The very best fudgy chocolate cookie recipe. These brownie-like cookies are chewy and chocolatey, flavored with orange and dark chocolate, with a soft center and a crackly crust.

A few years ago, my husband and I spent an anniversary weekend in Asheville, NC. Asheville is a beautiful city nestled on the North Carolina side of the Smoky Mountains and a place that I highly recommend everyone to visit. There are hiking trails that lead to picturesque mountain views, historical streets lined with cute little boutiques, and some of the best Indian food I have ever had. But beyond all of this, Asheville is home to a small bakery called Well-Bred, that is tucked on a side street and filled with superbly-crafted treats. One of those treats is a chocolate orange cookie that is arguably one of the best cookies that I have ever eaten. And I take cookie eating very seriously. 

This cookie is the size of a salad plate and we mistakenly thought that we could just get one and share it. Quick piece of marriage advice: don't share cookies. It will be better for all involved parties. It was a fudgey cookie and its texture resembled a brownie more than your regular cookie. When it was broken open, little puddles of melted chocolate dripped onto your fingers. It was a magical experience and we went back to that bakery twice more that weekend, just for more cookies. Another unsolicited piece of marriage advice: find a partner who will take you to the same bakery three days in a row just for a cookie. 

a really great chocolate orange cookie

The dough (or realistically batter) for this cookie is a bit different than your traditional cookie recipes. Instead of creaming together butter and sugar for our base, we’re starting off by whipping eggs and sugar to create little air bubbles. Meanwhile, we melt good dark chocolate and butter in a double boiler, and whisk together dry ingredients. The process for this recipe more closely resembles a brownie recipe rather than a cookie recipe, so don’t be scared when the batter is pretty runny. These cookies won’t be scoop-able right after mixing and they need a little chill time to be able to hold their shape. This is okay because it’s what will give us our fudgy little centers and crackly tops. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes and then scoop and bake, or scoop and freeze and bake later. Cookies baked with a shorter chill time will spread more, resulting in a thinner cookie, while a longer chill time will result in a taller, fluffier cookie. Both are winners.