Chocolate Wrapped Chocolate Chip Slice-n-Bake Cookies

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I've had this recipe for chocolate wrapped chocolate chip slice-n-bake cookies in my backlog for what feels like forever and I am so excited to finally be sharing it with you all. I already have a chocolate chunk recipe on the blog, but there's always room for more chocolate chip cookies and these are very, very different.

an overhead shot of chocolate chip slice n bake cookies on a sheet pan

These chocolate chip slice-n-bake cookies were inspired by a recipe I made in one of my pastry school classes for chocolate and vanilla pinwheel cookies. I've simplified the ingredients list and process a bit to make it easier for you to pull off at home with just one mixer, without having to make two wholly separate doughs, and these are just so, so good. (For comparison: when I made the pinwheel cookies in pastry school I had two mixers going at once. I don't know about you but I don't have two mixers at home. So I retooled the recipe to use a single mixer. You're welcome.)

I love love love a chocolate chip cookie and I love a slice-n-bake cookie. Not the kind of slice-n-bake cookie you get at the store — those ones are always too tooth-achingly sweet for me. In these cookies, the chocolate border adds a rich, deep and distinctly chocolatey flavor while the chocolate chips bring that melt-in-your-mouth sweetness without being too sweet.

In fact, the first few iteration of these cookies were so not sweet that I ended up rolling the log of dough in turbinado sugar (aka sugar in the raw) for a deliciously crackly, sugary edge all the way around. It's just the right amount of sweetness, and the texture the sugar adds is really nice too.

chocolate chip slice n bake cookies inside a loaf pan. one cookie is on the top, cracked in half.

all purpose flour vs. pastry flour

The original version of this recipe called for pastry flour. Pastry flour has a lower protein content than cake flour and all-purpose flour, which makes it ideal for flaky, tender, crumbly pastry doughs like biscuits and pie doughs where you don't want a lot of gluten development.

I used all-purpose flour here for two reasons. One, I wanted these to have a little more chew to them — slightly more reminiscent of chocolate chip cookies. The higher protein content of the all-purpose flour adds that chewiness. And two, I didn't want to ask you to buy a specialty flour that you'll probably never use again.

At the same time, I didn't want to completely lose the texture pastry flour brings, so I added corn starch which helps inhibit gluten development.

Basically all of this is to say: Using all-purpose flour + corn starch means you can snap these cookies in half, but they won't dry out your mouth when you eat them.

using powdered sugar AND brown sugar

When you cream together butter and granulated sugar, the gritty sugar particles tear tiny holes in the butter and incorporate air. This makes the cookies rise and expand in the oven. Using powdered sugar (which also has corn starch in it) won't incorporate as much air into the butter and reduces the amount of spread you'll see in these cookies.

The small amount of brown sugar is there to give these cookies that classic chocolate chip cookie flavor. It also means they will rise and spread out a little bit. Just not as much as you'd expect from chocolate chip drop cookies.

hand chopped chocolate chunks

Because these cookies are sliced so thin, it's really important that the chocolate chunks are hand-chopped. You don't want the chocolate chunks to get in the way of your knife while you're slicing, but you do want to make sure there's lots of chocolate chunks in every cookie. So hand chopping is the way to go. You'll end up with enough bigger chocolate chunks but mostly little shards that make the dough easy to cut.

a log of raw cookie dough with a few cookies sliced off the end

temperatures matter for slice-n-bake cookies

Temperature matters A LOT for this recipe. Another name for slice-n-bake cookies is "refrigerator" cookies because at room temperature the dough gets quite sticky, but when the dough is chilled it's much easier to handle. You'll want to give the dough plenty of time to chill in the fridge before you shape the log, and again once the log has been shaped.

If at any point you feel like screaming at this dough or chucking it all in a bin in frustration, take a deep breath. Pause. And put it back in the fridge. It will be fine, I promise. If the dough is too hard, leave it out at room temperature for a bit until it softens. Then shape it and pop it back in the fridge to firm up again.

The chocolate dough can be rolled out between two sheets of parchment paper or two sheets of plastic wrap, whichever is easier for you. If you try to roll it out without anything between it and the counter or between the dough and the rolling pin, you will be very sad. The other perk of rolling the dough between two sheets of parchment or plastic is that you can easily slide it onto a sheet pan and pop it back in the fridge if it gets too sticky on you.

how to shape an even log of soft cookie dough

Here's a step-by-step breakdown showing just how to use plastic wrap and parchment paper to shape your cookie dough into an even log. At room temperature the dough is far too soft to roll with your hands. This handy little trick will help you get a nice round log without making a mess of your counter. At any point if your log of dough starts to lose its round shape, repeat this process to get it back.

Wrap soft cookie dough in plastic wrap to prevent sticking. Shape loosely into a log.
Place the soft, plastic wrapped log on a sheet of parchment paper. Fold the parchment over it.
Place your non-dominant hand under the top sheet of parchment to anchor it in place.
Press a bench scraper into the crease under the log to get the dough to form an even log shape. Chill in fridge until firm. Repeat if needed.

[gif] using plastic wrap to shape soft cookie dough into a log — 1: shape into a log

[gif] wrapping parchment paper around a log of cookie dough wrapped in plastic wrap — 1: shape into a log

If you're trying not to use a ton of plastic wrap, you can do this with just parchment paper. Same for rolling the chocolate cookie dough into a flat, thin rectangle for the border. The plastic wrap is just easier and less messy to use so I've written the recipe assuming you will use it too.

a few quick recipe tips

This is a VERY STICKY DOUGH at room temperature. It is especially sticky when you're dividing it to make the two different doughs, because it doesn't have all the flour in it yet. You will want a very sturdy spatula or, even better, a plastic bowl scraper to scoop the dough out of your mixing bowl.

The butter needs to be truly at room temperature before you add the sugar. Leave it out overnight. You should be able to press a finger all the way through it with no resistance.

After you divide the plain dough mixture, make the chocolate chip portion of the dough first. That way you don't have to clean out your mixing bowl before making the chocolate dough.

I used Heilala vanilla bean paste in these for maximum vanilla flavor, but vanilla extract works too.

You can use any type of chocolate bar you like for these — I used a Ghirardelli 60% cacao bar. Cut the chocolate pretty finely — large chunks make it harder to slice your cookies later.

Use plastic wrap and parchment paper to make it easier to roll the dough into a log. If the dough starts getting too soft put it in the fridge. Too firm, let it sit out for a bit at room temp to soften.

To help the cookies keep their round shape as you slice, roll the log as you slice.

For thicker, chewier cookies, cut ¼" slices. For thinner, crispier cookies, cut ⅛" slices. Adjust the bake time according to the recipe notes!

an overhead shot of slice n bake cookies standing upright on a diagonal inside a small serving tray

Chocolate chip slice-n-bake cookie FAQ

Does it matter what kind of cocoa powder I use?

I prefer natural unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe (like the box of Hershey's) because it has a stronger chocolate flavor. But you can use Dutch processed cocoa powder if that's what you've got on hand.Dutch processed has been alkalized, meaning it's not acidic and won't react with baking soda, but there's no baking soda in this recipe so it's really up to you. Dutch processed will give you a richer, darker chocolate color, but less pronounced chocolate flavor.

My cookies are really dark on the bottom. What happened?

The dough was too warm before you baked them or your oven is running hot. It's best to bake these when they're still a bit cold from the fridge.

Help! My cookies are squishing when I slice them.

Chill your dough really well before you slice, and pop the log of dough back in the fridge when you're not using it. Colder dough slices more cleanly. If you're in a rush, you can even pop it in the freezer for a bit to get it nice and chilled for slicing.

I don't want a chocolate border. Can I just make the chocolate chip dough?

This is tricky because of the way the dough gets divided to make two separate doughs. If you really want to do this, you'll need to add an additional 127 grams flour and 7 grams (1 TBSP) corn starch to the dough. I don't really recommend doing this and haven't tested it, but if you're absolutely determined to make it work... well, you can try this. Let me know how it goes!

Why is this recipe only in grams? I want to use cups!

You do not want to use volumetric measurements for this recipe. I included some teaspoon/tablespoon measurements for smaller additions like vanilla, salt, and corn starch, but for the flour, butter, and cocoa powder this recipe is super carefully balanced because of the way you divide the base dough to make two separate doughs; it will be really hard to pull this off if you measure in cups. One cup of flour can weigh 120 grams or 150 grams depending on how you scoop the flour, and that difference can make a huge difference in the outcome of this recipe. Get a kitchen scale if you want to give this a try.

📖 Recipe