Giant Flat Chocolate Chunk Cookies

The recipe, step by step

These giant chocolate chunk cookies are what cookie dreams are made of. They have crisp, golden edges, wonderfully chewy centres and plenty of gooey chocolate in every bite.

There is nothing quite like eating a freshly baked cookie while it is still warm and the chocolate is soft and melting. Add a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of tea, and I am very happy indeed.

These cookies are deliberately large and flat, measuring approximately 12 cm (4½ inches) across once baked. They need plenty of space to spread, so avoid overcrowding the baking tray. I prefer to bake only three cookies on each tray, which gives them enough room to spread without touching.

This post includes two versions of the recipe. You can make the classic vanilla cookie dough filled with chocolate chunks or choose the rich chocolate dough variation. Both can be customised with different chocolates, nuts, dried fruit or favourite sweets such as M&M’s and Maltesers.

Take a look at the variations below for more ideas.

If you enjoy these giant cookies, you will also love my egg-free Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.

Why You’ll Love These Giant Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• Crisp around the edges
• Soft and chewy in the centre
• Filled with generous chunks of chocolate
• Incredibly easy to prepare
• Ready in approximately 22 minutes
• Chilling the dough is optional
• Easy to customise with different additions
• Each cookie measures approximately 12 cm across

Two Giant Cookie Variations

This recipe gives you two different cookie dough options.

Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Cookies

The classic version has a buttery vanilla dough filled with dark chocolate chunks. It develops lightly crisp edges while remaining soft and chewy in the centre.

Chocolate Dough Cookies

The chocolate version has a richer dough for anyone who wants an even more intense chocolate experience.

Both versions can be customised with your favourite chocolate, nuts, dried fruit or sweets.

Recipe Highlights

• Ease: Incredibly easy to make.

• Taste and texture: Crisp around the edges with a chewy centre filled with chocolate.

• Serving suggestion: Delicious on their own or served with a glass of milk or a hot cup of tea or coffee.

• Quantity: Eight giant cookies.

• Time: Approximately 22 minutes, with optional chilling time.

Ingredients

For these giant chocolate chunk cookies, you will need the following ingredients:

• Butter – Butter provides flavour, richness and structure while helping the cookies spread during baking. I often use salted butter because a little salt enhances the chocolate and balances the sweetness. Unsalted butter can also be used when you prefer to control the salt separately. Bring the butter to room temperature before mixing. It should feel soft when pressed but should not be melted or greasy.

• Caster Sugar – Caster sugar adds sweetness and encourages the cookies to spread. It also helps produce lightly crisp, golden edges. Granulated sugar can usually be used as an alternative, although its larger crystals may take a little longer to cream with the butter.

• Soft Brown Sugar – Soft brown sugar adds moisture and a subtle caramel flavour. It is particularly important for creating the soft, chewy centre.

• Egg – The egg binds the ingredients together while adding moisture, richness and structure. Use a room-temperature egg so that it combines more smoothly with the butter and sugars.

• Baking Powder – Baking powder gives the cookies a small amount of lift and prevents the finished texture from becoming too dense.

• Plain or All-Purpose Flour – Flour provides the main structure of the cookies. Measure it carefully, as adding too much flour can prevent the cookies from spreading and make them dry or cakey.

• Dark Chocolate Chips or Chunks – Dark chocolate provides rich pockets of melted chocolate throughout the cookies. You can use chocolate chips, roughly chopped chocolate or a mixture of the two. As far as I am concerned, the more chocolate, the merrier!

Chocolate recommendations: bars – Lindt Excellence dark 70% bar 100g, Montezuma’s darkside 51% bar 90g, Menier dark cooking chocolate 100g, Green and Black’s Organic dark Chocolate 100g, 1kg bags – Callebaut dark chocolate, Callebaut milk chocolate, Callebaut white chocolate.

Variations

This is where the fun begins. These cookies are perfect for experimenting with different flavours and additions.

Try Different Chocolate

Replace the dark chocolate with milk or white chocolate, or use a combination.

You can use chocolate chips, buttons or roughly chopped chocolate. Chopped chocolate often creates larger, more irregular pools of melted chocolate.

Favourite sweets can also be added, including:

• M&M’s
• Maltesers
• Pieces of Crunchie
• Chopped chocolate bars
• Mini peanut butter cups

Cut larger sweets into smaller pieces so that they are distributed evenly throughout the dough.

Add Nuts

Replace some of the chocolate or add approximately 100 g of coarsely chopped nuts.

Good options include:

• Pecans
• Pistachios
• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Hazelnuts

Toasting the nuts first can intensify their flavour, but allow them to cool completely before adding them to the dough.

Add Dried Fruit

Add approximately 50 g of dried fruit for extra sweetness and texture.

Try:

• Raisins
• Dried apricots
• Dried cranberries
• Cherries
• Chopped dates

Cut larger dried fruits into small pieces before folding them into the dough.

Favourite Flavour Combinations

White Chocolate and Cranberry

The sweetness of white chocolate works beautifully with the slightly sharp flavour of dried cranberries.

White Chocolate and Walnut

Creamy white chocolate and earthy walnuts make a rich and satisfying combination.

Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut

Milk chocolate and toasted hazelnuts give the cookies a flavour reminiscent of chocolate hazelnut spread.

Dark Chocolate and Orange

Add finely grated orange zest to the dough and pair it with dark chocolate chunks.

Chocolate and Salted Caramel

Add pieces of firm caramel or caramel-filled chocolate and finish the baked cookies with a small pinch of flaky sea salt.

Nutrition

Serving: one vanilla chocolate chunk cookie

Nutrition per serving

• Calories: 290.74 kcal — 15%
• Total Fat: 13.65 g — 20%
• Carbohydrates: 39.08 g — 15%
• Sugars: 24.48 g — 27%
• Protein: 3.32 g — 7%
• Sodium: 178.71 mg — 9%
• Fiber: 1.44 g — 5%

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate and may vary according to the ingredients, additions and portion sizes used. These values apply to the vanilla chocolate chunk cookie variation.

Storage and Freezing

Allow the cookies to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container.

Store them at room temperature for 5–7 days.

Placing baking paper between the layers can help prevent the cookies from sticking together.

For a warm, freshly baked texture, reheat an individual cookie briefly before serving. Take care, as the chocolate can become very hot.

Can You Freeze the Cookie Dough?

Yes. Portion the dough into individual cookie balls and place them on a tray or plate lined with baking paper.

Freeze for approximately 30 minutes or until completely firm. Transfer the frozen portions to a freezer-safe airtight container and store them for up to three months.

The cookies can be baked directly from frozen. Add approximately one or two minutes to the usual baking time and check that the centres are baked to your preferred texture.

Freezing the portions separately first prevents them from sticking together in the container.

Can You Freeze Baked Cookies?

Allow the baked cookies to cool completely before placing them in a freezer bag or airtight freezer-safe container.

Freeze them for up to one month.

When you are ready to serve them, remove the required number of cookies and allow them to defrost at room temperature.

Tools You’ll Need

Here is some of the kitchen equipment I use and recommend for making these giant chocolate chunk cookies:

• Wire cooling rack
• Large mixing bowl
• Electric hand whisk or stand mixer
• Silicone spatula
• Digital kitchen scales
• Large baking trays
• Baking paper

• Baking mat – I love using these 42 × 29.5 cm silicone baking mats because they prevent food from sticking to the baking tray and are incredibly easy to clean. This handy set includes two reusable mats.

• Ice cream scoop

My recommendation: Ice Cream Scoops with Easy Trigger Set of 3, large (3 Tbsp/45ml/6cm/1.5 oz), medium (2 Tbsp/30ml/5cm/1 oz), small (1 Tbsp/15ml/4cm/0.5 oz) – These three different sized scoops are perfect for ice cream, melons and cookies.

Recipe tips

Use Room-Temperature Butter

Cold butter will not cream properly with the sugars and can leave the dough uneven. Properly softened butter should hold a gentle indentation when pressed but should not appear melted or oily.

Measure the Flour Carefully

Too much flour is one of the most common reasons cookies fail to spread. For the most accurate result, weigh the flour with digital kitchen scales. Avoid pressing or packing flour into a measuring cup.

Expect a Slightly Sticky Dough

The dough should feel a little sticky. Do not keep adding flour simply to make it easier to handle, as this may produce thick, dry cookies that do not spread properly. Chilling the dough briefly will make it firmer and easier to portion.

Make the Cookies the Same Size

Divide the dough into eight evenly sized portions. Using digital scales or a large cookie scoop will help the cookies bake and spread at a similar rate.

Leave Plenty of Space Between Them

These cookies spread to approximately 12 cm (4½ inches), so they need plenty of room on the tray. I recommend placing only three cookies on each large baking tray.

Use Baking Paper

Line the baking trays with baking paper to prevent sticking and make the baked cookies easier to remove. Avoid placing the dough on a warm tray, as this can cause the butter to melt and the cookies to spread before they enter the oven.

Chilling the Dough Is Optional

You can bake the cookies immediately, but resting the dough can produce slightly better flavour and texture. Chilling gives the flour time to absorb moisture from the other ingredients. It also firms the butter, which slows the initial spread during baking. Cookies made with chilled dough may have slightly thicker, more rounded edges. Dough baked immediately will generally spread more quickly and may produce thinner, crisper edges.

Don’t Overchill for Very Flat Cookies

Because these are intended to be giant and flat, very cold dough may not spread as much. When the dough has been refrigerated for a long time, allow it to stand at room temperature briefly before baking.

Add Chocolate on Top

Reserve a few chocolate chunks and press them into the tops of the dough portions before baking. This makes the finished cookies look even more inviting and ensures there is visible chocolate in every cookie.

Bake One Tray at a Time

For the most even result, bake one tray in the centre of the oven at a time. When baking two trays together, their positions may need to be exchanged partway through baking, which can cause a sudden change in oven temperature.

Don’t Overbake the Cookies

Remove the cookies when the edges are set and lightly golden but the centres still look slightly soft. They will continue to set on the hot baking tray after leaving the oven. Baking until the centres appear completely firm can result in dry or overly crisp cookies.

Leave Them on the Baking Tray Briefly

Freshly baked cookies are very soft and can break when moved immediately. Allow them to rest on the tray for several minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack.

Add a Pinch of Salt

A little salt balances the sweetness and brings out the richness of the chocolate. You should not be able to taste the salt itself; it should simply make the other flavours more pronounced.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are these cookies called giant flat cookies?

Each cookie spreads to approximately 12 cm (4½ inches) during baking. The large portions and spreading dough create cookies that are wide and relatively flat, with crisp edges and chewy centres.

How many cookies should I place on one baking tray?

I recommend placing three cookies on a large baking tray. They need plenty of space to spread without touching one another.

Do I have to chill the cookie dough?

No. Chilling is optional, and the cookies can be baked immediately. Resting the dough can deepen the flavour, firm the butter and create slightly thicker edges.

Why didn’t my cookies spread?

The dough may contain too much flour, the butter may have been too cold or the dough may have been chilled for too long. Check that the flour was measured accurately and allow very cold dough to soften slightly before baking.

Why did my cookies spread too much?

The butter may have been overly soft or melted, the baking tray may have been warm or the dough may not have contained enough flour. Chilling the dough briefly before baking can help control excessive spreading.

How do I make the centres chewier?

Avoid overbaking the cookies. Remove them from the oven when the edges are set but the centres still look slightly soft. They will continue to firm as they cool. The soft brown sugar also helps create their chewy texture.

Can I use chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate?

Yes. Chocolate chips, chopped chocolate or a combination can all be used. Chopped chocolate tends to create larger pools of melted chocolate, while chips retain their shape more clearly.

Can I make smaller cookies?

Yes, but smaller portions will bake more quickly. Reduce the baking time and begin checking them earlier to avoid overbaking.

Can I bake the cookie dough from frozen?

Yes. Bake the frozen portions directly from the freezer and add approximately one or two minutes to the normal baking time.

Can I prepare the dough in advance?

Yes. The dough can be refrigerated before baking or portioned and frozen for up to three months. Cover refrigerated dough well to prevent it from drying out or absorbing flavours from the fridge.

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