Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I love Cookies by George. Love. So when I saw the post for these cookies and they were compared to Cookies by George, I knew they were worth a try.

I always press my cookies down slightly before baking, to ensure they flatten out and aren't those big mounds more akin to a meatball than a cookie. However, for this recipe, I decided not to. I wanted to test them out, see if I could get that nice thick cookie like the ones at the mall - and I'm so glad I didn't. These came out perfect! They baked into a perfect cookie, thick, but not too thick, soft in the center, chewy around the edges. Cookie perfection. I think for this recipe, it's definitely important to use room temperature butter. Sometimes you can get away with using butter that's slightly softened, but not quite room temperature. Don't try that here. Unless you like meatball-esque cookies. Plan ahead, take your butter out the night before. That's what I did - and it was definitely worth the wait.

Also, I would highly recommend using chocolate chunks here instead of chocolate chips. Something about the combination of larger chunks of chocolate mixed in with the smaller chocolate flecks makes these absolutely delicious.

Recipe for Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
(Recipe Source: Dinner with Julie)

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Dump the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt into the butter mixture and mix on lowest speed until just combined. Add the chocolate chunks and mix until incorporated. Drop dough by the spoonful onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden around the edges but still soft in the middle. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 24 - 30 cookies