These dark chocolate cookies are a chocolate lover’s dream. Loaded with dark chocolate chips, dark cocoa powder, and walnuts, these cookies are soft, chewy, and absolutely delicious.

If you love cookies – especially cookies with chocolate in them – you’re in for a treat. I’m sharing a recipe for fully loaded dark chocolate cookies. These are some of my go-to cookie recipes for dessert, snacks, and potlucks because they’re so easy to make and packed with so much flavor. I love making a big batch of these to keep on hand at home or to bring to get-togethers and parties for a sweet treat that everyone always loves.
Dark Chocolate Cookies
These delicious cookies are double chocolate and double dark. Dark cocoa powder is used in the dough for a rich, deep chocolate flavor. That flavor is further accentuated by adding dark chocolate chips to the mix. Then, I add chopped walnuts to finish it off. What you end up with are cookies that are so soft and chewy with a great crunchy counterpoint and absolutely overflowing with intense chocolate flavor. Every bite is an explosion of sweet chocolate heaven, and you’ll always come back for more.
Soft and Chewy Dark Chocolate Cookies
One of the best parts of these cookies is their texture. They’re not thin and crispy like some cookies. Don’t get me wrong, those are good, too. However, I also love a soft, chewy cookie, and that’s what you get with these. They are so light and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. If you love soft cookies, you’ll fall in love with these after the first bite.
Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
With a delicious combination of flavors like these and a beautiful look, you might think this is an involved cookie recipe, but it’s actually very easy. Although the flavors are complex, the recipe itself is a perfect example of baking ease. It’s a very basic recipe with a couple of tweaks to give it that deep chocolate flavor, nothing more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before you dive into this recipe, take a moment to read over this FAQ. It answers some of the most common – and important – questions regarding these dark chocolate cookies.
Which Dark Chocolate is Best for Baking?
There are all kinds of chocolate brands out there, but to get the best results, you need the best ingredients. The following are the highest-rated chocolate brands for baking. Make sure that cocoa is listed as the first ingredient.
- Valrhona
- Callebaut
- Guittard
- Ghirardelli
Fun Fact
Approximately 20% of all the chocolate consumed in the US is dark chocolate.
Is Dark Chocolate Better for Cookies?
It depends on what you’re baking. In cookies like these, the more chocolate flavor the better. In other cookies like chocolate chip cookies, dark chocolate might overwhelm the rest of the flavors.
Can I use Normal Chocolate Instead of Dark Chocolate?
You can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate in this recipe, but you won’t get the same ultra-deep chocolate flavor.
Why is Dark Chocolate Better for Baking?
In many instances, dark chocolate is the best choice because the intense flavor of the higher cocoa percentage will allow the flavor of the chocolate to shine through. This is especially true in cake recipes where flour, cream, milk, and other ingredients will dilute the chocolate flavor.
Dark Chocolate Cookies Variations
Like any cookie recipe, these dark chocolate cookies are easily tweaked. That’s a big part of the fun! You can make little changes that can have a big impact on the flavor of these cookies, which means this single recipe can become multiple kinds of cookies. Fun!
Different Nuts
I love walnuts in cookies, but you can use any kind of nut that you love. Some of my favorite nuts to use in cookies include:
Walnuts
Pecans
Almonds
Hazelnuts
Different Baking Chips
The dark chocolate flavor of this cookie dough works well with a variety of baking chips or morsels, which means you’re free to get really creative here. Some great options include:
- Dark chocolate
- Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
- White chocolate
- Butterscotch
- Peppermint chips
- Dark chocolate chunks instead of chips
To change both the flavor and the texture, you can use baking chunks in your favorite flavors instead of baking chips.
Ingredients for Dark Chocolate Cookies
It only takes a few simple kitchen staples to make this recipe. If you do any baking at all, you might even already have the dark cocoa and dark chocolate chips in your kitchen.
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Dark cocoa powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter, room temperature
- Light brown sugar, or dark brown sugar
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Large egg
- Dark chocolate chips
- Walnuts, chopped
(Actual measurements are listed in the recipe card below.)
How to Make Dark Chocolate Cookies
Making these cookies is no more difficult than making any other cookie recipe. It’s a simple cookie dough recipe that we simply load with delicious add-ins. It’s a quick recipe that even beginners can easily make.
Step 1: Prep – Preheat oven to 375° and line baking sheets with parchment paper, if desired.
Step 1: Combine the Wet Ingredients – Using an electric or stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla to the creamed butter and sugar and beat until combined.
Step 2: Combine Dry Ingredients – In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
Step 3: Complete the Dough – Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until combined. Then, stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Step 4: Bake – Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, drop the dough onto prepared baking sheets or onto ungreased baking sheets 2-inches apart. Then, bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Try These Delicious Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
These delicious dark chocolate cookies are a double dose of deep, rich dark chocolate along with the great crunch of nuts and a soft finished texture. This recipe is full of flavor but not work. With such a delicious, easy combination, it’s worth making them at least once. And once you do, you’ll find yourself making them again and again. Give them a try!
Looking for More Delicious Cookie Recipes?
White Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Cookies – These deliciously soft, thick, and chewy cookies are loaded with dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, and chopped pecans.
Hockey Puck Chocolate Chip Cookies – These deliciously thick and gooey, hockey puck chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy and full of chocolaty goodness. A favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Molasses Cookies with Molasses Frosting – These soft and chewy molasses cookies are frosted with molasses frosting, are incredibly delicious, and are requested every holiday season. They’re that amazing!
Dark Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup dark cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and sugar, together until creamy.
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together.
- Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and beat until combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Using a 1 inch cookie scoop, drop onto ungreased cookie sheet, or on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges start to brown.
- Remove from oven. Let sit on cookie sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Here are a few pics that are perfect to save to your favorite Pinterest boards.
Enjoy, Terri
I love everything that you make because everything is so delicious.
Thank you so much Judy! I truly appreciate you. :)