• Ready to bake? Here’s a simple, step-by-step chocolate cookie recipe to guide you through every stage. Think of it as having a friend in the kitchen while you make these easy double chocolate chip cookies.

Preheat and Prepare Your Pans

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• This temperature helps the cookies bake evenly and stay soft and chewy in the center.
• Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
• This prevents sticking and encourages those pretty, evenly baked bottoms. If you don’t have parchment, lightly grease the trays.

Cream the Butter and Sugars

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture looks light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
• This step traps a bit of air in the dough, which helps the double chocolate chip cookies stay thick and tender.

Add the Eggs and Vanilla

• Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Stir in the vanilla extract until everything is fully combined.
• At this stage, the mixture should look smooth and glossy—no streaks of egg.

Mix in the Dry Ingredients

• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Whisking helps break up any cocoa lumps and distributes the baking soda evenly.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed or with a spatula just until the flour disappears.
• Avoid overmixing here; stopping as soon as the streaks of flour are gone keeps the cookies soft rather than tough.

Fold in the Chocolate

• Gently fold in the semisweet chocolate chips and dark chocolate chunks (and espresso powder, if using).
• Make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed so every cookie is packed with melty pockets of goodness.

Scoop and Shape the Dough

• Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion the dough into balls about 1½ tablespoons each.
• Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between them—they’ll spread slightly as they bake.
• For a more “bakery-style” look, you can press a few extra chocolate chips on top of each mound before baking.
• Optional: If you prefer thicker cookies, chill the dough in the fridge for 20–30 minutes before baking. This step isn’t essential for this one-bowl cookie recipe, but it does help the cookies hold their shape.

Bake to Soft and Fudgy Perfection

• Bake the cookies for 9–12 minutes, depending on your oven and cookie size.
• The edges should look set, but the centers will still appear slightly soft and underdone—that’s exactly what gives them a fudgy texture.
• Remove the tray from the oven and, if you like, sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt on top of each cookie.
• This little touch makes the chocolate flavor pop and adds a lovely sweet-salty contrast.

Cool and Enjoy

• Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
• They’ll continue to firm up as they cool, so resist the urge to move them right away.
• Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely—or enjoy one while it’s still warm and gooey.
• Once you’ve followed these steps, you’ll have a batch of insanely easy double chocolate chip cookies that look and taste like they came from a bakery, but with all the cozy satisfaction of homemade baking.