Pan Banging Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredient Notes

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

• Flour: All-purpose flour is the only flour I’ve tested this cookie recipe with. As always, it’s very important to make sure you’re using the spoon and level method to measure your flour when baking (you can also use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients). Too much flour can result in drier, harder cookies, which you definitely don’t want with these!
• Unsalted butter: Make sure the butter is at room temperature for easier creaming with sugar, which helps create a tender and chewy texture. I use unsalted butter, but if you must use salted butter, simply omit the extra salt listed later in the ingredients.
• Egg + egg yolk: Be sure to bring them to room temperature. Adding the extra egg yolk really helps give the cookies that nice chew we’re looking for! 
• Cornstarch: The cornstarch helps to thicken the cookies and prevent them from baking too flat (since we’re already banging them, we don’t want them to start off too flat, so that way they get the nice ripples). It also helps to create a super soft, buttery cookie. 
• Chopped chocolate: It’s important to use bars, not chocolate chips. They won’t spread if using chips. I like to use a semi-sweet Ghirardelli bar, and then roughly chop some of these chocolate discs (or this Ghirardelli bar), plus a little more for garnishing the tops of the cookies prior to baking to get those chocolate puddles on top. Using 60-70% chocolate is ideal for creating glossy, melty pools because it has enough cocoa butter to spread smoothly while its richer, less-sweet flavor balances the cookie dough and holds its shape just enough for that bakery-style finish.

Step by Step Directions

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

Expert Tips

• Spoon and level flour properly: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and be sure it’s leveled. Do not scoop the flour out of the container/bag with your measuring cup because you could end up with 50% more than you need. Spoon and level by using a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and use the back of a knife to level off the top of it.
• Use the right chocolate: Using 60-70% chocolate is ideal for creating glossy, melty pools because it has enough cocoa butter to spread smoothly while its richer, less-sweet flavor balances the cookie dough and holds its shape just enough for that bakery-style finish. I like these chocolate discs, or you can just chop up this dark chocolate Ghirardelli bar! And remember, don’t use chocolate chips!
• Don’t over-mix the dough: Mix until the ingredients are just combined. Over-mixing can develop too much gluten, making the cookies tough. To prevent this, I like to fold in the dry ingredients just until no more dry flour pockets are left.
• Keep the other cookie dough balls in the freezer between batches: Keeping your cookie dough cold before baking slows the spread, allowing the cookies to puff first and then collapse when pan-banged. This creates those signature rippled edges with thick, chewy centers instead of flat, greasy cookies.
• Don’t over-bake: These cookies look very soft and slightly underbaked when you take them out of the oven. The centers will continue to set as the cookies cool, keeping them soft and chewy with melty chocolate puddles.
• Do not crowd the baking sheet: These cookies are large, so I only like to bake 4 cookies at a time to make sure to give them the space they need. Overcrowding the cookies can lead to them baking into each other and creating wonky shapes. We want the heat to circulate evenly around the cookies, so if you find your cookies are spreading too much, bake fewer cookies on your sheet at one time. 

Variations / Substitutions

• Gluten-free: Swap the all-purpose flour for Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
• Chocolate: Feel free to swap the semi-sweet chocolate for milk or dark chocolate. You can also use a combination of two.
• Nuts: Feel free to add your favorite nuts like pecans, almonds, peanuts, or walnuts if you like a little extra crunch!
• Extra chocolate: Want more chocolate? Dip these cookies in chocolate like my Chocolate Dipped Brown Butter Cookies.

Don’t Want To Make A Whole Batch?

Single-Serve Chocolate Chip Cookie

If you’re looking for a quick cookie fix just for one, try my new Single-Serve Thin and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie. You can even add pecans

try it now

Storage / Freezing

• Store these cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 
• To freeze: Scoop the dough into 3 Tbsp. sized balls and freeze in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You can bake the frozen cookie dough from frozen, just add an extra minute or so to your bake time.