These inside out chocolate chip cookies combine a rich and fudgy chocolate cookie base, the same we use for double chocolate chip cookies. Enjoy super soft and brownie-like centers, chewy edges, and sweet white chocolate chips in each bite. They’re as loved as my chewy chocolate chip cookies and as undeniably rich as my homemade brownies.
Hello and welcome back to 2013 when I initially published this recipe. Now with updated pictures, clearer instructions, and helpful success tips, there’s no excuse not to try the ONLY CHOCOLATE COOKIE RECIPE YOU NEED. Wow, that’s quite the statement.
In the past several years, these inside out chocolate chip cookies have climbed to the top of my most-loved cookie recipe list. Along with chewy chocolate chip cookies, drop sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, and oatmeal raisin cookies, this is the gold standard of cookie dough recipes to try.
What Are Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies?
I know you’re looking at me cross-eyed wondering what, why, and how these are inside out cookies. Think of a regular chocolate chip cookie—buttery brown sugar base with chocolate chips, right? Well, the term “inside out” means that the cookie base is now chocolate and the add-in is white chocolate. Obviously white chocolate chips don’t taste like the buttery brown sugar base of a regular cookie, but I don’t think anyone’s complaining here.
Simply put, these are Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies. (Think of them like the cookie version of chocolate white chocolate cupcakes!)
Video Tutorial
These Chocolate Cookies Are:
- Easy to make with a basic recipe
- A personal and reader favorite
- Soft-baked with brownie-like centers
- Chewy on the edges
- Massively chocolatey
The recipe is also easy to double in 1 mixing bowl without overwhelming/overcrowding your mixer and the baked cookies freeze wonderfully.
How to Make Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies
Even though it’s one of my favorite base cookie recipes, I’ve never walked you through the recipe process. We’ll do that real quick:
- Mix dry ingredients together. You need all-purpose flour, natural unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Do you remember the difference between dutch-process vs. natural cocoa powder? Use natural here.
- Beat wet ingredients together. You need butter, white sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Room temperature butter and egg will mix more evenly into each other, creating a uniform texture among all the cookies. Additionally, both whip into a greater volume when at room temperature, producing a softer-crumbed cookie.
- Combine all ingredients, then add milk. 1 Tablespoon of milk smooths out the dough. And don’t forget to add the white chocolate chips.
- Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator. The cookie dough is sticky and unmanageable, so chilling is necessary. I usually chill it overnight, but 3 hours is just enough. Chilled cookie dough is not only easier to handle and roll into balls, it also guarantees thicker cookies. See my tips on How to Prevent Cookies from Spreading.
- Roll cookie dough into balls. After chilling, scoop and roll the cookie dough into tall balls—a heaping 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie.
- Bake. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. If the cookies aren’t really spreading by minute 9, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2-3x. This helps initiate that spread. Return to the oven for a couple more minutes.
Let them cool for a few minutes and experience a fudgy brownie in cookie form. I usually don’t like milk with cookies, but this recipe basically demands it.
Sticky Dough
This cookie dough is sticky, even if you’ve chilled it, so a cookie scoop is helpful. The medium size is perfect because each dough ball should be around 1.5 Tablespoons of dough. If you use your hands, expect to make a little mess as you shape the cookie dough balls. Have a kitchen towel or paper towel nearby. I usually wipe my hands clean after every few cookie dough balls. Clean hands make rolling easier.
Same Dough, Different Cookie
Though ultra soft-baked with chewy edges and fudge-like centers, these chocolate cookies aren’t anything new or groundbreaking. In fact, you might actually recognize the base dough because it’s been my go-to chocolate cookie for years. This is the same exact cookie dough as:
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies
- Peppermint Mocha Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Double Chocolate Chip Swirl Cookies
- Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies
- Chocolate Frosted Cookies
Note: The chocolate crinkle cookies and peppermint mocha cookies can over-spread as a result of the sugar coating and peppermint extract (respectively), so I leave out the milk in those versions.
Need cookies right NOW? If you don’t have time to chill the dough, try giant chocolate chip cookies, Nutella chocolate chip cookies, or even one giant double chocolate cookie.
And if you’re looking for cookie cutter chocolate cookies, here are my chocolate sugar cookies.
Interested in freezing the baked cookies or cookie dough?
- Here’s How to Freeze Cookie Dough
More of My Classic Cookie Recipes
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies & Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies & White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies (extra chewy!)
- Snickerdoodles
- Shortbread Cookies
Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 20-22 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These inside out chocolate chip cookies combine a rich and fudgy chocolate cookie base, super soft and brownie-like centers, chewy edges, and sweet white chocolate chips. Easy to throw together, this is my base chocolate cookie recipe. This cookie dough requires at least 3 hours of refrigeration.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2/3 cup (55g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk (any kind, dairy or non)
- 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) white chocolate chips, plus a few more for optional topping*
Instructions
- Preliminary note: This cookie dough requires at least 3 hours of chilling, but I prefer to chill the dough overnight. The colder the dough, the thicker the cookies.
- In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg and vanilla extract, and then beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour into the wet ingredients. Beat on low until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Switch to high speed and beat in the milk, then the white chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be sticky and tacky. Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this sticky cookie dough.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. If the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This makes the chilled cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Scoop and roll dough, a heaping 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each, into balls. (I like using this medium cookie scoop.) To ensure a thicker cookie, make the balls taller than they are wide (almost like a cylinder or column). Arrange 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheets. The cookie dough is certainly sticky, so wipe your hands clean after every few balls of dough you shape.
- Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes or until the edges appear set and the centers still look soft. Tip: If they aren’t really spreading by minute 9, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2-3x. This helps initiate that spread. Return to the oven to continue baking.
- Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. During this time, I like to press a few more white chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies. (This is optional and only for looks.) Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool.
- Cover leftover cookies tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (step 3). Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Larger Batch: The recipe is easy to double in 1 mixing bowl without overwhelming your mixer. Simply double all of the cookie dough ingredients. Dough chill time remains the same.
- Other Add-Ins: Instead of white chocolate chips in the dough, you can use the same amount of peanut butter chips, regular chocolate chips, M&Ms, chopped nuts, or butterscotch chips.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made these as written, just with semi-sweet chocolate chips since that’s what I had. I found them to be a little too sweet for my taste even without the white chocolate, but I really loved the rich chocolate flavor! So I made them again with the same chocolate chips and about half the sugar and they were just right for me! I don’t think it affected the texture too much; they were solid and fudgey and tasted like dark chocolate 🙂
I made this recipe and the cookies came out perfect. A soft, brownie texture that stayed soft until we finished all the cookies. Also, not too sweet, but a deep chocolate flavor that is perfect. I refrigerated the dough overnight and let is stand 20 minutes out of the frig before rolling the balls as per the recipe. The dough was slightly sticky, but still easy to roll the balls. I definitely recommend making these cookies if you like chocolate!!
Great cookie! The chilling helps them hold their shape and look fancy as gifts.
This was delicious. I baked it exactly as recommended in the instructions; my husband and son both love it!
IMPORTANT! YOU NEED TO TRY THIS! I just made these cookies, but wanted to jazz them up for the holiday season. So, I made them with chopped candy cane kisses for part of the white chocolate chips, bits of actual candy cane, and a splash of peppermint extract. They’re AMAZING! I definitely recommend trying it! Sprinkled a bit of crushed candy cane on top of the raw cookies and they came out so pretty!
This recipe is awesome! I only have salted butter so I skipped the 1/8tsp salt. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly and I finally have Instagram cookies that actually taste good. I often get baking recipes from this awesome website. Thank you!!!
Kyle F
Seattle, WA
My daughter found your recipe online and made these and they quickly became my husband’s favorite cookies!
These cookies were absolutely amazing! I’m not the greatest baker, but I had a thought in my mind of exactly what I wanted these cookies to be, and they exceeded my expectations. I recommend this recipe to everyone! They are almost brownie-like?, but still a fantastic cookie.
I noticed the comment from the lady with the dairy allergy. My granddaughter is also allergic to egg. Do you think I could substitute a flax seed egg successfully in this recipe. I found some non dairy white chips.
Hi Kitty, I have very little experience with egg free baking recipes and the best egg replacements to use. They’re a crucial ingredient in cookies. However, I do have a section on my website with naturally egg free baking recipes— ones where eggs aren’t really needed. I hope you find some to enjoy.
I feel like I have commented multiple times on these but no shame in my game, these cookies are perfect. I love making your cookies for neighbors and friends, and wasn’t sure whether people would still want some in such times. But I just gloved up this year, took extra care with sanitizing my work station, and wrote “Made with Love, and Gloves” on the packaging. Easy fix to still spread joy without spreading germs! I have white chocolate chips leftover so I’m going to try your Red Velvet chocolate chip cookies with white chocolate chips! Not planning to share those. 🙂 Happy holidays!
I can’t believe how good these goods are…perfection. After many years of Martha Stewart’s Grammies being my family fav and my signature cookie – these have moved to the number one spot. I followed the recipe exactly. I used nestle’s dark chocolate coco powder, not sure if that is what brought them over the top … either way … bravo !! this is a cookie I will always make. Thank you !!
Hi Sally, can these cookies be partially dipped in white chocolate or will they break and/or crumble?
Hi Amy Lynn, they sure can. I do something similar with my peppermint mocha cookies which has a similar cookie base.
Hi. I typically put chopped walnuts in garden variety CC cookies. Would chopped walnuts work in this recipe? If so, what quantity for the recipe provided? Please advise! Thank you.
Absolutely. I recommend 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts. You can add them along with the white chocolate chips or reduce/leave out the white chocolate chips.
Another rave review for Sally! I made these for my annual Christmas cookie tins and this recipe exceeded my expectations. The cookies are delightfully fudgy – almost brownie-like – with a rich, chocolatey taste, which is hard to find in cookies. 10 out of 10, would make again. Followed the recipe exactly.
EASY ROLLING: I chilled the dough for 1 hour and then rolled all of my cookies while the dough was still pliable. I returned the rolled balls to the fridge for another 2 hours. Three hours total chilling, just like Sally says, but without the struggle of working with hard dough.
This recipe tastes divine! I was wondering if you can add in other things to the batter? Like oreo crumbs
Can this recipe be doubled? I’ve never had luck doubling baking recipes. Excellent cookies and I’d like to leave out chocolate chips and use mint ice cream and make I cream bars.
Hi Michelle, You can double this cookie recipe. We caution against doubling most cake, cupcake, bread, etc. recipes but usually cookie recipes are fine!
hi sally help me.I made it exactly as said and just used half the sugar(combined)yet they were just came out sad.it was very thin in the inside.not as tasty as i wanted just was not bad where did i go wrong?
If you try this recipe again we recommend following the recipe as written (do not halve the sugar) for the best taste and texture.
Hi Sally! These are so good! I have tried them and they are super! My mom and I whenever we wanna bake something, we always choose yours! They are awesome
Hi Sally! I would like to ask, I don’t have a paddle attachment, what alternative can I use? Thanks so much
Hi Karen, If you are using a hand held mixer you can use the beaters that come with it. Happy baking!
Hi! I have made these but they keep spreading too much. They look like pancakes. How can I stop this? Thank you!
Hi Emily, To help troubleshoot you can visit the post 10 Guaranteed Tips to Prevent Cookies from Spreading. I hope this helps!
Do you think I could cut this recipe in half to only make 10 cookies and it would still work? I want to try more of your recipes but there’s only 3 people in my household and don’t want all the extra calories lol.
These are so delicious omg!
I substituted the white choc chips for butterscotch chips, and sprinkled them with some flakey sea salt. This recipe is a keeper for sure.
Can you alter this to make into bars instead of cookies?
Hi Julie, Yes- you can make them as cookie bars. I recommend using a square baking pan instead of a cookie sheet. You can follow the baking directions for our chocolate chip cookie bars. Enjoy!
Really solid cookies! I’ve made these with normal as well as Black Cocoa, and peanut butter chips and regular and each time they came out great. Recommend after rolling and shaping to let them chill once more for 15-20 minutes or so before baking so they don’t spread too much, especially if you make larger cookies. Ultimately a delicious, chewy and perfect chocolate cookie base with lots of customization options!
I just made them with the Halloween colored M & M’s for October. With the dark chocolate cookie and the green, purple, and orange M & M’s, they are festive for this time of year. And the soft, brownie texture tastes great. The kids will love them!
These are ridiculously good cookies. I bake all the time and this recipe is a keeper
These cookies are fabulous! They are soft and brownie-like but in a cookie! I’m going out to. Get more white chocolate chips for a double recipe and can’t wait to try them with peanut butter chips, too. Thanks so much!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! My family and friends love it, and I was even able to make it with dairy-free butter and chocolate chips when I had to temporarily give up dairy for my daughter and still get my chocolate fix! I have recently discovered the wonders of Dutch process cocoa in brownie recipes and was wondering if there are any substitutions I could make to use it in these cookies? Would I need to use baking powder for the acid-base balance, or would it get too complicated? Thank you so much!
Hi Ali, We are so glad you were able to make this work for you without dairy! I really wish I could help give a definite answer, but using dutched cocoa and baking powder in this cookie recipe would require recipe testing. You can try using 2 tsp baking powder + 1/4 tsp baking soda (since brown sugar is an acid) and the dutch cocoa but we have not tested this. Let us know what you try!
Wow, thank you for that great info! I didn’t know that about brown sugar, and I love learning all about the science of baking!
Well, we got a little excited and went ahead and made the cookies before we read your advice. We had told our 19-month-old we were going to bake, and she kept saying, “Bake! Sugar! Excited!” and things like that, and it was just as cute as when she spontaneously dances to the beat of the stand mixer, so we proceeded. 🙂
We just substituted the Dutch process cocoa for the regular cocoa and baking powder for the baking soda in equal amounts, respectively. Other than that, we followed the recipe using real butter and everything else except that we used regular chocolate chips and pieces instead of white chocolate. The cookies came out very nice and chocolatey and super soft in a really good way! I was a little concerned not only because of my questionable substitutions but because we chilled the dough and baked it later as is often recommended with cookies, and I had read your post about double-acting baking powder and the concerns it presents, but the cookies were so good!
We will definitely have to try again with your recommended recipe substitutions next time, though. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond and help us! Thank you again, and I look forward to making many more of your amazing recipes with my little baker!
Hi Sally, i love your other cookie recipes (soft chewy chocolate chip) where i melt the butter. just trying to understand more the art of baking. this recipe calls for room temperature butter. what does it do to the cookie and would it work if i use melted butter instead? thank you!!!
Hi Kate, Melted butter is the same as using a liquid ingredient. Here we need a solid to cream together with the sugar to provide our dough structure. If you used melted butter for these cookies you would end up with flat greasy cookies.
Hi Sally, I love this recipe! However, every time the cookies cool in the baking pan and I try to remove it, the cookies break and crumbles. I followed the recipe and did it a few times, but it still crumbles. What do I have to do? Thank you!
Hi Lia, Are they breaking because they are too soft? If so, an extra minute in the oven next time should do the trick. Or if you think they are breaking because they are too dry the first thing I would suggest is that you check your dry ingredients. If there’s too much dry ingredient (flour and cocoa powder) soaking up all the liquid your cookies could be dry and crumbly. When measuring dry ingredients, use the spoon & level method.