Chunky Chocolate Cookies

By Genevieve Ko

Updated March 19, 2024

Chunky Chocolate Cookies
Joseph De Leo for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
25 minutes, plus cooling
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Rating
5(510)
Comments
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Crisp at the edges and soft in the center, this chocolate cookie is lumpy with hooks of broken pretzels and melty chocolate chips. Built on a foundation of beating an egg with sugar until pale and full of tiny bubbles, it combines all the satisfying richness of a brownie with an almost airy lightness. Baking soda also helps lift the dense, dark dough in the oven. Once out, the craggy rounds deliver the irresistible pair of salty crunch and creamy sweetness in the tender, chocolaty cookie. You can switch-up the mix-ins with whatever you like: chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips, toffee bits, nuts or a combination. Just use a cup total for this amount of dough. And do consider keeping the pretzels no matter what else you throw in. Those little hits of salt turn perfectly good cookies into great ones.

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Ingredients

Yield:18 cookies
  • ¾cup/98 grams all-purpose flour
  • ½teaspoon baking soda
  • ½teaspoon fine salt
  • 1large egg
  • ¾cup/150 grams sugar
  • ½cup/114 grams unsalted butter, melted
  • ½cup/45 grams natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½cup/100 grams chocolate chips
  • ½cup/24 grams coarsely broken mini pretzels
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (18 servings)

140 calories; 7 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 75 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Whisk the egg and sugar in a large bowl until pale yellow and thick, about 1 minute. Add the butter and cocoa, and whisk until smooth.

  4. Step 4

    Switch to a flexible spatula and gently stir in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the chocolate chips and pretzels.

  5. Step 5

    Using a dinner spoon, scoop 18 equal mounds of dough onto the pan, using another spoon or your finger to push the dough off the spoon. Space the mounds a few inches apart.

  6. Step 6

    Bake until the tops of the cookies crack and just lose their shine, 8 to 10 minutes. Don’t overbake. Cool on the pan. You can eat them hot, but they’re better if they’ve cooled to at least warm. Once at room temperature, they’ll keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
510 user ratings
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Comments

Mary B

I’ve noticed that many companies that share recipes online have a cook mode button that keeps your screen from going dark when cooking. Any chance NYT is considering adding this very helpful feature ?

Debbie

I halved the recipe and made without any additions (didn't have chocolate chips or pretzels), and they really didn't need any. I got 9 big gooey yummy deeply chocolatey cookies.

Madeline

I made these, but skipped the pretzels, as I was just looking for a chocolate base to use with some peppermint chips I had on hand. They barely spread out while baking, so I recommend slightly smushing them down before the bake as opposed to keeping as balls. Don't bake beyond 10 min even if they don't seem to change appearance much.

ursula

Pretzels were not for me. Unless you’re a fan of chocolate covered pretzels I think pecans are a far better choice.

Nancy Jo

We loved these! Intense chocolate, not too sweet, crunchy pretzels...yum! I might have overbaked them a bit, waiting for cracks and loss of shine, but if so, they were still excellent. I'll try adding flaky sea salt on tops before baking next time and maybe add a teaspoon of vanilla, but really, the recipe is wonderful as is, so I'm not sure why!

Cookie Girl

What is the Start Cooking button? I don’t see it on my iPad.

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