got that book yesterday! Of course I just made chewy chocolate cookies last week (with coconut Kisses!), so it will probably be a while before I make more, but I’m happy to know I can find the recipe when I need it!
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These look sinful!
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3 types of chocolate? I’m sold! They look absolutely decadent.
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I am allll about a thick and chewy cookie!!!!
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The cookies look soooo good!
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I voted for you!!! A couple times already
And these look yummy, thanks for sharing!
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These cookies look great! 3 times the chocolate…yes please!
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holy cow, yummmmm!
i am making pina colada cupcakes today but, now you’ve got me craving chocolate!
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I’m a newcomer to your blog. These look delicious! My only question would be, is the coffee ingredient a “must have”. We don’t drink coffee drinks so I never have that kind of ingredient on hand. Would I need to substitute for something else? Thanks!!!
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Michelle on April 12th, 2010 at 9:24 am
Hi Anissa,
Welcome to Brown Eyed Baker, so happy to have you as a reader! The instant espresso isn’t a must-have ingredient. You’ll find that a lot of rich chocolate recipes such as cookies like these, brownies, and cakes will include instant espresso because it enhances the flavor of the chocolate. You can omit it though and don’t need to replace it with anything.
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I always love chewy cookies… These look amazing. If they are eve half as good as your brownie recipe, I will be thrilled
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These just scream decadent chewiness! MMM!
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Triple chocolate? Yes please! Great post Michelle!
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I just made these this afternoon! i accidentally forgot all abt the espresso powder so i just kinda added it towards the end before the addition of the chocolate chips. I don’t know what I did wrong, but they turned out flat. Still okay, but certainly not “thick” anymore. What could I have done wrong? Could it have been because I overbeated it a little? Would this really/possibly affect the cookie’s outcome in this way? HELP. THE TEST WAS AMAZING, each bite would have been much yummier if it was thick, please help me on this one. Will definitely make it again next time, hopefully with better results! Thanks!!
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Michelle on April 12th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Hi Meghan,
I’m so sorry that your cookies turned out flat! Although I can’t say for sure, some thoughts on what could have caused your cookies to turn out flat:
- Was your butter still cool? If softened butter gets TOO soft, it can sometimes cause cookies to spread.
- Was your melted chocolate set aside while you prepared the rest of the recipe? If you melted the chocolate right before adding it to the batter, it could have been too hot and caused the cookies to spread.
- Did you let the batter sit for awhile until it was thick and scoopable?
- Finally, do you have an oven thermometer? I am a big advocate of oven thermometers! They are less than $20 and worth a million bucks if you do a lot of baking. You’ll know exactly what the temperature is. If your oven was running cooler or warmer, it could impact how the cookies spread and bake up.
I hope you’ll give them another try, and let me know if you have any other questions. I hope this helped!
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Correction, I meant, “THE TASTE WAS AMAZING..” not “TEST”. Sorry!
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Mmm I love those thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies. I’ll have to try these out too!
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“epic good”….I’m sold!
Going on my must make list. 
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Wow!!! I love this recipe. I tried it. Thanks really for sharing.
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The thing that I really liked about this cookies is it’s thickness. Mostly I know from a cookies is thin and a little bit of crispy outside but this is another type of cookies that is new to my eye. Nice recipe and job well done.
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I just made these tonight and they are amazing! My husband wanted me to make dessert so I brought up your sight and said find something to make and he came across these. We are both enjoying them! thanks!
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These look absolutely fabulous. I’m tempted to try them with some white chocolate chips. Yum.
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Oh my! A whole pound of chocolate! Absolutely sinful!
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Thank you for sharing with us your delicious cookies…I’ll add these to my cookie recipes. Im trying to bake assorted cookies and make it as my business. Im a stay at home mom.
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Hello, wow these cookies look so mouth watering. My brother wants some for his birthday and I am only too happy to oblige. Im just curious about leaving the batter out in room temperature. Won’t that cause the butter to melt even more resulting in flat cookies, the bane of all bakers’ existence? I’m just curious, but I do intend to make these and follow the directions
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Michelle on June 1st, 2010 at 11:58 am
Hi Harriette, Because the batter for these cookies turns into more of a fudge-like texture, leaving it out helps it to set up a bit. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
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What might happen if you don’t “sift” the dry ingredients? I forgot and haven’t baked the cookies yet. I’m just wondering how this might change the finished cookies. Thanks!
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Michelle on June 17th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Hi Abby, The cookies should be fine, maybe just a tad denser than if you sifted. Sometimes instead of sifting, I just whisk really well, that will work too.
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They still turned out great. Really rich, but delicious! Thanks!
~Abby
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Hmmm… think something went wrong. They were pretty good but the coffee taste was really potent rather then the coffee bringing out and enhancing the chocolate flavor. Will have to try again…
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These cookies are amazing, soft, chewy, and pure bliss! I did use only half the called for instant coffee, and rather than 2 cups of chocolate chips folded in, just 1 1/4 cups. And I didn’t use parchment paper.. . . would there be a good reason to use that? I think I’m going to add some walnuts into the next batch and see how they go…..
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Michelle on August 25th, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Hi Jennifer,
So thrilled that you liked these! I bet walnuts would be delicious. As for the parchment paper, it is so cookies and baked goods don’t stick to the baking sheets. Using parchment or a silicone liner is preferred over traditional greasing so that extra butter or shortening doesn’t creep into the baked goods, which could affect their texture, how they rise in the oven, etc. Hope that helps!
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Sarah on March 5th, 2012 at 7:31 pm
If you really want to blow your socks off, try roasting the walnuts in the oven for a few minutes before you bake with them. It’s my favorite.
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Oh my goodness, I just baked these and i think I’m going to fall into a sugar coma…I’ve eaten so many!! They are delicious! Thanks for sharing! xoox
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Look really tasty
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The taste of these are gorgeous but I must of let the butter get too soft before beating it and my cookies have spread beyond belief. Is there anything I can do to fix this problem before baking the rest of the batch? Thanks in advance!
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Michelle on July 20th, 2011 at 10:37 am
You could try refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes to an hour before you proceed with the rest, that may help firm up the butter in the dough a bit.
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Hi Michelle,
Since discovering your site, I have become a regular and a huge fan. Your pictures are gorgeous, I love your writing, and you have great recipes! I just made these and OhhhhhhhhhMyGod, they have become my absolute favourite cookie recipe. So intensely chocolaty, and the texture reminds me of the soufflés I bake. I studied pastry at culinary school, worked as a chef and am now about to start uni in creative writing, so I love that you combined both our interests in one great blog. I wish you lots of success and more adventures in the kitchen
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I just made this recipe and all I have to say is “they are absolutely delicious”. Thanks so much Michlele for sharing this amazing recipe ans for taking so much time explaining it step by step. I love your blog
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Just made these for a cookie swap and they look and taste amazing. They are for a cookie swap this weekend and I made a double batch. Just in case anyone wants to make more than one batch I suggest making the recipe twice instead unless you have a huge mixer. I have the smaller kitchenmaid mixer and wasn’t big enough for a double batch. I had to divide it to get the flour mixed. It is a very thick dough and I use a smaller one inch cookie dough scoop and got 96 out of it. I baked them on parchment and they barely spread. I could fit 24 at a time on my largest cookie sheet. Thanks for sharing, I’m sure they will be a hit tomorrow!
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I too have a deep love of Baking Illustrated’s chocolate chip cookies. I have made the triple chocolate cookies only once. They were life-alteringly good, but I can’t justify using that much chocolate and butter in a cookie too often!
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Instead of semisweet chocolate & semisweet chocolate chips, could I just use double the chocolate chips? I want to make these cookies for my brother who’s a chocolate lover!
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Michelle on June 4th, 2012 at 9:52 pm
Hi Rebecca, Yes, that would work!
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Mine turned into brownies…like huge, flat fill-the-baking-sheet brownies… they tasted amaing but they were really cakey, what did I do wrong?
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Michelle on June 4th, 2012 at 10:04 pm
Hi Lauren, It sounds like they spread too much. Did you by any chance grease your baking sheets instead of using parchment or a silicone mat? I’ve found that greasing a sheet almost always causes cookies to spread. There could have also been an issue with your baking powder, or your oven temperature being off.
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Lauren on June 5th, 2012 at 5:28 am
aha, okay, well I used baking parchment and its new baking powder, but my oven has been known to change its own tempereture-.- thanks for the tip, love your recipes:-)
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I must say not only are these good cookies the recipe is very forgiving. I had to replace brown sugar with honey and white sugar mixed (I thought I had it, but I did not) and I added reese’s peices and white chocolate chips to add some chunkyness. They still turned out really tasty. I learned not to cook right after moving though, you cannot find all of your stuff.
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I made these the same day I tried your Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I didn’t have a single problem with this recipe and they turned out AMAZING! I usually avoid chocolate cookies like this like the plague because they NEVER agree with my belly! lol. But my boyfriend likes them, so I made them for him. I haven’t been able to stay out them myself, even though I get a tummy ache every single time! But they’re sooo good! My sister and cousin tried them and fell in love too! I’m definitely keeping this one around. Thanks! ^_^
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Wow! These are a chocolate lovers dream! They turned out just like you said about it being more like a chewy cookie than a cakey brownie! I have to admit I thought the 16 oz of chocolate was a typo. It just seemed like a ton of chocolate. Boy was I wrong. It was a delicious flavor of chocolate that wasn’t overpowering at all! I did add 1 cup premium White chocolate chips in place of one of the semi sweet chocolate chips. I love the flavor combination and I feel it balanced out the chocolate flavors. Thanks for all your recipes, as I have never had one that hasn’t turned out. Every one is a huge hit with my family. If I need a “go to Recipe”, I always head to the Brown-Eyed Baker!
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Oh my goodness! You were not kidding, I have not even found cookies in a bakery that are this good! They were easy to make, and taste like a little piece of heaven on earth! Thank you for posting this recipe!
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Michelle,
I am making Black Forest Tarts for a celebration. Instead of buying premade Triple Chcolate Cookie dough (which isn’t sold around here, nor do I want to buy it premade), I am thinking of using this recipe. The Tarts require that the cookie dough be baked in muffin/cupcake tins (pushing the dough up the sides to create a ‘bowl’ for the cherry filling). I read that you recommended NOT over baking & I am wondering if I will run into any issues with under/over baking? Thank you!
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Michelle on October 5th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Hi Kelley, You shouldn’t, just make sure that you start checking for doneness super early and you should be fine!
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