Double Chocolate Hits

These chocolate cookies earn their name twice over. Cocoa powder in the batter gives them deep chocolate flavor, and mini semi-sweet chips scattered throughout add pockets of melty richness in every bite.

Buttermilk is the secret ingredient here. It reacts with the baking soda to give these cookies lift while keeping them incredibly tender. The slight tang cuts through the sweetness and rounds out the cocoa. No buttermilk? The recipe includes a quick hack: just add white vinegar to regular milk.

Pull these from the oven when the centers still look slightly underset. They firm up as they cool on the wire rack, and this is how you get that soft, fudgy texture instead of a dry, crumbly cookie.

Kitchen Tips

• Mix the cocoa into the buttermilk separately before adding it to the batter. This dissolves any lumps and gives you a smooth, even chocolate color throughout.
• Don’t overmix once the flour goes in. Beat just until combined or the cookies will turn tough.
• These spread during baking, so keep that two-inch spacing between drops on the sheet.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature. They stay soft for about three days.

Variations

• Use dark cocoa powder (Dutch-process) for a darker, more intense chocolate flavor.
• Fold in chopped walnuts or pecans along with the chips for a nutty crunch.
• Swap mini chocolate chips for white chocolate chips to play up the contrast against the dark cocoa base.