Name: Big Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 38 min
Yield: 7
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour; ¾ tsp baking soda; ¾ teaspoon baking powder; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled; 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg; 1 large egg yolk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks, plus more for topping; Sea salt for finishing (optional)

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These Big Chocolate Chunk Cookies are thick, chewy, buttery, and studded with big melty chunks of chocolate. Finish them off with a sprinkle of sea salt for a gourmet bakery cookie experience.

Table of Contents

The BEST Big Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Bit Chocolate Chunk Cookie with a bite taken out of it.

Yes, this is another post about chocolate chip cookies. I would apologize, but I don’t believe there’s much room for sorrys when chocolate is involved.

We’ve talked about chocolate chip cookies a lot over the years. We’ve discussed melted butter and extra egg yolks, the merits of refrigeration, and the necessity of always slightly under baking

There have been two epic chocolate chip cookie battles, the first of which resulted in one of my tried and true favorites- The Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie. We’ve made cookies with Oreos and instant pudding, triple chip cookies, and Nutella chocolate chip cookies.

You may think another chocolate chip cookie recipe is superfluous. But if you’re a chocolate chip cookie connoisseur like myself, you know there’s a time and place for all the different cookies of the world, with each one bringing its own special virtues to the table.

I, for one, am never not tempted by the big chocolate chunk cookies you find in bakery cases. And while I’ve had some really great ones over the years, I’ve also had some disappointing ones. If not done right, those giant cookies can be dry and crumbly and flavorless.

We did a lot of testing to ensure these cookies wouldn’t be disappointing, and I’m obsessed with the results. These are everything you could want in a big ol’ cookie.

Very up close picture of a chocolate chip and chocolate chunk cookie.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Well, the first reason is right in the title. These cookies are GIANT. Like, the size of your face. Well, maybe not your face, but a baby’s face. These are big, puffy, chewy, AND soft cookies made with a 1/2 cup of dough.
Second, chocolate chunks. These cookies are packed with big, melty, hunky pieces of dark chocolate. I used a mix of semi-sweet chips and dark chocolate chunks, which is a lovely contrast in texture and flavor.
And finally, a sprinkling of sea salt. It’s not totally necessary, and I understand some of you have not yet jumped on the salted dessert train. Let me tell you, this is a ride you want to be on. A little coarse salt amplifies the sweetness of the cookie, bringing the flavors right to the tip of your tongue. Plus, it’s pretty. And I like pretty cookies.

Palm holding a big chocolate chip cookie.

Key Ingredients + Substitutions

Basic pantry staples, including flour, baking soda and powder, cornstarch, and salt.
Sugars– We use a mixture of brown sugar and granulated sugar for all of our cookie recipes. It’s the best mix of texture and deep molasses flavor.
Eggs– You’ll need one egg + an extra egg yolk. The additional egg yolk is the key to an extra chewy texture. Use the leftover egg white in one of these recipes.
Vanilla– I highly recommend using real vanilla extract, not imitation.
Chocolate chunks- Like I mentioned above, I use a mix of chocolate chunks and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Feel free to use all of one or the other. You can use store bought chocolate chunks or chop your own from a bar of chocolate, which will give you lovely, irregular sized slivers and hunks.
Sea salt– Flaky sea salt is like gold dust for baked goods. You can find it near the other salts and spices at your grocery, or online. Use it for Buckeye Brownies and Chocolate Pretzel Toffee Bark as well.

Bowls of flour, baking soda, salt, cornstarch, brown sugar, sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and chocolate chips.

How to Make Giant Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients.

Flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda and baking powder whisked together in a white bowl.

Step 2: Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.

Step 3: Add eggs and vanilla.

Eggs added to creamed butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.

Step 4: Combine dry ingredients and butter mixture.

Dry ingredients poured into creamed butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.

Step 5: Stir in chocolate chips or chunks.

Chocolate chunk cookie dough on the beater of an electric mixer.

Step 6: Scoop ½ cupfulls of dough onto baking sheets.

4 large balls of cookie dough on a baking sheet.

Step 7: Bake, sprinkle with sea salt, and set.

Four giant chocolate chip cookies on a baking sheet.

Tips and Tricks for Big Cookies

Refrigerate the dough for at least two hours. Refrigerating minimizes spreading and also intensifies the flavor. Refrigerating overnight is even better!
Scoop the dough before refrigerating. If it’s not possible to fit a sheet pan with the scooped dough in your fridge, you can refrigerate the entire mixing bowl. Just remove it from the fridge 20 minutes before scooping, so it’s not too hard.
Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats to prevent spreading.
Use a measuring cup to scoop the cookies.
Space the cookies at least 3 inches apart when baking. We get 4-5 MAX on a half sheet pan.
Add chocolate chunks after baking. For extra beautiful cookies, press a few chocolate chunks into the tops of the cookie right when they come out of the oven. If your cookies are slightly misshapen, you can also use a spatula or spoon to push unwieldy bits back towards the center while they’re still warm. This will give you the perfect circle shape!
Underbake slightly. Like most of our cookie recipes, I prefer to slightly under bake these and allow them to set up on the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to cool completely. This keeps the cookie nice and soft and chewy!

Big chocolate chunk cookie cooling on a cooling rack.

FAQS

How do you store homemade cookies?

Store the baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container or ziplock bag. They’ll stay nice and soft for 3-4 days.

Can you freeze giant chocolate chip cookies?

Yes! To freeze:

Prepare the dough as usual, scoop, then line them up on a parchment lined sheet pan. They can be placed close together, but not touching.
Flash freeze the dough by placing the pan in the freezer for 1-2 hours. This prevents them from sticking together.
Remove the dough from the sheet pan and place them in a freezer plastic bag. Write the name of the cookie on the bag, along with the baking temperature and time. Freeze for up to 4 months.
To bake frozen cookie dough: Remove frozen dough balls from the bag and space them out on a silicone mat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven, adding a few minutes to the usual baking time.

This recipe can be frozen either as raw cookie dough, or even after you bake the cookies. Check out my complete guide to freezing cookies for more information.

Giant chocolate chip cookie propped against a glass milk jug.

Can you double this recipe?

Yes! And I highly recommend it. I almost always double my cookie recipes, because I love to have a stash in the freezer for cookie emergencies or to include with meal train dinners.

Can I make these regular sized cookies?

Of course! Feel free to use a regular scoop, just be sure to reduce the baking time to 8-10 minutes.

Stack of chocolate chip cookies broken in half to reveal the melty chocolate chips.

More Cookie Recipes to Fall in Love With

Big Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Yield: 7 very large cookies

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Total Time: 38 minutes

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies are filled with hunks of melty dark chocolate and finished with sea salt for a truly gourmet cookie experience.

Ingredients

2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks, plus more for topping
Sea salt for finishing (optional)

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt.
In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until creamy and lighter in color, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and yolk, beating until well combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat on low speed until combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
Scoop ½ cupfulls of dough onto baking sheets lined with silicone mats or parchment paper. I do 4 MAX per half sheet pan.
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the cookies are starting to brown on the edges, but still light in color and just barely gooey in the center. Press extra chocolate chips or chunks into the tops of the cookies, if desired. Sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to set up on the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

These cookies stay soft and chewy in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
The scooped dough can be frozen and baked from frozen. See the post above for complete freezing instructions.
We love to use a mix of semi-sweet chocolate chips and dark chocolate chunks, but you can use all of one or the other.
This recipe is easy to double! I usually double it and make four giant cookies, then use a regular cookie scoop for the rest. Normal sized cookies should be baked for 8-9 minutes.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 7 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 399Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 625mgCarbohydrates: 67gFiber: 2gSugar: 60gProtein: 4g

Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most accurate calculation, I always recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.