Triple Chocolate Cookies

Name: Triple Chocolate Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 1 h 27 min
Yield: 42 cookies
Ingredients: 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour; ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use Dutch-processed for richer flavor); 2 teaspoons cornstarch; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened; ¾ cup granulated sugar; ½ cup packed light brown sugar; 3 tablespoons heavy cream (can swap for whole milk but alters texture); 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 2 large eggs; ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips; ¾ cup milk chocolate chips; ¾ cup white chocolate chips

By Emma

Certified Culinary Professional

Published on 12 February 2026 • Recipe tested & approved

Rich, fudgy triple chocolate cookies with semi-sweet, milk, and white chips. Chilled dough, slightly crisp edges, chewy center. 42 servings, balanced sweet and bitter cocoa notes, easy mixing and chilling for depth.

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 12 min

Total: 1h 27min

Servings: 42 cookies

#cookies #chocolate #baking #dessert #American cuisine

Before You Start

Forget perfect blending and sterile recipe tones. Crumbled flour, dancing cocoa dust. Butter softened, never melted – crucial trick I learned after a dozen disappointments. Sugar sets stage, light and fluffy beats. Eggs dropped one, two, harmony takes shape. Dough clumps heavy with triple chocolates. Chill, don’t rush. Firming fat tame the wild spread. Oven warming too hot alters more than bake time; it’s smell, crackle, that browning edge calling out. Cookies firm at edges but soft center, not doughy but close. Patience after oven is part of ritual. A cookie sheet holding warmth, residual heat finishing the job. This all makes cookies yours, not just measured measures. Adapt. Rebuy cocoa, swap cream with milk if that’s the fridge. See the dough, smell the toast of chocolate rich and bitter. Bake with an ear for the quiet pop at edges. Done right, a cookie demands respect and delivers joy.

Ingredients

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use Dutch-processed for richer flavor)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream (can swap for whole milk but alters texture)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ cup milk chocolate chips
¾ cup white chocolate chips

About the ingredients

Flour, cocoa, cornstarch: combine for structure and tender crumb. Cornstarch isn’t a throwaway— it softens bite, keeps cookies from getting biscuit-like. Subbing Dutch-processed cocoa sharpens chocolate notes; unsweetened works, but flavor shifts. Butter should be softened, not melted—too warm and dough spreads like regret. Sugars: mix granulated with light brown for moisture and chew. Heavy cream can swap for whole milk, but cream adds richness and moisture. Vanilla standard; use pure extract or homemade if you want a deeper aroma. Eggs at room temp, essential for volume and emulsion. Triple chocolate chips balanced for melty pockets: semi-sweet for bite, milk for creamy melt, white for sweet contrast. Use quality chips or chop your own bars to control chunks and texture. Chill dough minimum an hour, more if possible. Keeps dough firm, intensifies flavor, and controls spread in oven. Skip chilling and risk thin, flat, barely chocolatey disks.

Method

Start by whisking flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. No lumps; cornstarch gives a tender crumb. Set aside.
Beat softened butter on medium-high for 1 to 1½ minutes. Aim for creamy, no greasy bits. Key for texture. Not too soft or it’ll ruin the structure.
Add both sugars with heavy cream and vanilla. Then mix for 1½ to 2 minutes until that pale, fluffiness shows. You want it aerated but silkier, not grainy.
Lower mixer speed. Crack in eggs one at a time, mixing fully after each. Slow speed avoids curdling, egg by egg builds body.
Gradually add the flour mixture. Mix on low just until no visible dry patches -- don’t overdo it or they get tough.
Fold in all three types of chocolate chips. Semi-sweet, milk, white – harmony in chaos. Use rubber spatula to prevent overmixing.
Cover dough tightly, chill in fridge for about 65 minutes. Chilling firms up fat, stops spreading, and develops flavor. If short on time, 45 minutes works but cookie texture changes.
Preheat oven to 355°F. Yes, a slight bump from norm. Line sheet with parchment paper to avoid stuck bottoms and ease cleanup.
Use 1½ tablespoon scoop for uniform cookies. Space 2 inches apart; dough spreads despite chilling. Smaller scoops = crispier edges, larger = chewy centers.
Bake 9 to 12 minutes. I opt closer to 11. Edges firm but centers soft, look slightly underbaked in middle, still shiny. Let sit on sheet 5-7 minutes. They finish cooking off heat – crucial. Transfer to wire rack to cool fully, or they get mushy bottoms.

Cooking tips

Mixing butter till creamy avoids greasy pockets that ruin cookie texture. Adding sugars with cream and vanilla aerates the fat for lighter dough. Eggs go in slow; rapid addition caused me curdled dough every time. Flour incorporation done gently; overmix and the gluten wakes, turning curls into rocks. Folding chips by hand preserves dough integrity; overmixing chips can lead to uneven spread and chip sinking. Chill is non-negotiable in my kitchen; it saves you if you’re distracted or short on time, giving grace to baking times. Oven temp bumped to 355 to mimic convection results without one. Baking cues more than watch: edges harden, centers glisten - stop then. Rest cookies on baking tray — cookie sheet acts like residual oven, perfect stage for texture finish. Wire rack transfer critical, or bottoms steam and lose crisp edge. Problems? Dough too soft? Pop back in fridge ten mins. Cookies too flat? Add an extra tablespoon flour or chill longer. Cookie not melting right? Experiment chip quality or try quick freeze before baking.

Chef's notes

💡 Butter softened but not melted. Cream it till it looks silky, no greasy lumps or it wrecks crumb. Medium-high speed, about a minute plus half. Creaminess traps air; sugar adds moisture. Overbeat and dough melts. Underbeat, crumb dry and tough. Know how butter feels. Temperature here sets foundation.
💡 Add sugars and cream with vanilla slow. Fluff the fat, no grainy texture. Mix one and a half to two minutes. Longer mixes thin dough, shorter leaves gritty sugar. Cream and sugars shape texture. Can swap cream for whole milk but expect less richness, drier dough. Keep eye on dough feel, sticky but not wet.
💡 Eggs one at a time. Slow mixing priority. Egg by egg builds structure inside dough. Fast drop risks curdle, breaks emulsion. Eggs at room temp for volume. Cold eggs shock batter, slow mix, weird crumb. Staggered addition makes dough smooth and thick. Don’t rush mix speed after eggs in.
💡 Flour mix blended low speed till moistened only. No dry patches, but stop once flour vanishes. Overmixing starts gluten, make tough cookies. Cornstarch here softens, tender crumb, no biscuit bite. Dutch-processed cocoa sharpens flavor, unsweetened okay, but note change. Flour mix ready, no lumps. Fold chips after gently.
💡 Fold chips gently. Use spatula, not mixer. Folding keeps chips intact, avoids sinking and dough deflation. Triple types balance melted pockets and sweetness. Chips quality matters; chocolate chunk bars chopped gives texture control. Quick chill dough minimum an hour. Less than that? Cookies spread more, lose chew. Longer chill cools fat firm, controls spreading.
💡 Preheat to 355 degrees F. Slightly hotter than norm, mimics convection bake. Line sheet with parchment, no sticking bottoms. Scoop one and a half tablespoons dough, space two inches. Smaller scoops crisp edges; bigger, chewy centers. Bake 9 to 12 minutes. Watch for edges firm, centers shiny and soft. Underbake slightly for chew, rest to firm off heat on sheet, 5 to 7 mins. Transfer wire rack after rest. Skipping rest leads to mushy bottoms.
💡 Dough too soft? Refrigerate at least 10 extra minutes before scooping again. Too flat cookies? Add extra tbsp flour, chill longer. Chips not melting right? Test brand or freeze seconds before bake. Dough not holding shape? Butter likely too warm. Adjust temps. Cookie sheet warm after batch helps texture finish. Keep notes, repeat corrections. Temperature and timing changes make or break cookie character.

Common questions

Why chill dough?

Chilling firms fat, slows spread, flavor intensifies. Skip chill? Thin, flat cookies likely. Dough cold means more control on shape. Texture benefits. Rest dough at least 45 minutes; longer if possible.

Can I use regular cocoa instead of Dutch-processed?

Yes but flavor shifts, less sharp chocolate. Dutch cocoa gives deeper bitterness. Regular is lighter, sweeter. Adjust sugar maybe. Cocoa type affects dough moisture slightly.

My cookies spread too much, what fixes this?

Dough probably too warm. Chill longer. Butter softened not melted is key. Too soft butter means runny dough. Add small flour addition if issues persist. Baking temperature matters; preheat fully.

How store leftover cookies and dough?

Cookies stay crisp stored airtight room temp few days. For softness store loosely covered. Dough freezes well wrapped tight. Thaw overnight fridge before baking. Avoid moisture traps, use parchment or wax paper between layers.