Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60-70% cacao)
- 1/3 cup roasted cocoa nibs
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- Flaky sea salt (like Maldon), for topping
Prep the Oven and Chocolate
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Sifting is important for this recipe, as it helps the otherwise crumbly dough come together more easily.
Coarsely chop the bittersweet chocolate. Place about half of it (3.5 ounces) in a heatproof bowl and melt it either over a saucepan of simmering water or in the microwave on 50% power. Let the melted chocolate cool until it is barely warm to the touch; if it’s too hot, it will melt the butter in the dough.
Make the Dough
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the room-temperature butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the light brown sugar, kosher salt, and vanilla, and beat until just combined. The mixture will be dense, not light and fluffy.
Add the egg and beat on low speed until incorporated.
Stir in the cooled, melted chocolate by hand with a rubber spatula. Add the sifted flour mixture and stir until just a few streaks of flour remain. The dough will look very dry and crumbly at this stage.
Fold in the remaining chopped chocolate chunks and the cocoa nibs. Use your hands to press the dough together until it forms a cohesive, if still crumbly, ball.
Shape and Bake
Scoop the dough into 1.5-inch balls (about 2 tablespoons each). Because the dough is crumbly, you will need to firmly press each scoop together in your hands to make sure it holds its shape.
Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten the tops slightly. Sprinkle each cookie with a small pinch of flaky sea salt.
Bake for ~10-12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. The cookies are done when they look dry on the surface but are still very soft to the touch. Do not overbake them.
Cool Carefully
These cookies are extremely fragile when they are warm. Let them cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes to firm up before you even attempt to move them. Once they have set, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate 60-70% cacao
- 1/3 cup roasted cocoa nibs
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- Flaky sea salt like Maldon, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with the parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda into a medium bowl.
- Coarsely chop the chocolate and melt half of it until barely warm.
- Beat the butter in a large bowl until smooth, then mix in the brown sugar, kosher salt, and vanilla.
- Beat in the egg on low speed.
- Stir in the melted chocolate by hand with a rubber spatula.
- Add the sifted flour mixture and stir until a few flour streaks remain.
- Fold in the remaining chocolate chunks and the cocoa nibs.
- Press the dough together with your hands to form a cohesive ball.
- Form 2-tablespoon dough balls, pressing firmly to hold shape.
- Place the balls 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets and slightly flatten the tops.
- Sprinkle each cookie with the flaky sea salt.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway, until surface looks dry but cookies are still soft.
- Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes.
- Transfer carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.
