This is a very good double chocolate cookie recipe originally from Hershey's. The reason they are so dark is that the recipe calls for their dark or Dutch process cocoa. The dark Dutch Hershey's cocoa is hard to find right now, but I've had good luck using regular Dutch process cocoa or better yet, a combination of Dutch process cocoa powder and black cocoa powder for very dark cookies.
Baking With Black Cocoa Powder
Black cocoa powder is a type of ultra-Dutch-processed cocoa that's been heavily alkalized to neutralize its acidity. This gives it a strikingly dark color, almost jet black, and a very mellow, smooth flavor. I find that it can be somewhat drying, so rather than use it to replace other cocoa powder, I will replace ⅓ of another cocoa powder (Dutch) with black. So for this recipe that would be about 5 ½ tablespoons of any Dutch and 2 ½ tablespoons of black or by weight, 30 grams of Dutch and 18 grams of black.
Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies Flavor and Texture
These are obviously very chocolatey tasting, with notes of molasses from the brown sugar. The brown sugar also helps keep the cookies chewy and slightly soft, so yet another reason to make these! A trick to making the cookies soft and bendy is to bake them on an insulated cookie sheet. If you don't have an insulated cookie sheet, stack any cookie sheet on top of a smaller rimmed baking sheet.
Recipe
Hershey's Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup salted butter, softened softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup Dutch process cocoa or a mix of Dutch process and black
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt or ½ teaspoon if using unsalted butter
- 1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until creamy. Add eggs; beat well.
- Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating on low speed and scraping side of the bowl often just until blended.
- Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. For larger cookies, use a medium size scoop.
- Bake 7 minutes for very small cookies or 10-12 minutes for larger cookies. Let cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
Anna says
I'm posting this comment on behalf of Sam. Rather than post it, I am copying and pasting it. Not sure if Sam is a real person -- no email. But Sam, if this happened to you, read my advice below.
FROM SAM:
"I just tried these.
They were absolutely disgusting!
I don't get it as I've tried other recipes of yours and loved them.
These were so gross.
They'd burn within those 7 minutes so each batch was checked often and they'd still burn.
They tasted so bitter too.
I put in 2 cups of chocolate chipsand that didn't help the cause."
Sam, I'm sorry the cookies didn't work. I have baking disasters too and they are no fun. As for this one, it sounds like maybe your oven is running a little hot. If you want to troubleshoot, shoot me an email. All I got was your comment and I can't email you back to trouble-shoot.
Anonymous says
how would i cook those cookies in only a microwave oven?
surcie says
Speaking of chocolate and wasabi, have you ever tasted Vosges chocolate bars? (www.vosges.com) My favorite one has dark chocolate, wasabi, and sesame. Yum!
carole says
what type of chili pepper would you use, ground ancho? About 1/8 tsp?I am going to make them again tomorrow and split the batter in half. To one half I will add the chili powder and to the other half I will add some espresso cream.
tg says
Enjoyed the little burst of Cookie Madness foot traffic, fyi. tanks! xo
Anna says
Carole, I am sorry. I left out a few of the last ingredients when I copied it from allrecipe. Hopefully, you looked at the link. I corrected it.
carole says
Anna,I looked over the recipe and it doesn't list the chocolate chips. What quantity did you use?
Erika says
These ones look good! As to the wasabi/chocolate combo, maybe you need to change the texture. I'm thinking along the lines of a truffle center, creme pie, or a naniamo bar- you know, the gooey soft chocolate- versus the baked dough texture. I can't totally wrap my brain around that combination, but I have had some great chocolate concoctions with chili powder in it. That can't be too far off.
Anna says
Carole, I hope you start a blog so you can show off your photoshop skills. Also, good luck transporting the cookies. You'll need something kind of flat to carry them in because they are soft.Ellie, I think I am slowly making my way to 1,000 pounds. It's really hard having all the cookies around some days, which is why I try giving them away or eating small amounts, but I think I am slowly gaining weight.
Anonymous says
Wow, these do look good. Now here's a question I can't help but ask. How can you bake as much as you do and not weigh 1,000 lbs?? Great recipes, though! I check this site weekly, if not daily, and always come away inspired to bake. Congrats on your latest win. Ellie
carole says
This one gets made tomorrow. I'll take them as a treat to my Photoshop class.When I see your recipes, I'll never get out of the kitchen
Anna says
Hi Gigi,I used Hershey Dark Chips.Mine seemed too soft to be dipped in white chocolate. I suppose it *could* be done, but with some difficulty. It might be better to just put white chocolate chunks in the actual batter. Then again, I only baked mine for 7 minutes, which is why they were soft and fudgy.
gigi says
mmmm...these look really good. What kind of chocolate chips did you use? I wonder what would happen if you left out the chips and nuts and instead dipped half of each cookie in melted white chocolate for an updated "black and white" cookie. I might have to give that a twirl.