White Chocolate Black Cocoa Cookies

These have the look of a chocolate crinkle cookie but are very texturally (and flavor wise) different: the black cocoa cookie base is crispy on the edges and chewy in the center. When it bakes, it flattens just so and you get molasses like cracks all over. Because of the shape of the cookie, a square of chocolate placed right on top melts over the cookie as it bakes and you get this beautiful cracked marble look. 

Recipe Origins 

The cookie part of this black cocoa cookie recipe is one I’ve been working on for about two years… black cocoa can do some interesting things to baked goods. I tried several versions in which I was swapping the dutch cocoa for black in my egg white double chocolate cookies and it was an absolute mess. I finally gave up, then tried using black cocoa in my bakery style double chocolate chip cookie recipe which was much more successful – especially once I figured out which swaps and changes I had to make. The caveat: we’re not using full black cocoa. 

The white chocolate topping was kind of an accident. When I first started working on this recipe it was around Halloween and I was melting the chocolate then drizzling it over the dough in a triangle shape so that when it melted in the oven it would look like a ghost (I even added mini choc chips to be the eyes, it was very cute). But as I got frustrated with the black cocoa cookie part, I got less interested in an involved topping and just placed a chunk of white chocolate on top. It melted beautifully into this gorgeous cracked look (which reminded me of Jemma’s) and I thought, that’s it, it’s beautiful  as is – no ghosts needed =) 

Recipe Ingredients 

Butter: american style butter, unsalted. If you use european butter, the cookies will spread more and be quite thin. 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar. 

Brown sugar: light or dark is fine. Not organic which is less moist. 

Egg: one large egg. 

Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt, halve the amount. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract. 

Baking powder & soda: together these help the cookies spread, then rise then crack. 

Black cocoa: is a cocoa powder that has been ultra-alkalized (neutralized) so it is not acidic. It has an earthy, oreo-like flavor. 

Dutch cocoa: is cocoa powder that is partially alkalized. 

Flour: all purpose flour of a medium protein content, around 11.7%. If you use a lower protein content, the cookies will likely spread more. 

White Chocolate: good quality white chocolate made with cocoa butter. Find this in the chocolate aisle (not the baking aisle). 

How to make White Chocolate & Black Cocoa Cookies

Heat the butter until it’s half melted, then whisk it to melt the rest. 

Whisk in sugars, both granulated and brown, until the batter is light – about 30 seconds. 

Whisk in egg for a full minute, until it’s light and fluffy: 

Add dry ingredients: if the flour or cocoa is lumpy, sift it into the bowl. 

Once the dough is even and there’s no unmixed dry bits, cover it to chill (at least four hours but overnight works too).

When you’re ready to bake

Prep the oven and pans: grease then line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Scoop the dough into 1.5 mounds (a disher is helpful here) then place a one inch square of white chocolate on top: 

Bake until the cookies have spread and cracked and some of the white chocolate is turning golden at the edges of the cookie. 

Troubleshooting this recipe

My cookies didn’t spread and crack, what went wrong? 

Too much flour, too little butter or the dough was too cold when it went into the oven. Measuring mistakes is the first culprit of a cookie not spreading correctly, this is one reason I strongly suggest using a scale for this recipe. 

My cookies spread too much and are completely flat, what went wrong? 

Too much butter, a butter with a high butterfat percentage, too little flour, a flour with a low protein content, or insufficient chill time. 

Some of the white chocolate turned brown, did it burn? 

As long as they aren’t very very dark brown or black, it’s fine – in fact, those bits are caramelized white chocolate (and they are delicious!) =) 

Making the black cocoa cookie dough ahead of time 

The dough needs to be made and chilled so this is an ideal make-ahead cookie. I don’t recommend scooping then doing the chilling as the dough will be too soft before it chills. 

If you want to make the dough, then chill it, then scoop it, then freeze it you can do so: set the cookie dough balls on a plate or tray and freeze them for 10 minutes until solid. Then transfer them to a ziplock bag (for easier storage). 

When you are ready to bake, set the dough balls on the prepared cookie pan and let them come to a cool room temperature. Then place the chocolate on top and bake. 

Recipe for White Chocolate Black Cocoa Cookies

Black Cocoa Cookies with White Chocolate

Chewy chocolate cookies made with black and dutch cocoa powder, baked with a piece of white chocolate on top to create a beautiful cracked marbled look.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 12 minutes mins

Chill Time: 4 hours hrs

Yields: 16 cookies

5 from 9 votes

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Ingredients

• 140g or ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter unsalted, cold is fine
• 150g or ¾ cups brown sugar light or dark
• 100g or ½ cup fine granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 25g or ¼ cup black cocoa
• 25g or or ¼ dutch process cocoa
• 200g all purpose flour of a high protein content (between 11-12%) about 1 cup and a scant ⅔ cup
• 125g white chocolate not a baking chocolate bar, check the ingredients it should include cocoa butter

Method

• Set the butter in a large bowl and heat it in the microwave until it’s almost, but not fully melted (about 60 seconds on 100% power).
• Add the sugars, salt and vanilla to the bowl and whisk very well - for a full minute.
• Add the egg and whisk until the batter is smooth and creamy.
• Add in the dry ingredients (baking powder, soda, both cocoas and flour) and use a rubber spatula to stir until no flour or dry bits remain unmixed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease then line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Use a disher/cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough into about 1.5 tablespoons of dough - if you are doing this without a disher, roll the balls between your palms so you get a smooth round shape.
• These cookies spread, so place them with enough space in between (no more than 8 cookies per pan). Break off bits of white chocolate from the bar so you have a square that’s about 1 inch. Place on top of the cookie dough and press gently to get it to stick it to the dough.
• Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes, until the cookie has spread, cracked all over and some of the white chocolate that’s on the edges is turning golden (this is caramelized white chocolate 😉 ).
• Out of the oven let the cookies cool on the pan then enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Notes

recipe makes about 16 cookies

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