Double Tap these Double Chocolate Cookies

My brother just left for college. Since he has always been my main baked goods taste tester (he’s not a very harsh critic), his absence gave me a great reason to bake him some goodies to send him. Ya know, to help him make friends, definitely not for my own baking fun. 🙂

The kid is a sucker for brownies and cookies so I found the perfect combo of the two: double chocolate cookies. I’ve dabbled with double choco cookie recipes before, but this one definitely takes the cake (cookie). Other recipes have ended up too crumbly or too chocolately (I have a very high tolerance for sugar so that should say something!).

What to expect:

But Handle the Heat’s recipe creates deliciously decadent cookies that are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. They’re rich, don’t get me wrong, but the espresso powder adds a hint of bitterness that balances out the sweetness from all of the sugar and chocolate. I didn’t sprinkle any sea salt on the top—that’s just not my bro’s steeze—but if your sweet tooth is more sensitive than mine, that might be a good choice. The result is the flavor and texture of a brownie in the shape of a cookie. The cookie DOUBLES as a brownie!

The recipe is very straightforward and only took me 25 minutes to make, including bake time!

What I changed:

I excluded the sea salt on top, like I said, and thought they turned out superb—hopefully my brother will agree! But to compromise, I only used 1 cup of chocolate chips because any more than that felt like a cavity-in-the-making. The original recipe also recommended 3-tbsp. scoops of dough for each cookie, but I opted for 1-tbsp. scoops for more cookies. (I didn’t quite ~see double~ in the amount of cookies, but I did make 22 instead of the original’s yield of 14.)

I can’t overstate how amazing these cookies taste and hope you make them for yourself, on the double!

Original Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces (170 grams) semisweet chocolate, melted
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (67 grams) light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (137 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (21 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional
• 1 1/2 cups (255 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate and butter in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until melted and smooth. Allow to cool before mixing in the eggs, milk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder. Add the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture and stir until just combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Use a large 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to place the batter on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until set but still gooey. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired. Allow to cool before serving.