Two weeks ago while perfecting my skinny vanilla mug cake recipe, I started craving the chocolate version that I posted last fall. While I enjoy a classic vanilla cupcake now and then, I’m a chocoholic at heart (that’s why I wrote a chocolate cookbook!) and need my fix on a multiple-times-a-day basis.
A tiny square of dark chocolate after breakfast, another little nibble as a mid-morning snack, a slightly bigger piece after lunch (or, even better, a small brownie or cookie!), one more morsel partway through the afternoon, and a chocolate-filled baked treat as dessert after dinner. Or at least a big chunk of my favorite dark chocolate bar.
I’m obsessed!
The day after I finished filming the vanilla mug cake video, I finally whipped up the chocolate recipe that had been on my mind for so long, but since I had waited so long to bake it, I decided to make a double serving as an extra decadent dessert. I slowly savored every bite of that warm chocolate cake as my bedtime treat… The less you let it cool, the more it tastes like a lava cake crossed with a fudgy brownie. Pure dark chocolaty bliss!
Shortly after falling asleep, I woke up feeling rather hot, which is basically unheard of for me! I have really poor circulation and constantly feel like a popsicle during the winter, even here in California while bundled up in multiple pairs of socks and scarves or buried underneath three layers of blankets in bed. But I figured it was stress or over-thinking recipe photo shoots for the blog, and I eventually nodded off again.
Because I enjoyed that double serving of my chocolate mug cake so much, I ended up making it again the following evening. (Did you see both of them on my @AmyBakesHealthy Snapchat?) It tasted just as decadent as the first, and I even ran my finger around the mug and licked it clean!
Yet I woke up feeling extremely hot in the middle of the night again, and after what felt like half an hour of lying there, I finally rolled over and pulled up the web on my iPhone. After a quick search, I quietly giggled…
It turns out that a double serving of my chocolate mug cake contained as much caffeine from the 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder as a regular cup of tea.
Whoops!
So the following day, I baked a batch of these Fudgy Triple Chocolate Cookies to get my dark chocolate fix instead! They taste just as rich and decadent as my mug cake, but they contain a lot less caffeine per serving… And those melty chips are positively irresistible!
This super easy recipe begins with white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour comes from a special variety of finely ground white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour is made from red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, closer to that of all-purpose flour, but it still retains the same health benefits of whole wheat flour.
Note: Whole wheat pastry flour is a great substitute, if you prefer!
Next comes the cocoa powder. You just need the regular unsweetened kind! Because of the 2:1 ratio of flour to cocoa powder, these cookies already taste really dark, similar to 70% dark chocolate, without using Dutched or special dark cocoa powder.
However, it’s extremely important to measure the cocoa powder correctly! Too much cocoa powder will quickly dry out the dough and make the cookies crumbly. You can use the spoon and level method or a kitchen scale, but I highly recommend the latter. This is the inexpensive one that I own, and I use it for every recipe that I make for this blog because it ensures that your baked treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time. It’s my favorite kitchen gadget!
To keep these cookies clean eating friendly, you’ll sweeten them with coconut sugar instead of refined sugar. Coconut sugar does not actually taste like coconut! It has a very light caramel-like flavor, just like brown sugar, but it pours like granulated. You can find it on the baking aisle of most grocery stores near the other sugars, as well as online.
And now for my favorite part… The chocolate chips! You’ll use both dark chocolate chips and mini chocolate chips. These are my favorite dark chocolate chips because they’re the same size as typical semisweet chocolate chips, whereas many other brands make their dark chocolate chips much larger in size. These are my favorite mini chips because they melt really well—and their tiny size ensures that every bite contains a morsel of melty chocolate!
All we need now is a cold glass of milk!
| Fudgy Triple Chocolate Cookies | | Print |
- 1 ⅓ cups (160g) white whole wheat flour (measured like this)
- ⅔ cup (53g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp (56g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (192g) coconut sugar
- 4 tbsp (56g) dark chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp (28g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the dark chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of miniature chocolate chips.
- Using a spoon and spatula, drop the cookie dough into 24 rounded scoops onto the prepared baking sheets, and flatten to the desired thickness and width using a spatula. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Light brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.
Semisweet chocolate chips may be substituted for the dark chocolate chips.
{clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
Hello Amy! I have a question, I don’t have any brown sugar can I substitute it with honey?
I’m honored that you’d like to try making these cookies, Cynthia! Unfortunately, honey won’t work. It adds too much liquid to the cookie dough, which would give it the same consistency as muffin batter, and it would make your cookies more cakey and muffin-like than soft and chewy cookies. If you don’t have brown sugar or coconut sugar, then granulated sugar (or another form of granular sugar, like turbinado sugar or maple sugar!) is the best alternative. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you try making them!
These are AMAZING! I made them with my soon to be 3 year old and oh my gosh, this recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
I’m so honored that you and your little one enjoyed these cookies Sam! That truly means a lot to me that you’d call this recipe a keeper — thank you SO much for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
Hey! This is such a beautiful recipe especially for my insane cravings for chocolate! Do you by any chance know the macros on these? Or calories per serving? Thank you so much!
I’m honored that you’d like to try making these cookies, Moe! The full nutrition information is actually included directly underneath the recipe. I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies!
Hi Amy, I really can’t wait to make this recipe. One question (I’ve had terrible luck with cookies), is there anything I should be aware of so I get the chewy cookie texture? I’ve baked aplenty and have success with cakes muffins cupcakes pies etc. but cookies are my arch nemesis. I can’t get the chewy texture I love so much and I follow the recipes exactly. Of twenty recipes I try, maybe I’ll get 1 chewy cookie one. I love that your recipe talks about chewy cookies. Do you think butter or coconut oil would produce a chewier chew? Any help would be appreciated – I love cookies and still can’t figure out why I can’t get the texture right. Thanks!!
I’m so honored that you’d like to try making this recipe, Elissa! I’m happy to help solve those chewy cookie mysteries. 🙂 Both butter and coconut oil will produce the same texture in this recipe, so it actually doesn’t matter which one you use. (I typically prefer baking with butter because I like its flavor better!)
When you make other cookie recipes that promise to be chewy (but aren’t!), how do they turn out? Are they dry, cakey, crunchy, or something else?
How do you measure the ingredients — with measuring cups or a kitchen scale? Do you have a regular oven or a convection (fan-assisted) oven? When you bake your cookies, if the recipe gives a timeframe (for example, I say 9-11 minutes for these!), do you check them after the shorter time? How exactly do you determine that your cookies are “done” baking?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but once I know your answers to all of them (yes, all! 😉 ), I’ll have even more ideas of what you can do to make sure you end up with deliciously chewy cookies every time you try making them! 🙂
Hi Amy! So excited and appreciative of you wanting to help me. (Btw I’m a Cali girl too now transplanted to Texas but loved seeing that in your profile). Ok here goes to your questions:
1) most cookie recipes I try result in more cakey of a texture so when I take a bite it kind of crumbles and there’s no satisfying chew.
2) I use measuring cups but do not pack down the flour. I loosely pour the flour from a container or the bag into the measuring cup
3) regular oven
4) I check the cookies usually at the shorter end of the range when they should be ready. I look for a light brown edge and when the edges look crispier/done. I’ve read that it’s important to take cookies out when the centers aren’t completely done yet. I will admit sometimes I’ve left them in a min or two longer because I don’t like that raw of a middle. Sometimes I bake them and take some out at lower end of range and some in middle/higher end of range to compare. Still cakey results.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s because I like to use real butter and many recipes call for shortening or margarine which we don’t use at home. Anyway look forward to your thoughts. Waiting for your tips before I try your recipe! 😄
Thank you SO much for sharing your answers!! I think we’ve actually found two very important culprits that cause that dry, crumbly, cakey texture in your answers to #2 and #4. 🙂
When measured like that, where you pour directly from the bag or container into the measuring cup, you can still end up with 1.5 times as much flour as when you lightly spoon and level. That extra flour is definitely contributing to the issues that you’ve experienced! Too much flour automatically dries out your cookie dough, which leads to that cakey, dry, and crumbly texture.
If you don’t own a kitchen scale, here’s what I recommend doing for measuring flour (and cocoa powder, oats, etc!): use a fork to “scoop” up flour from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the flour into it. Once there’s a small mound of flour extending past the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess flour. Never “pat” the flour down with the knife or fork. This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add less flour to the batter, so you’ll end up with lovely soft and chewy cookies.
And yes — it’s REALLY important to take your cookies out of the oven when the centers are still soft and underdone! The heat from the metal baking sheet will continue to cook the centers while you let your cookies sit on the baking sheet for those 5-10 minutes immediately after removing them from the oven and before transferring them to a wire rack. If you wait to remove your cookies from the oven until the centers are firm, then the heat from the baking sheet will overbake the cookies while they rest for those 5-10 minutes… Which then leads to the even drier, cakier, and more crumbly texture (on top of adding too much flour, which dries out the dough before you even put the cookies in the oven!).
Using real butter (as opposed to shortening or margarine) will not lead to that big of a texture difference, compared to the two things I just described above, so I wouldn’t worry about that too much.
Does all of that make sense?? 🙂
So to make sure the cookies from this recipe of mine turn out perfectly chewy, measure your flour and cocoa powder exactly how I just described, and remove your cookies from the oven when the centers still feel soft and underdone. I promise that’s what will get you the best soft and chewy texture!
Thank you so much for the thorough responses. I will be trying all of your tips out next weekend or hopefully sooner! Will let you know how they turn out, I’m looking forward to gloriously chewy lol.
It’s my pleasure, Elissa! I’m always happy to help, and I have ALL of my fingers (and toes!) crossed for you that your cookies start to turn out perfectly chewy, just the way you like! 🙂
Thanks for this recipe. Looking forward to trying it out when I leave work today. My husband loves chocolate, I love the fact that they are not as fattening as most cookies. Thanks for answering all the questions, they helped me figure out past mistakes. 🤓
It’s my pleasure, Jeanette! I’m really excited to hear what you and your husband think of these cookies! 🙂
Hi Amy, what can I substitute the eggs with?
Thank you.
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Kyra! My brother is actually allergic to eggs, and Ener-G is my favorite substitute. Ener-G is a shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of my recipes, including this one! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white, and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil {or Earth Balance, if you’re vegan!} for each egg yolk. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you try making them!