Dirty Chocolate Cookies are rich chocolate cookies rolled in sugar with a crispy outside and a soft, chewy center. Using two kinds of chocolate in the cookies makes them a decadent and indulgent treat with a deep chocolate flavor in every bite. They are worth the crumbs and sugar that may get everywhere! If you are craving more chocolate, try my Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with chocolate frosting in between.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Chocolate: I used both semisweet and milk chocolate chips in this recipe. The semisweet chocolate chips provide a deep, chocolatey flavor while the milk chocolate chips provide a sweet flavor. Together, they create a delicious and indulgent cookie experience.
Eggs: Be sure the eggs are at room temperature before adding them to the cookie dough.
Sugar: You will use granulated sugar in both the cookie dough and for rolling the dough into the sugar before baking. This gives the cookies a little crunch and added sweetness.
Can I Melt the Chocolate and Butter in the Microwave?
Yes, you could melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave (but it is quite a bit of chocolate). However, melting chocolate using the double-boiler method helps you control the heat more so it doesn’t burn. If you do use the microwave, melt the chips and butter in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until melted and smooth.
Do I Have to Chill the Dough?
The dough should chill in the refrigerator for an hour, and it does make a difference. When you chill cookie dough, it solidifies the fat. Then, when you are ready to bake the cookies, the chilled dough takes longer to melt and remains solid longer, meaning the cookies spread less. Chilling the dough also gives you more flavorful cookies. The dry ingredients have time to soak up the wet ingredients, allowing them all to come together. Baking will be more even as well.
Can I Make These Cookies Ahead of Time?
Yes! The cookie dough can be made and frozen to bake at a later time. To freeze the dough, place the balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the dough balls are completely frozen. Once frozen, transfer the dough to freezer-safe zipper bags. When ready to bake, simply bake as many of the cookies as you need from frozen. You may need to increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes.
How to Store Dirty Chocolate Cookies
These cookies are best in an airtight container at room temperature. They should last up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2-3 months.
More Popular Cookies
Dirty Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (½ stick / 57 g) unsalted butter
- 2 ¾ cups (500 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (62.5 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 bag (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Fill a pot about halfway full of water. Bring it to a simmer over low heat. Find a heat-safe bowl (glass or stainless steel) that can be set into the pot of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. The steam is what will melt the butter and chocolate.
- Add the butter and semisweet chocolate chips to the heat-safe bowl. With the heat on low, use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate until it is melted and smooth. This takes about 5 minutes.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add eggs and 1 ½ cups sugar. (Reserve ½ cup sugar for rolling the dough.) Beat on medium speed until combined. Add in the vanilla and melted chocolate and beat until combined, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add in the flour and baking powder and mix until combined.
- Gently fold in the milk chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl of cookie dough and store it in the refrigerator for one hour.
- When ready, preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, drop the cookie dough onto the lined baking sheets. Roll each ball of dough into the reserved granulated sugar and place back onto the lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each.
- Bake for 17 minutes, or until the edges appear dry.
- Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheets before enjoying them.
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
Oh My Gosh. This cookie is DIVINE! It's ooey gooey on the inside, filled with so much chocolate flavor, and the outside has the slightest crunch from the sugar coating. The flavors are perfectly balanced, you are going to LOVE this one!
Elizabeth
Yum! I loved the fudgy center of these cookies with the crispy outside. Don't mind the sugar crumbs that are all over my hands after I dig into one (or two) of these cookies. I mean, they are called 'dirty' cookies, right?!?
Bella
This is soooo good. It is extremely sweet and chocolatey. It is perfectly soft on the inside. It has a very slight crunch from the sugar it was rolled in! If you like chocolate cookies, you'll enjoy this.
Thank you for sharing the recipe 🙂
I wanted to ask if I can replace the egg with something else?
In general for any recipe would be helpful.
This may help: https://iambaker.net/egg-substitutes/
Can I put the dough in the refrigerator overbite then bake, thanks
The recipe specifically says that the batter will be dry. And that they should cool a bit before moving. Everything you have stated is a “problem” is covered in the recipe. And I specifically say to bake until tops are “just” dry- so overbaking might result in a less than desireable cookie.
“Bake 8-10 minutes or until tops are just dry. Let cool on pan for a few minutes so that you can move them to a cooling rack without breaking them.”
Where is the other recipe for the dirty chocolate cookies? I could only find the one that you sent in my email.
I usually Love your recipes, I don’t know what I did wrong, but this one didn’t turn out well. the dough was very soft even after being chilled 3 1/2 hours. It was very difficult to work with and the cookies didn’t turn out pretty. They were very tasty and got eaten though!
Hello!! Where can I find the recipe for the old dirty chocolate cookies? The one with the frosting? My family loved that recipe!
Here you go!
Dirty Chocolate Cookies
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Chocolate cookies with a rich chocolate frosting work together to create a decadent Dirty Chocolate Cookie!
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Ingredients
Chocolate Cookie
▢2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
▢1 cup (2 sticks or 226g) butter, softened
▢1 large egg
▢1 teaspoon vanilla
▢2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
▢⅔ cup (65 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
▢1 teaspoon baking soda
▢½ teaspoon baking powder
Frosting
▢2 cups (200 g) confectioners’ sugar
▢¼ cup (25 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
▢¼ cup whole milk
▢¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted
▢¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, (for when you press the cookies flat)
Instructions
Cookie
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar and then add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.
Add the flour, sifted cocoa, baking soda and baking powder together. Sift as needed.
Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir. (Can also use a hand held mixer) It will be a dry mixture.
Scoop out the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Cookies will spread, so be sure to place them at least 2 inches apart. (I used a measuring scoop that holds about 2 1/2 tablespoons of batter.)
Place some sugar in a small bowl or plate and dip the bottom of a glass into the sugar and press the cookie down. (I sprayed the glass with non-stick spray the first time, you only need to spray it once.)
Bake 8-10 minutes or until tops are just dry. Let cool on pan for a few minutes so that you can move them to a cooling rack without breaking them.
Frosting
In mixing bowl, place all of the ingredients and blend together using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer.
Spread over cookie using an offset spatula or butter knife.