Perfect Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
This post may contain affiliate links, and I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read our privacy policy.
This recipe for Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies with flaky sea salt is easy to make and turns out a cookie with the perfect level of sweetness.
Are you a fan of dark chocolate? To eat dark chocolate, I think you must be a fan. It’s not as sweet as other varieties of chocolate such as milk chocolate and semi sweet chocolate, but it’s a great chocolate to use in desserts. It adds sweetness without being too sweet, and dark chocolate happens to be a great pairing with flaky sea salt too!
February 1st is National Dark Chocolate Day. You must celebrate with dark chocolate! Bake these dark chocolate chunk cookies, or add your favorite dark chocolate to chocolate frozen yogurt or use dark chocolate for making chocolate covered strawberries!
“I love nothing more than a good, rich, dark chocolate. It exhilarates. It satisfies.”
-Abigail Spencer
The History of Dark Chocolate
From ChatGPT: Dark chocolate has a rich history that dates back to ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Mayans and Aztecs, who first cultivated cacao beans around 1500 BCE. They brewed a bitter, spiced drink from cacao, which was highly valued and even used as currency. When European explorers like Hernán Cortés encountered the Aztecs in the 16th century, they brought cacao beans back to Europe. Initially consumed as a drink, it eventually evolved into solid chocolate by the 19th century, thanks to advancements in chocolate-making techniques. The addition of sugar and milk transformed it into the sweet treat we know today. Dark chocolate, which contains a higher percentage of cocoa and less sugar than milk chocolate, has remained a favorite for those seeking a more intense, less sweet flavor.
Can you use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips in cookies?
Yes! That’s what we have here: chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips. Alternately, if you only have access to dark chocolate chips then you can certainly use those instead.
What chocolate is the best for making dark chocolate chunk cookies?
For these cookies, the most important ingredient is the chocolate, of course! My all-time favorite brand of dark chocolate to use for baking cookies is the Chocolove extra strong dark chocolate. This is a bar of chocolate. It works very well when it is chopped into chunks and used for baked goods like these dark chocolate chunk cookies!
Ingredients needed for making Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies:
- all purpose flour
- coarse salt (like kosher salt)
- baking soda (make sure it’s fresh!)
- salted butter (I always use salted butter. It adds more flavor!)
- dark brown sugar (using more brown sugar than white sugar gives these cookies a flavor boost)
- granulated white sugar
- grated orange zest (optional, but oh so good!)
- eggs
- good vanilla extract
- chocolate (as described above)
- flaky sea salt (the Maldon brand is my favorite for topping cookies)
How to make Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt:
This cookie recipe is a two day project. Don’t worry, it’s totally worth it in the end. You will mix up the cookie dough, and then refrigerate the dough overnight. The chill process is important. It gives all of the ingredients in that cookie dough to meld together, and it will magically create more delicious cookies. The next day, you’ll roll the chilled dough into balls, place those balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand. Then you’ll top each piece of cookie dough with more dark chocolate chunks and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt before baking.
Recipe Tips:
- Take the time to use dark chocolate chunks vs. dark chocolate chips. I’ve tried baking these cookies using both of these, and the dark chocolate chunk variety is so much more delicious!
- Using the grated orange zest is completely optional, but it does add a good amount of flavor to the cookies. They’re perfectly delicious without the zest though if you don’t want to use it.
- Add nuts if you’re a nut family! I’d suggest using chopped walnuts, chopped pecans or chopped almonds.
What We Love About These Cookies:
- I love how the chocolate spreads out a bit in these cookies when baking, rather than staying in “chip form.”
- Dark chocolate chunk cookies are not overly sweet.
- The flaky salt on top is a must-use. It might sound strange to add salt to the tops of cookies, but believe me when I say that it totally works!
If you are truly a dark chocolate fan, you might like to try baking dark chocolate crackle cookies, raspberry dark chocolate banana bread or a dark chocolate flourless cake.
Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (optional!)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups dark chocolate chunks
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter, both sugars, and orange zest (if using), for about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time until lightened, about 2 minutes longer. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and stir together until just combined. Stir in 2 cups of the dark chocolate chunks.
- IMPORTANT: Cover the bowl, and chill the dough for 24 hours.
- The next day… Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick silicone liners.
- Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dough, and roll them into balls. Place them on the baking sheets, and flatten slightly with your hand. Add more dark chocolate pieces on each cookie. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Bake the cookies until golden brown and just set on the edges, for about 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
