Baking

Triple Chocolate Cookies: For Chocolate Emergency Situations

3 min

Pull these at the 10-minute mark, while the tops have just cracked and the centers still look a shade underdone. That short bake is what keeps them fudgy instead of cakey, and the cocoa powder in the dough means they read as dark and chocolate-heavy before a single chip melts. Milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chunks go in at the end, so you get three different chocolates pulling in three directions. Mix the flour in barely, just until it disappears.

By Nora Calloway

Some cookies have chocolate. These cookies ARE chocolate.

Three kinds: cocoa powder in the dough, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks. Fudgy. Chewy. Crackly tops. One batch. Zero self-control.

Makes 18-20 cookies.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1 1

Preheat and Prep

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2 2

Cream Butter and Sugars

Beat softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla.

3 3

Add Dry Ingredients

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
Gradually add to wet mixture. Mix until just combined (don’t overmix).

4 4

Add the Chocolate

Fold in milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chunks.

5 5

Scoop and Bake

Scoop tablespoon-sized dough balls onto baking sheets (2 inches apart).
Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are set and tops are crackly.
Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.

6 6

Serve

Serve with a tall glass of milk. Try not to eat the whole batch.

Summary

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10-12 minutes | Total Time: 20-22 minutes

Yield: 18-20 cookies

Difficulty: Easy

Storage Notes

Room Temp:

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They stay soft and fudgy.

Freezer Friendly:

Freeze dough balls for 3 months. Bake from frozen at 350°F for 12-14 minutes.

Pro Tip:

Underbake slightly for fudgier cookies. 10 minutes is perfect for gooey centers.

The Ingredients

Everything you need.

Prep

10 minutes

Cook

10-12 minutes

Total

20-22 minutes

Yield

18-20 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips or chunks

Instructions

1
Preheat and Prep. Preheat and Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 2 2
2
Cream Butter and Sugars. Cream Butter and Sugars. Beat softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla. 3 3
3
Add Dry Ingredients. Add Dry Ingredients. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add to wet mixture. Mix until just combined (don’t overmix). 4 4
4
Add the Chocolate. Add the Chocolate. Fold in milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chunks. 5 5
5
Scoop and Bake. Scoop and Bake. Scoop tablespoon-sized dough balls onto baking sheets (2 inches apart). Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are set and tops are crackly. Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. 6 6
6
Serve. Serve. Serve with a tall glass of milk. Try not to eat the whole batch
7
Room Temp:. Room Temp:. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They stay soft and fudgy
8
Freezer Friendly:. Freezer Friendly:. Freeze dough balls for 3 months. Bake from frozen at 350°F for 12-14 minutes
9
Pro Tip:. Pro Tip:. Underbake slightly for fudgier cookies. 10 minutes is perfect for gooey centers

Swaps & Substitutions

Unsalted butter → if you only have salted, cut the added salt to a pinch so the dough doesn't go briny.
All-purpose flour → a 1:1 gluten-free blend works, though the cookies spread a little more and bake closer to 11 minutes.
Milk chocolate chips → semisweet chips swap in straight across if you want less sweetness against the white chocolate.
White chocolate chunks → chop a white chocolate bar instead of buying chunks; the irregular pieces puddle better than waxy chips.
Brown sugar → out of brown? Stir a tablespoon of molasses into the granulated sugar to keep the chew and moisture.
Cocoa powder → natural and Dutch-process both work here; Dutch reads slightly smoother and darker, but the baking soda is calibrated for natural, so don't go all Dutch if you can help it.

Questions & Answers

How do I know when they're done if the centers still look raw?

Go by the edges and the tops, not the middle. When the edges are set and the tops have cracked, they're ready, even if the centers look soft. They firm up as they cool on the sheet.

Why did mine come out cakey instead of fudgy?

Usually overbaking or overmixing the flour. Pull them at 10 minutes and stop combining the dry ingredients the moment the streaks vanish.

Can I make the dough ahead?

Yes. It keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days, and scooped dough balls freeze well for a couple of months. Bake frozen balls straight from the freezer and add a minute or two.

How should I store the baked cookies?

Airtight at room temperature for about 4 days. A piece of bread in the container keeps them soft; ten seconds in the microwave brings back the gooey center.

My butter wasn't soft enough and the dough looked broken. Does it matter?

It matters for texture. Cold butter won't cream properly, so you lose the light, fluffy base that gives the cookies lift. Let it come to cool room temperature, soft enough to dent but not greasy, before you beat in the sugars.

Triple Chocolate Cookies: For Chocolate Emergency Situations