Cakes & biscuits
Dark chocolate chunk cookies
Butter cookies with crisp rims and a soft centre.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Servings / pieces
- 18
- Topic
- Cakes & biscuits
Chopping a chocolate bar produces pieces in different sizes. Fine shards spread through the crumb, while larger chunks remain clearly visible. Brown sugar gives these cookies a fuller flavour and a short chill helps control spreading. Leave generous space between the dough balls on the tray. Remove the cookies while their centres still look slightly soft: they firm up on the hot tray. A cookie that already feels completely hard in the oven often becomes drier than intended after cooling.
Method
Step by step
- 01
Cream
Beat butter and both sugars for two minutes. Incorporate the egg and vanilla thoroughly.
- 02
Mix
Combine flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, then mix in briefly. Distribute chopped chocolate using a spatula.
- 03
Chill
Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile heat the oven to 180°C conventional.
- 04
Portion
Form 18 equal balls. Space them at least six centimetres apart on lined trays and bake one tray at a time.
- 05
Bake
Bake for 11–14 minutes, until the rims turn golden. Leave on the tray for five minutes to firm, then carefully transfer to a rack.
Times are a guide. Your hob, oven and ingredients affect the result; use the cooking cues as well as the clock.
Butter temperature
Soft butter should take a finger impression but remain solid. Melted butter changes spreading. If the dough becomes very warm during handling, give it another short chill before baking rather than adding extra flour.
Shape and future batches
Evenly sized balls bake more consistently. Freeze unbaked portions individually, then bake later with a little additional time. Label the container so you can distinguish raw dough portions from finished cookies in the freezer. A small trial tray with two balls shows how much your dough spreads. If they remain very tall, lightly flatten the next portions before baking. If they become excessively thin, chill the remaining dough again and start on a cold tray.
Kitchen questions
One more question?
Why did the cookies merge?
Warm dough or insufficient spacing are common causes.
Can I use milk chocolate?
Yes, for a sweeter result. Keep the remaining ingredients unchanged so the dough consistency stays predictable.
Can I reuse a warm tray?
A cold tray is preferable. A hot tray melts butter before baking and increases spreading. Cool it first or use a second cold tray for the next batch.
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