Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Double chocolate is the play here, with cocoa powder baked right into the dough and chocolate chips folded in. The result is a deeply chocolate cookie with bursts of melted chip in every bite.

Using vegetable oil instead of butter gives these cookies a tender, almost cake-like crumb that’s closer to a brownie than a classic chocolate chip cookie. They stay soft for days in an airtight container, no creaming or chilling required.

Letting the dough rest for 10 minutes before scooping is the small but critical step. This gives the flour time to fully hydrate and the cocoa to absorb the oil, producing cookies that hold their shape and bake evenly instead of spreading into puddles.

Pro Tips

• Use Dutch-process cocoa for a smoother, richer flavor, or natural cocoa for a sharper, more acidic chocolate punch.
• Add the 2 tablespoons of water only if the dough looks dry and crumbly, oil-based doughs vary in moisture.
• Don’t overbake. Pull at 8 minutes when the edges look set but the centers still look slightly underdone, they finish on the hot pan.
• Drop dough by tablespoonfuls for cookies that bake at a uniform rate.
• Cool on the pan for a minute before transferring, the soft centers need a moment to firm up.

Variations

• Use white chocolate or peanut butter chips in place of semi-sweet for a different flavor profile.
• Add a half teaspoon of espresso powder to the dry ingredients to amplify the chocolate.
• Press a few flaky sea salt crystals onto each cookie right after baking for a salty-sweet contrast.