Step 1

Your 2 large eggs need to be at room temperature for this recipe. If they aren’t, put them in a small bowl and cover them with hot tap water. This’ll bring them up to speed quickly.→ Here's our guide for bringing eggs, butter, and dairy to room temp.

Step 2

Coarsely chop four 2-oz. chocolate bars. You want them to be bigger than normal chocolate chips (aim for 3–4 times the size)—this creates the chocolate puddles. Set aside. Chop remaining 2-oz. chocolate bar into 20-ish pieces (you’re going to place one or two pieces atop each cookie).

Step 3

Cut 2 sticks unsalted butter into large pieces. Cook in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 7–9 minutes. (Watch carefully since browned butter goes from brown to black in the blink of an eye.) Immediately scrape into a large bowl and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Step 4

While butter cools, whisk 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour and 1 tsp. baking soda in a medium bowl to combine. Press ⅓ cup cocoa powder through a fine-mesh sieve into bowl (this eliminates those pesky lumps), then whisk again to combine.

Step 5

Add ¾ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and 1½ tsp. kosher salt to browned butter. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir vigorously to combine. Add 1 large egg and whisk vigorously until incorporated, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining 1 large egg, then whisk in 1 Tbsp. vanilla paste.

Step 6

Switch back to your spatula or spoon to stir in dry ingredients just to combine. Mix in the 4 chopped chocolate bars you set aside. Let dough sit at room temperature at least 1 hour to let flour and cocoa hydrate. The dough will thicken as it sits.

Step 7

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into ping-pong sized balls (about 3 Tbsp.). Arrange on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 3" apart. Lightly press a chunk or two of remaining chocolate on top of each dough ball.

Step 8

Bake cookies, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until edges are just set but centers are still soft, 8–10 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully tap pan on stovetop to deflate and flatten cookies. Let cool on baking sheets 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Step 9

Transfer cookies to a platter. Serve and enjoy!

Step 10

Do Ahead: Dough can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Let dough come to room temperature before baking.