These Chocolate Cookies are soft and chewy and with just one Chocolate Cookie Dough, you can make three kinds of cookies!
I LOVE to re-purpose and find the versatile potential in my kitchen gadgets and recipes. Whether I’m re-purposing a bundt pan to bake donuts or turning a kitchen fail into something delicious, it’s so fun to wander off the beaten path. It can only add to your arsenal of skills, really!
Today, I’m sharing a Chocolate Cookie Dough recipe that can produce three (really, four) kinds of cookies with just one dough! Can we pause and give some love to the Chocolate Cookie? I feel like chocolate chip cookies get all the attention, but I’m hoping to turn that around today when you see all that the Chocolate Cookie has to offer, aside from pure chocolatey goodness.
You begin with the base Chocolate Cookie Dough recipe. When you first make the dough, it’s really soft and sticky, almost like a chocolate mousse. Chilling time is required! Once you’ve chilled it, it’ll be more modeling-clay-like and then you’re good to go!
Once you have your chilled dough, you can keep it as-is and scoop it onto the baking sheet for a pure Chocolate Cookie (cookie #1).
Or, you can add some white chocolate chips to dress it up some. Who wouldn’t want a White Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookie (cookie #2)? They’d be perfect for a potluck or picnic or even a troop meeting!
For a more home-made and rustic look, roll the dough in granulated sugar before baking (cookie #3). This one is my favorite! I love the look and the added crunch from the granulated sugar.
Finally, you can make the holiday favorite Crinkle Cookies simply by rolling the dough in powdered sugar!
I hope I’ve inspired you to whip up a batch of these Chocolate Cookies and make your favorite kind. And, maybe even to realize the versatile potential of your next recipe.
The Only Chocolate Cookie Dough You Need
Yields 16-18 cookies
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Ingredients
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅓ cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
½ cup salted butter, room temperature
⅔ cup packed brown sugar*
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon honey
1 egg, room temperature
¼ teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Optional: White chocolate chips, granulated sugar, powdered sugar
Directions
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Whisk to combine.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. One ingredient at a time, add in the honey, egg, coffee granules, and vanilla until combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Turn off the mixer and add in all of the flour mixture. Turn the mixer to low speed and stir until just combined.
- Place plastic wrap directly over the dough’s surface and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight**.
- About 15 minutes before removing from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
- For a pure chocolate cookie, scoop mounds of dough, about 2 tablespoons each, on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2-inches apart. For white chocolate chip chocolate cookies, add about 5-8 white chocolate chips to each mound before baking. For a rustic look, roll the mounds in granulated sugar before baking. For crinkle cookies, roll the mounds in powdered sugar twice (waiting about 5 minutes between rolls) before baking.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
*Dark or light, use whichever you have on hand.
**Chilling is mandatory. The dough will be very soft and sticky, resembling a mousse. Once chilled, the dough should resemble modeling clay and be easier to scoop.
Storage
Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Chocolate Cookie Dough base adapted from Scientifically Sweet by Christina Marsigliese
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Do you think I can just use regular cocoa powder, like Hershey’s in the tin rather than Dutch processed? These cookies look amazing.
Thank you, Mary.
Short answer: Yes, for this recipe only, you may substitute natural cocoa powder in place of Dutch processed. There may be a slight difference in taste though, but it might not even be noticeable.
Long answer: This recipe calls for Dutch processed cocoa (neutral) while also using baking soda (alkaline/basic), so it is clear the cocoa is not relied upon to react with the baking soda for its leavening power. Rather, the acidity from the brown sugar is what’s reacting with the baking soda. So in this case, natural cocoa (acidic) can be substituted for Dutch processed cocoa, keeping in mind that the extra acidity may cause a slightly different flavor (stronger/bitter chocolate flavor). Keep in mind that not all recipes will be able to use the two cocoas interchangeably, so proceed on your baking adventure with caution. Make sure to analyze the recipe first before swapping them out. From my experience, you will usually find that you can use neutral cocoa instead of Dutch processed, but not the other way around.