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Chocolate Chunk Cookies are thick, soft-centered, and loaded with puddles of melty chocolate, with crisp golden edges and a sprinkle of flaky salt that makes them taste downright bakery-worthy. I make a batch every time Maddie has friends over, and they never last past *the first afternoon*. If you love our white chocolate chip cookies, these chunky chocolate ones are about to become your new go-to.
These easy no-chill chocolate chunk cookies use real chocolate chunks instead of chips for those gooey, melty pockets in every bite.
Chocolate Chunk Cookies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 13 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 28 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 18 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 350kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Buttery and soft-centered, loaded with melty chocolate and flaky salt
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a no-chill drop cookie like our meltaway lemon cookies
Quick Answer
To make chocolate chunk cookies, cream softened butter with granulated and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until just combined, then fold in chocolate chunks. Roll the dough into balls, top with reserved chunks, and bake at 350 degrees F for 12 to 13 minutes until puffed and lightly golden. Sprinkle with flaky salt and let cool on the tray.
Jump to:
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies FAQs
- Other Recommended Cookie Recipes
- The Best Chocolate Chunk Cookies Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Chunks beat chips for gooey pools. Chopped chocolate chunks melt into bigger, gooier pockets than uniform chips, giving every bite that irresistible melty texture.
- Cornstarch makes them soft and thick. A spoonful of cornstarch keeps the centers tender and the cookies thick instead of flat and crisp.
- Creaming the butter builds structure. Beating softened butter with the sugars whips in air for a soft, thick cookie that holds its shape.
- Two sugars balance chewy and crisp. Brown sugar adds moisture and chew while granulated sugar helps the edges turn golden and crisp.
- No chilling means cookies fast. This dough bakes straight away, so you can go from craving to warm cookies in under 30 minutes.
- Flaky salt makes the chocolate pop. A finishing sprinkle of flaky sea salt cuts the sweetness and makes the chocolate taste even richer.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are thick, soft-centered, and packed with melty chocolate in every single bite.
- They come together in under 30 minutes with no chilling required, just like our white chocolate chip cookies.
- They taste like they came straight from a bakery, with crisp edges, gooey middles, and a sprinkle of flaky salt on top.
Key Ingredients
Just a few simple baking staples and a bag of good chocolate make the best chunky cookies. Here are the ones that matter most.
- Chocolate chunks: Chunks melt into bigger, gooier pools than chips, giving you those irresistible puddles of chocolate. Reserve some to press on top for a bakery look.
- Butter: Softened, not melted, butter creams with the sugars to give the cookies their thick, soft texture and rich flavor.
- Brown and granulated sugar: Brown sugar keeps the cookies soft and chewy while granulated sugar helps the edges crisp up.
- Cornstarch: A little cornstarch is the secret to extra-soft, thick cookies that stay tender in the middle.
- Flaky sea salt: A sprinkle of Maldon salt on top right out of the oven balances the sweetness and makes the chocolate taste even richer.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These chocolate chunk cookies are easy to customize:
- Switch the chocolate: Use white, milk, or dark chocolate chunks, or try the white chocolate version in our white chocolate chip cookies.
- Add mix-ins: Fold in chopped walnuts, pecans, or toffee bits along with the chocolate chunks for extra crunch.
- Make them bigger: Scoop larger 3-ounce portions for giant bakery-style cookies, adding a couple of minutes to the bake time.
- Chill for thicker cookies: Though this is a no-chill recipe, refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes gives even taller, thicker cookies.
How to Make Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Cream the softened butter with the granulated and brown sugars for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is mixed in before adding the next, then stir in the vanilla.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and mix on low until just combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Fold in most of the chocolate chunks, reserving about half a cup to press on top later.
- Portion the dough into 18 balls, roll smooth between your hands, and place them on parchment-lined sheet trays about 4 inches apart.
- Press the reserved chocolate chunks onto the tops, then bake at 350 degrees F for 12 to 13 minutes until puffed and lightly golden. Sprinkle with flaky salt and let cool.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use softened, not melted, butter, so it creams properly with the sugars for thick, soft cookies.
- Do not overbake, pull the cookies when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underdone for the gooiest texture.
- Reserve some chunks for the top, pressing them on right before baking gives that picture-perfect bakery look.
- Measure the flour correctly, spoon and level it rather than scooping so the cookies do not turn out dry or cakey.
- Add flaky salt right out of the oven, while the cookies are still warm so it sticks.
- Let them cool on the tray, they finish setting up as they cool so they stay thick and chewy.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These chocolate chunk cookies are best warm with a tall glass of cold milk for dunking. They are a hit at bake sales, lunchboxes, and after-school snacks. Pile them on a platter next to our soft frosted lofthouse cookies for a cookie tray everyone loves.
For an over-the-top dessert, sandwich a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two cookies, or crumble them over our cookie dough ice cream. Serve them on a cookie tray with our chocolate sugar cookies for a little variety.
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days, tucking in a slice of bread to keep them soft. The dough also freezes beautifully, so you can bake a few warm cookies any time the craving hits.
Chocolate Chunk Cookies FAQs
The main difference is the chocolate itself. Chocolate chunk cookies use chopped chocolate or chocolate chunks, which melt into larger, gooier pools, while chocolate chip cookies use uniform chips that hold their shape. Chunks give you irregular, melty pockets of chocolate in every bite, which many bakers prefer for a more decadent, bakery-style cookie. The dough and method are otherwise very similar.
Flat chocolate chunk cookies are usually caused by butter that was too warm or melted, too little flour, or a hot baking sheet. Make sure your butter is softened but still cool, measure the flour by spooning and leveling, and always bake on a cool tray. The cornstarch in this recipe also helps keep the cookies thick, so do not skip it.
No, this is a no-chill recipe, so you can bake the cookies right after mixing the dough. Chilling is not required because the cornstarch and proper butter temperature keep them thick. That said, if you want even taller, thicker cookies, you can refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before baking. Chilled dough also helps if your kitchen is very warm.
Yes, chocolate chunk cookie dough freezes wonderfully. Roll the dough into balls, freeze them solid on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to three months. Bake from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the bake time. This way you can have warm, fresh cookies any time without making a whole batch at once.
To keep chocolate chunk cookies soft, store them in an airtight container at room temperature and tuck in a slice of bread, which releases moisture the cookies absorb. Be careful not to overbake them, since pulling them when the centers still look slightly underdone keeps them tender. The brown sugar and cornstarch in this recipe also help them stay soft for days.
A good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, either a chopped bar or a bag of chocolate chunks, is best for these cookies because it melts into rich, gooey pools. You can also use dark chocolate for a more intense flavor or milk chocolate for a sweeter cookie. Chopping your own chocolate bar gives you irregular pieces and little shards that melt throughout the dough for the ultimate texture.
Craving more cookies? Try our white chocolate chip cookies and chocolate sugar cookies next.
For a classic, our chocolate chunk cookies are always a hit.
The Best Chocolate Chunk Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 11.5 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chunks divided
- Maldon flake sea salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large bowl stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, set aside.3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter with the sugars for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- Add the eggs in one at a time making sure the first one is fully mixed in before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla.2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients and slowly stir them in until combined. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Reserve ½ cup of the chocolate chunks on the side. Add the remaining chocolate chunks and mix until just combined.11.5 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- Portion the cookie dough into 18 portions, about 2.5 ounces each.
- Roll the cookie dough between your hands to form a smooth ball. Place them onto the sheet trays 4 inches apart.
- Top each cookie with the reserved chocolate chunks, about 3 chunks per cookie, and gently press them into the tops.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes until the cookies are puffed up, they do not appear moist in the center and they start to very lightly brown along the edges.
- Immediately sprinkle them with some flaky sea salt if using. Let them cool completely on the sheet tray.Maldon flake sea salt
Notes
- Use a cookie scoop for evenly sized cookies.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes for thicker cookies.
- Always preheat your oven for consistent baking.
- Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for easy cleanup.
- Don’t overmix the dough to keep the cookies tender.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
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