Let no Holiday Series pass without cookies! Really, let nothing pass without cookies. Especially thick, soft-centered, crispy-edged, dark, rich, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cookies. Laced with espresso powder and with a snowy sprinkle of cardamom sugar on top (optional, but such a wintery treat). They’re beautiful, festive, deeply delicious, and you’re going to be lucky if they last a day in your house. Be prepared when you set them out. People will come in droves…family, friends, neighbors, the Amazon delivery person may wander in and grab one for the road.
They are truly remarkable. So put some in your pockets before they’re gone.
Soft Centers, Crispy Edges
This recipe will make about twenty-four very large cookies. We’re not messing around here with baby cookies. We want a cookie that says we mean it. Because we DO.
The larger size of the cookie also helps achieve that perfectly thick sunken soft middle. The kind you just want to curl up in, the kind that pull apart at each craggy little crack. The kind that makes you think, “Maybe I should eat just one of these”, but you know it will probably be two. Or ten.
Also, with a little bit of settling on the pan after you pull them out of the oven, not only will you have soft chewy middles but you also get those nice crispy little edges. That tiny crunch in each bite. And, yes, it’s all a part of the same cookie but it just tastes different, you know? The oven crisp edge with the melty fudgy center…
HELLO IS THIS A DREAM COOKIE OR WHAT? Honestly tearing up just writing about it.
What You Need For These Cookies
Cardamom is interesting because you can’t exactly place it, but you can tell when it’s not there. It’s just slightly warmer, a tinge of something special, a little Christmasy speckle on your palate. It is certainly not required to make these cookies delicious, they are unbelievable with or without, but it really is worth a try. And let’s be serious here, you’re going to wind up making batch after batch of these on repeat, so why not dust one batch with this wintery spice?
To make the rest of the magic happen, you’ll want to gather up:
- your cookie basics: butter, brown sugar, eggs, flour, baking soda, salt
- vanilla
- cocoa powder
- extra sugar for rolling
- cardamom (optional)
- espresso powder (also optional, but let’s be fun)
A warm heart? A festive spirit? A readiness to chomp chocolate cookies for the rest of your holiday days? Also on the list.
How To Make These Chocolate Cookies
It’s hard to choose what to love most about these cookies, but the fact that they’re a real mix & bake, no-fuss kinda situation certainly makes the list!
- Make the dough. Cream butter and sugar and then add the eggs and vanilla until just combined. Then, in goes the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder (if using, but remember, let’s be fun), baking soda, and salt.
- Form into balls. About 1/4 cup per ball because you mean it. Roll each in the extra sugar (or cardamom sugar if you’re feeling festive!).
- Bake in batches. We recommend 6-8 at a time. Remove from oven and LET. THEM. REST. so you get the crispy edges and soft craggy middles.
We’re feeling all the feelings these days. Admittedly, the Christmas music is already playing and we’re so ready for things to be glowy and merry and bright. We’re so ready to keep our stand mixers busy and our rolling pins dusted because there’s nothing quite like deep chocolatey cookie smells swirling through the air and your home being filled with the extra warmth from the oven. Merry, merry indeed. Happy cookie-making!
Chocolate Cookies: Frequently Asked Questions
Store them at room temp in an air-tight container for maximum freshness.
Great idea! Yes, that definitely works.
Yes! To make it even easier for when you’re ready to bake the cookies, form the cookies into little balls you can just pop on a baking sheet.
Sure! The dark cocoa powder will just add a bit more rich flavor and a deeper color.
The Very Best Chocolate Cookies
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 24 very large cookies
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
These are really the very best Chocolate Cookies! Thick, soft-centered, and crispy-edged. All your basic cookie ingredients here plus dark cocoa powder and ground cardamom to make things extra festive!
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1–2 tablespoons espresso powder (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Extra sugar for rolling
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing gently until just combined.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined into a soft dough.
- Form into balls (about ¼ cup per cookie / ball). Roll each ball in the extra sugar (mixed with cardamom, if you want). Bake for 10-12 minutes (I recommend 6-8 at a time on the baking sheet, so you’ll need to bake in batches). Remove from oven and let them rest – you want the cookies settle down a bit and give you crisped edges with thicker, soft-baked centers.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American
Keywords: chocolate cookies, chocolate cardamom cookies, cookie recipe
Other Delicious Cookie Recipes
- The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (classic and so tasty!)
- Favorite Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (brown sugar caramely goodness – what a treat!)
- Old-School Homemade Oreos (retro and fun)
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