These Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (Diablo Cookies) are soft and fudgy on the inside, yet crispy & crackly on the outside. Infused with warming spices of cayenne, cinnamon, and fresh ginger- they are a chocolate lover’s dream come true. Video.
I have a confession: cookie season started a little early in our house this year! A friend introduced me to these delicious cookies called Diablo Cookies, originating from Tacofino (a Mexican taco truck in Tofino, BC), and I’ve been a little obsessed ever since! They are deliciously dark and spicy from the addition of cayenne, but the warming effects of ginger and cinnamon round them out so nicely. To me, the texture of this cookie is absolute perfection- a fudgy dark center with a crisp, crackly exterior, they are dangerously addicting.
Why You’ll Love These Cookies!
- A delicious hint of spice! These rich cookies are made with a touch of cayenne pepper. When paired with warm spices like ginger and cinnamon, the overall flavor is subtly spicy—and unbelievably satisfying!
- Absolute perfect texture. The cookies are rich and fudgy on the inside with a crackly exterior that fulfills that craving for something both crispy and chewy.
- Made with simple pantry ingredients. This recipe calls for simple pantry staples, like sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, and flour. You’ll likely already have most of the ingredients on hand!
- Easy to make, one-bowl recipe. Using a hand or stand mixer, simply whisk the ingredients together in one bowl and spoon the dough onto a baking sheet. A delicious and impressive cookie recipe that’s so simple to make!
Ingredients
- Large eggs: A binder in the cookie dough, essential for holding everything together!
- Brown sugar: Adds moisture to the cookies and helps to create a soft and chewy texture. It also adds a hint of caramel flavor.
- Cane sugar: Contributes to the sweetness of the cookies and helps to create a crisp exterior.
- Olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil (melted): Adds moisture and richness to the cookies, resulting in a tender texture.
- Vanilla: Enhances the overall flavor of the cookies and adds a sweet floral note.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger adds a warm and spicy flavor to the cookies. It also helps to create a unique depth of flavor. Use finely grated fresh ginger, ginger paste, or sub 1 tablespoon ground ginger powder. Ginger Paste is a godsend here!
- Cinnamon: Adds warmth and sweetness to the cookies. It pairs well with the chocolate and other spices, adding depth to the overall flavor.
- Cayenne pepper: Adds a subtle heat to the cookies, providing a spicy kick that balances the sweetness of the chocolate.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors in the cookies and helps to balance the sweetness. It also contributes to the overall texture by strengthening the dough structure.
- Baking soda: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the cookies rise and become light and tender.
- Dark unsweetened cocoa powder: Gives the cookies their rich chocolate taste and dark color. It contributes to the fudgy texture of the cookies. Use natural cocoa powder, organic if possible!
- AP flour: All-purpose flour provides structure to the cookies. Proper measuring ensures the right balance of flour to liquid ingredients for the desired texture.
- Dark chocolate chunks or chips: The dark chocolate adds pockets of intense chocolate flavor and texture to the cookies. They melt and create a gooey interior!
- Flaked Salt or Demerara Sugar for Sprinkling: This is an optional addition that adds a touch of visual appeal and a contrasting texture to the cookies. Flaked salt provides a savory-sweet balance, while demerara sugar adds a crunchy caramel-like texture. You can also add both. 🙂
How to Make Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat the oven to 375F.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs, both sugars, vanilla extract and oil until well combined. Add the ginger paste, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt and whisk again.
Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Gradually incorporate the baking soda and flour.
Once combined, fold in the chocolate chips.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment (or use a Silpat) and spoon ping-pong-sized balls, 3 inches apart. You can use a cookie scoop to make this easier! Sprinkle with your choice of flaky sea salt or Demerara Sugar (or some of each, or a mix of both!). You should have roughly 28 cookies.
Bake on the middle rack 9-10 minutes- and check- if cookies have not spread, firmly wack the tray down hard on the oven rack to start the spread. They should spread & crackle. Continue baking for a couple more minutes (11-13 minutes total). They should still be fudgy in the center, and crispy on the outside with a distinct crackle.
Remove from the oven, cool on a wire rack, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room-temperature eggs. Room-temperature eggs mix more evenly! Place them in a bowl of warm water to speed up this process.
- Soft Brown Sugar: If your brown sugar is hard, place it in a bowl with a damp paper towel over top. Microwave for 20 seconds.
- Use parchment paper or a Silpat. For the absolute best texture avoid placing the cookies directly onto the baking sheet. They may get too crispy on the bottom and can stick to the pan.
- Spoon the dough into a ping-pong-sized balls; and space them 3 inches apart. If your dough feels very thick, use wet hands to roll it into balls. You can also use an icecream scoop ( 2-3 tablespoon).
- Freeze the cookie dough balls. Once the cookies are formed into balls of dough, you can freeze them. Place them in a freezer bag in one layer for up to 3 months. When a chocolate craving hits, simply remove a few cookies and bake. You won’t need to thaw them, just bake for an additional minute than what is listed.
- Initiate the spread! If the cookies have not started to spread after 9-10 minutes, firmly whack the cookie sheet on the oven rack a couple of times to help initiate the spread.
- Use these cookies for ice cream sandwiches! These cookies make the perfect outer layers for an ice cream sandwich. We love classic vanilla ice cream, but if you really love rich chocolate, use chocolate ice cream. Or, get creative with something more unique!
FAQs
Not at all, though it does make it quicker and easier. You can absolutely mix the dough by hand in one bowl.
The cookies should take around 11-13 minutes total to bake. You can check them for doneness by gently tapping the outer edge of the cookie to see if it is set. Be careful because it will be very hot. The centers will look soft, and that is okay!
Be sure to measure the ingredients carefully! Too much sugar and not enough flour can result in overly flat cookies. Expired baking soda can lead to flat cookies as well. You also want to be sure to use a silicone mat or parchment paper for even baking.
Be careful not to over-bake or over-mix the dough once the flour is added. Doing so can create excess gluten, resulting in tough cookies.
A mixture of both brown sugar and cane sugar results in luxuriously soft, chewy cookies. Cane sugar results in crispy cookies, but the addition of moist brown sugar achieves the perfect texture.
If you prefer to use something other than chocolate chunks or dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can use other types of “chips” like peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips. You can also chop up your favorite type of chocolate bar and stir it in. Nuts like walnuts, hazelnuts, or peanuts also make great additions.
These can be made with a gluten-free flour blend like Bob’s Red Mill.
Though I haven’t tried this, I believe you can replace the eggs with 2 “flax eggs”, and keep everything else the same (1 tablespoon of ground flax mixed 3 tablespoons of water x 2)
Storage & Freezing
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days. You can also refrigerate them in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks. To freeze the cookies, make sure they are cooled to room temperature first. Then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store them for up to 6 months.
I hope you enjoy this rich and decadent new recipe! Let me know what you think of these Double Chocolate Chip Cookies in the comments below, and don’t forget to rate the recipe too!
More Delicious Cookie Recipes!
xoxo
Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Video
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 13
- Total Time: 33 minutes
- Yield: 28
- Category: Cookies, desserts, treats
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Ingredients
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temp
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil (melted)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons ginger (finely grated, or use ginger paste, or sub 1 tablespoon ground ginger powder)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (85 grams), spooned and leveled
- 1 1/2 cups AP flour, spooned and leveled (180 grams)
- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips
- Flaked Salt or Demerara Sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs, both sugars, vanilla and oil until well combined. Add the ginger paste, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and salt and whisk again. Whisk in the baking soda ( if it is clumpy, shake it through a fine mesh strainer) and cocoa powder until smooth.
- Gradually incorporate the flour and, once combined, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment (or a Silpat) and spoon ping-pong-sized balls, 3 inches apart. Sprinkle with your choice of Flaked Salt or Demerara Sugar (or some of each, or a mix of both!). You should have roughly 28 cookies.
- Bake on the middle rack, 9-10 minutes- and check– if cookies have not spread, firmly wack the tray down on the oven rack to start the spread. They should spread & crackle. Continue baking for a couple more minutes (11-13 minutes total). They should still be fudgy in the center, and crispy on the outside with a distinct crackle.
- Remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes, move to cool on a wire rack, and enjoy!
- Store cookies at room temperature for up to 4 days in a sealed container, refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for 6 months, wrapped up tightly.
Notes
Using ½ teaspoon of cayenne produces a deliciously spicy cookie, perfect for my grown-up palate, but maybe too spicy for young ones- feel free to cut back.
These cookies make delicious ice cream sandwiches.
If your dough seems overly dry, add a tiny splash of milk or water to incorporate the flour.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 inch cookie
- Calories: 104
- Sugar: 7.4 g
- Sodium: 76.1 mg
- Fat: 4.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.7 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 1.7 g
- Cholesterol: 13.3 mg
These are the best cookies—so different! Took them to work and they were a hit! Love the double chocolate richness and the bite of the ginger and cayenne. Yum
Yay! So glad to hear Nancy!
we loved these cookies!! I used the 3 full Tbs of fresh grated ginger, shy 1/2 tsp cayenne, 3 med eggs vs 2 extra large. These are gently crunchy on the edges and soft an chewy in the middle!! Will definitely make these again!
So glad you enjoyed Joanne!
These came out perfectly and are soooo good! I used fresh ginger, 1/4 t cayenne (next time I’ll add more) and 3 eggs because my chickens only lay med to large eggs. Also, I used a combination of coconut oil and grapeseed oil. Some cookies I sprinkled with turbinado sugar, some with kosher flake salt and some with a combination of both. Another favorite recipe! Thank you!
Perfect Christine- thanks for your notes. Good call on the eggs. 🙂
These are delicious! I used fresh grated ginger and just shy 1/2 tsp cayenne. My husband loves them as well.
Thanks Joanne!
Lovely cookies BUT took forever to prep all the ingredients as some were in cups ( sugar, oil, choc chips) and some in grams (cocoa, flour)! In Europe we use grams and have difficulty figuring out the correct weights from cups to grams 😳. Would be a great help if you could consider this. Thank you 😊.
Sorry Jan, I will add these soon!
I made these cookies today and they are amazing! Just the right amount of zing with the 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne!
Great to hear Michelle!
My dough was also extremely stiff and I could not incorporate all the chocolate chips (using store-sized large eggs and spooned/leveled GF flour, just seemed like there wasn’t quite enough wet ingredients), so instead of spooning them onto the baking sheet, I rolled them into balls (they did get quite oily and sticky during this part). The end result turned out fine! I baked them for the max time listed. They spread and crackled just like they were supposed to, and were crispy on the outside/chewy on the inside, no graininess. The taste is delicious – mostly chocolate but with a little kick at the end! I might try another egg next time to see if that helps.
Glad they worked out Nicole!
Like another experienced baker in the comments, my dough was terribly stiff, so much so that even when I gave up on incorporating the full amount of flour it was so stiff I couldn’t mix the choc chips in properly! No idea what went wrong. Measured carefully.
Eggs not “large” enough? Just didn’t seem like enough wet ingredients 😔
Perhaps? Did you weigh, or spoon and level the flour?
I would love to make this recipe but would it hold its texture if I reduce the sugar to just 1cup brown sugar? I love your baking recipe since it’s not overly sweet.
Hi Elle, I reduced to 1 ¾ cups sugar and it held up fine, but haven’t tried with 1 cup, so not sure. If you try, will you let us know?
I have a convection oven. Would you use the same temp? They started to burn after 9 minutes.
Hi Natasha, when using convection, always lower by 15 degrees when baking. They cook much faster/hotter.
Thank you! Also, under ingredients it says Baking soda, but under directions says baking powder?
Just fixed it, thanks!
Delicious! Made them with the flaky sea salt and the Demerara sugar. We like the sea salt topping best!
Thanks Claudia, so great to hear!
I must have done something wrong. I am usually a pretty good baker but these cookies did not work for me. The dough was very stiff and the cookies very dry, but I tried under baking, they were grainy. I ended up throwing them away.
Hummm, that is strange, sorry about that. Did you use AP flour?
I had the exact same experience. Yes, I used AP flour.
Do you weigh the flour? Or spoon and level?
These are dangerous! Delicious!
I went with the lower amount of cayenne and will increase it next time. I also used ginger powder which was too subtle, I’ll try fresh in the future.
Thanks for this yummy cookie recipe.
Haha…totally! Glad you enjoyed.
In the ingredients you state baking soda but in the instructions you mention baking powder. I want to assume it’s correct in the ingredients and a mistype in the instructions.
Can you clarify?
Thank you! Looking forward to baking these
Lesley
Opps yes, baking soda!
Yum! Made these on a whim after seeing your Instagram post and they were so good! Not too sweet, but oh so chocolatey.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed.
Excellent cookie recipe! I did not have cane sugar or cayenne but granulated sugar and ancho chilli powder seemed to work?
Thank you for always supplying creative recipes to try very inspiring!
Those sound like perfect substitutes!
I love these! Just the right amount of sweetness, spice and mmmm, dark chocolate. I substituted candied ginger so a little extra kick – deliciousness.
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed these Danette!
Should I use dark brown or light brown sugar?
Either will work!
OK Thank you!
Isn´t 4 cups sugat too much?
Recipe calls for 1 cup sugar and 1 cup brown sugar, feel free to cut back a little if you like. I wonder if you clicked the multiplier?
I just made this and it sooo good my family finished everything. Thank you so much for this recipe. I have a question is it baking soda or baking powder ? I used the baking soda.
So glad you enjoyed- yes, baking soda!
What would you suggest for GF option? GF flour blends in Canada taste like chalk and prefer to use buckwheat or almond flour. Have you tried? Cookies look delicious
Do you have Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour blend?
We enjoyed these with the salt on top and ice cream on the side. Warming and elegant.
Glad you enjoyed!
The recipe calls for cane sugar with a link to organic cane sugar. Can granulated sugar be used in this recipe? If granulated sugar can be used, is there a measurement adjustment? The picture in the directions looks like granulated sugar was used. I ask because I substituted cane sugar for granulated sugar in another baked good recipe and it negatively affected the outcome.
Granulated sugar is great here!
What could I substitute for the ginger?
You could leave it out. Or use ground ginger?
What non-gluten flour would you recommend as a substitute?
Thank you!
I like Bob’s Red Mill GF flour blend for baking.