Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Name: Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 170 g unsalted butter (diced); 50 g caster sugar; 200 g soft light brown sugar; 1 large egg; 1 large egg yolk; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 220 g plain flour; ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda; Generous pinch of sea salt; 150 g good-quality dark chocolate (chopped into chunks); 150 g good-quality milk chocolate (chopped into chunks); 100 g good-quality white chocolate (chopped into chunks)

These triple chocolate chunk cookies are a cut above your average cookie recipe. Imagine deliciously sweet soft and chewy cookies made with a gorgeous nutty brown butter cookie dough, filled with gooey dark, milk and white chocolate chunks. I just think few things say comfort quite like a freshly baked cookie warm from the oven.

triple chocolate chunk cookies on parchment paper.

This recipe is actually very easy. Once you have made the brown butter, it really is just a case of mixing ingredients together (and giving them time to chill). If you haven’t made brown butter before, it’s easy to do! Scroll down for my ‘brown butter step by step guide’ which takes you through it. Plus any pointers on what to look out for.

One of the main things that takes these cookies to the next level are the chocolate chunks (note: not chocolate chips). Essentially, this creates those gloriously gooey puddles of molten chocolate. I explain why in more detail further down, but this is definitely a recipe that requires good-quality chocolate bars (same goes for my triple chocolate brownies and my Chocolate Fudge Cake if you haven’t tried either of those!)

Why you will love this recipe:

They are super easy to make. Perfect for all baking abilities!
They can be made ahead. The dough can be chilled or frozen so you always have a stash of cookie dough for when that cookie craving strikes.
They are full of flavour and texture. Imagine soft, sweet and nutty brown butter cookies, swirled with rich and gooey triple chocolate chunks. Not to mention those irresistibly crispy edges.
They are so versatile – you can switch up the chocolate or add all sorts of nuts for crunch.

Ingredients:

See recipe card for the exact recipe with a full list of ingredients and measurements

Caster sugar – known as ‘superfine sugar’ in the US. The fineness helps with the texture.

Soft light brown sugar – the soft sugar creates the best texture versus a demerera/turbinado sugar.

Plain flour – also known as ‘all-purpose’ flour.

Chocolate – these are triple chocolate chunk cookies so use a combination of dark, milk and white chocolate. Opt for the best quality you can find and chop into relatively equal-sized chunks. I used only milk and dark as I love that combination personally! If you want to try cookies without any chocolate, try my chipless toffee cookies.

Substitutions and Variations:

Brown butter: browning the butter is an additional step that gives these triple chocolate chunk cookies a delicious nutty flavour. However, if you are short on time, you can just use regular softened butter.

Caster sugar – you can swap the caster sugar for granulated sugar if that is what you have.

Chocolate – you can use any ratio of chocolate you like. I have gone for more dark and milk chocolate, but you do you.

Nuts: you can swap 100g of chocolate for roughly chopped nuts for extra crunch and a praline flavour. Chopped almonds, macadamia, pecans, pistachios or hazelnuts all work well.

Here’s how to make brown butter

Brown butter (A.K.A beurre noisette) is butter that has been heated to the point where the moisture evaporates and the milk solids brown. Don’t worry – it really isn’t complicated or as science-y as it sounds! The name ‘beurre noisette’ actually translates as ‘hazelnut butter’ which is a pretty good way of describing the gorgeous nutty, toasted flavour it has. It is such a simple way of adding lots of flavour to sweet and savoury recipes.

This step by step guide shows you how to make brown butter. If you scroll down, the full recipe with measurements is at the bottom of the page in the recipe card.

ONE: Place the butter into a medium-sized non-stick pan and place over a medium heat. Try to choose a pan light in colour as you want to be able to see the colour of the butter changing.

TWO: Continue to cook the butter as it melts, stirring occasionally. Once melted, slowly bring to the boil while continuing to stir. You will start to see the milk solids separate from the butter and collect at the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking the butter, stirring/swirling gently. You want to keep cooking until the milk solids turn a golden amber-brown. Don’t be alarmed if it crackles/spits and/or foams up during this time – this is normal and what you want to happen. If you are worried your butter is browning too quickly/unevenly, simply turn down the heat.

THREE: The crackling and foaming should start to subside as it gets closer to the ideal ‘brown butter’ stage. At this point, remove from the heat and pour into a heat-proof bowl.

FOUR: Leave to cool a little before using in your chosen recipe. If you are worried you have a few too many burnt bits, you can pour through a sieve to strain any burnt bits so it’s not wasted.

Here’s how to make the cookies

Now you’ve made brown butter, it’s time to make the cookies. If you scroll down, the full recipe with measurements is at the bottom of the page in the recipe card.

adding caster sugar and light brown sugar to the cookie dough.

FIVE: Once you’ve made the brown butter, In a large mixing bowl, add the brown butter, caster sugar and soft light brown sugar. Beat together.

SIX: Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix again until combined.

SEVEN: In a separate large mixing bowl, sift together the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mix half the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Gradually mix in the remaining dry ingredients, a little at a time, until you have a smooth dough.

EIGHT: Chop the chocolate into large chunks. The chunks will melt into gorgeous chocolatey pools in the cookies whereas chips won’t so defo use chunks!

NINE: Gently fold in the chopped chocolate chunks. Take care not to overmix, just carefully fold in until the chunks are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

triple chocolate chunk cookies on a tray in the freezer.

TEN: Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes – ideally overnight. You can do this by leaving the dough in the mixing bowl covered, or scoop onto the tray ready. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C Fan. Scoop the cookie dough into around 16 equal-sized balls and place roughly 5cm apart on lined baking sheets.

ELEVEN: Bake for about 11 minutes – or until the edges are just golden-brown but the centres are still puffy and slightly gooey. They might look underdone, but they will continue to bake as they cool on the trays.

sprinkling the cookies with flakey salt.

TWELVE: Sprinkle with flakey salt when out of the oven (so the salt sticks to the cookie) and once they’ve set for a bit, you can dig in!

Cooking Tips

Chocolate: triple chocolate chunk cookies are, naturally, all about the chocolate. For best results use the best quality chocolate bars you can find. Also, note the use of chocolate chunks not chocolate chips.

Chill out: don’t be tempted to skip the chilling. Even 30 minutes is better than nothing. It helps solidify the butter to prevent the triple chocolate chunk cookies spreading too much in the oven. This gives thicker, chewier cookies with better texture and more even browning. It also helps hydrate the flour which enhances the flavour. If you don’t have time for this, try my chocolate chip cookie bars.

Well-spaced: make sure you leave plenty of room between the cookie dough balls as they will spread during baking. Otherwise you will end up with one giant cookie.

Cooling: Let the cookies cool for at least 15 minutes before tucking in. This allows them time to firm up slightly and form the perfect chewy cookie texture.

Chocolate chunks vs chocolate chips

You might have noticed that I specify using bars of good-quality chocolate, chopped into chunks instead of different flavours of chocolate chips. I do the same in my triple chocolate brownies and chocolate chunk muffins. I find it gives a much better flavour and texture.

This is because chocolate chips have stabilisers in them specifically designed to make them withstand high temperatures and hold their shape during baking. This prevents them from melting into the gloriously gooey chunks you want in the perfect cookie.

They also tend to taste sweeter as they have a higher sugar content and lower cocoa butter percentage than chocolate bars. Of course you can use chocolate chips, but chopped up bars of good-quality chocolate will give you much better triple chocolate chunk cookies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to make the brown butter?

I highly recommend it, but if you are short on time, you can just use softened butter. The cookies will still taste delicious!

Do I need to chill the dough?

Yes. I highly recommend chilling the triple chocolate chunk cookie dough. Overnight is ideal but a few hours or even just 30 minutes will make a difference. It helps solidify the butter (which will have been softened during creaming) to prevent the cookies spreading too much. This creates thick and chewy cookies with slightly crispy edges.

Can I double or halve the recipe?

Since the recipe uses 1 egg and 1 egg yolk, I wouldn’t halve it as it can ruin the ratios. Just make the whole batch and freeze half of the cookies, pre-baking, rolled into balls (see instructions below). Then you can bake them at a later point when you are ready. Doubling is easy and follow everything as is, with double quantities.

Do I have to use soft light brown sugar and caster sugar?

Yes, both have their purpose. The light brown sugar adds moisture and a delicious toffee-molasses flavour. Meanwhile, the caster sugar helps create those crispier edges which are key to the perfect cookie. Small details like this are what turns a good cookie into a really great cookie.

Can I make these triple chocolate chunk cookies in advance?

The brown butter can be made up to 2 weeks ahead and kept chilled in the fridge (remember to bring to a softened room temperature before making the cookies).
You can make the cookie dough up to 3 days in advance, then cover and chill in the fridge. Either keep it in the bowl and chill or chill after you have shaped it into balls.

Can I freeze the triple chocolate chunk cookie dough?

Yes, this cookie dough freezes well for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing the individual balls so you can take them out and bake as you need from frozen (just add a couple of minutes to the baking time). Freeze in a freezer bag, with as much air removed as possible (I have seen a hack online where you seal the bag almost to the edge, place a straw in the hole and suck out as much as possible before sealing. This almost vacuum packs them).

Alternatively, shape the chilled dough into a log before freezing. You can then defrost in the fridge before slicing and baking.

You can also freeze the baked cookies, well wrapped in cling film or in a sealed container between layers of greaseproof paper, for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before enjoying.

can I bake triple chocolate cookies from frozen and how much time do i add?

Yes, you can bake these triple chocolate chunk cookies from frozen. Lay on a baking tray and bake as usual at 190c/170c fan. Cook for 13-16 minutes, keeping an eye on them. You want them golden and crisp on the edges but puffy in the middle.