Dark Chocolate Cookies and New York City

A recipe for Dark Chocolate Cookies inspired by our visit to New York City! These rich and decadent dark chocolate cookies are packed with an entire bag of chocolate chips.

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In 2018, we spent a few days visiting New York City! We finally went back in April 2023 and I am updating this post with new photos and restaurants.

Check out the rest of our time in NYC:

• Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings) and Chinatown/Little Italy, Lower East Side, Dumbo.
• S’mores Macarons and New York City: Choco-Story NY, Greenwich Village, SoHo, New York Public Library
• Matcha Lava Cake and New York City: The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, East Village
• Chocolate Hazelnut Babka and New York City: Union Square, James Beard House, Grand Central Terminal
• Black and White Cookies and New York City: Central Park and Upper East Side
• New York Style Pizza and New York City: Midtown East, Rockefeller Center, and Times Square
• New York Style Bagels and New York City: 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Battery Park

Today, I am sharing our time at the American Museum of Natural History, nearby restaurants, and a recipe for Dark Chocolate Cookies.

American Museum of Natural History

We started our second day in NYC with a trip to the American Museum of Natural History. The American Museum of Natural History is located in the Upper West Side and borders Central Park at 79th Street.

Founded in 1869, the museum “has advanced its global mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education, and exhibition.”

Mammal Halls

Located just inside the Central Park West entrance and stretching up three floors, the Mammal Halls include the Bernard Family Hall of North American Mammals, Akeley Hall of African Mammals, Hall of Asian Mammals, Hall of New York State Mammals, Hall of Primates, and Hall of Small Mammals.

Milstein Hall of Ocean Life

The massive 94 ft (29 meter) long Giant Blue Whale model in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life is one of the most notable displays in the museum with its 21,000-pounds (9.5 metric tons) of fiberglass.

The hall is also home to a replica of the Andros Island Barrier Reef in the 1930s, Sperm Whale and Giant Squid diorama, Whale Shark, and more.

Rose Center for Earth and Space

The Rose Center for Earth and Space includes the Hayden Planetarium, Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway, Scales of the Universe, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Hall of the Universe, David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, and the Hayden Big Bang Theater.

Fossil Halls

One of the busiest areas of the museum is the fourth floor.

This section is a dinosaur lover’s dream and houses the Paul and Irma Milstein Hall of Advanced Mammals, Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs, Hall of Primitive Mammals, Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs, Hall of Vertebrate Origins, and the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Orientation Center.

Highlights include the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Mammoth, Lestodon (giant ground sloth), Triceratops, Coelacanth, a dinosaur mummy (fossilized imprint of the carcass of a duck-billed dinosaur), the evolution of horses, and so much more.

If you have family members who enjoy drawing, this section of the museum is perfect for hanging out with a pencil and notebook.

Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium

During our visit, we were able to see The Butterfly Conservatory for an additional admission. This seasonal exhibit has now changed into the Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium as an ongoing exhibition year-round with 80 species of butterflies.

In the walk-in 80˚F (27˚C) vivarium, you can see butterflies and moths from around the world flying, eating, and resting up close. Claire even had a butterfly land on her head!

There are also pupae hanging in a glass enclosure and displays outside the vivarium to help explain the life cycle of butterflies and more about their habitat.

Additional Exhibits

The museum also holds temporary exhibits with a variety of themes.

In 2018, we were able to experience Our Senses- a temporary exhibit that was open until January 6th, 2019.

This immersive experience housed 11 funhouse-like spaces that explore sight, smell, hearing, touch, balance, and taste.

In 2023, the focus was on sharks (until September 2023)!

Other areas

We ate outside of the museum, but there are cafés on the first and fourth floors along with a Museum Food Court on the lower level.

Overall, we had such a wonderful experience at the American Museum of Natural History. We spend about 4 hours here, but 1-2 days is ideal to fully see everything the museum has to offer.

As a note, we noticed the crowd levels increase immensely around 12-3. Those sensitive to crowds may get a bit overwhelmed and need a few breaks during this time. It was especially tight through the walkways around the dinosaurs, upper level mammal dioramas, and ocean life.

If you don’t have multiple days to see this incredible museum, plan which exhibits are the most important ahead of time, arrive at opening, and go to those first- especially if you have younger children who may not have the stamina for a full day.

Chama Mama

After our latest visit to the American Museum of Natural History, we stopped by Chama Mama’s UWS location at 373 Amsterdam Ave for brunch. It was an easy 0.3 mile (483 meter) walk from the museum.

Chama Mama features classic Georgian cuisine with a modern twist. At the time of this post, they are open daily with indoor and outdoor seating plus takeout and delivery.

We order the following:

• Tricolor Flight- 2021 Dr. Konstantin Frank Rkatsiteli, 2020 Kabis Toni Khikhvi, and 2020 Kabis Toni Tavkveri.
• Soup Kharcho- beef soup with tomato, wheat berries, spices, and greens.
• Chicken Skewers- marinated chicken with flatbread, tkemali (green plum) sauce.
• Adjaruli Khachapuri- open faced khachapuri with blended cheese, egg.
• Kebab Beef and Pork- wrapped in lavash and served with Chama Mama tomato sauce.
• Khinkali- Georgian dumplings. We got beef and pork. Other options are lamb or mushroom.

Chama Mama has a second location in Chelsea. 

Levain Bakery

Levain Bakery is also a short walk from the museum. I dropped off Chad and the kids at Tecumseh Playground on the corner of 77th and Amsterdam Avenue in anticipation of a long line.

I went to the location at 351 Amsterdam Avenue (they are also at West 74th St, Harlem, and in Wainscott) and while the line was wrapped impressively in such a tight area, it moved quickly.

We planned to eat a more substantial late lunch after the playground, so I only picked up a few treats to hold us until then.

Chad said the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie was one of the best he has ever had. Evan, Claire, and I all went straight for the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie with its crisp exterior and soft, gooey brownie-like center.

We also enjoyed a couple of Plain Brioches to help cut the sweetness from the cookies.

Our original plan after visiting the Natural History Museum and Levain Bakery was to walk down Central Park to the Turnstyle Underground Market, then play at the Heckscher Playground.

Unfortunately the kids were a little too chilly for a long walk and Evan was a bit sensory overloaded following the museum, so they were ready to just get some food and relax.

We ended up taking the subway straight to the Turnstyle Underground Market, grabbed lunch, then went back to the hotel for a little break.

Gray’s Papaya

West of Central Park on 2090 Broadway is Gray’s Papaya. They are open 24/7 and well-known for their hot dogs and tropical drinks.

We stopped by for a quick, inexpensive snack before heading back to our hotel to check-out.

Turnstyle Underground Market

The Turnstyle Underground Market connects to the 59th St-Columbus Circle station (no MetroCard is needed to access this section of the station). It spans a full city block with 18 food vendors, 15 retail stores, and 5 kiosks.

A handful of the eateries have dedicated seating and there are a few other picnic-style tables through the center of the market. We entered from the subway, but there are also seven street-level entrances.

I went straight to Bolivian Llama Party (now closed in Turnstyle Underground Market, but they have a location in Queens) for their Salteñas- large, stew-filled baked pastries.

There were many options from Beni (beef), Toco (pork fricase), Cala Cala (double smoked brisket), and Cliza (smoked oyster mushrooms, squash, and quinoa, but I decided on the Chimba Salteña (a delicious, comforting chicken stew and sliced egg). I also got the Brisket Mac and Cheese for the kids and a Cherimoya drink.

Chad picked out a Salmon Rice Bowl from Yong Kang Street.

Dark Chocolate Cookies

After trying the Dark Chocolate Cookie at Levain Bakery, I was inspired to make my own version at home!

These Dark Chocolate Cookies are the perfect choice for chocolate lovers. The thick, brownie-like cookie base is flavored with dark chocolate cocoa powder and studded with chocolate chips (an entire 12 ounce, 340 gram bag!).

They come together easily with a stand mixer, but do require about an hour of freezing to hold their shape and texture while in the oven.

The cookies are best the day they are baked, especially about 20 minutes after removing from the oven.

A Few Dark Chocolate Cookie Tips

Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.

The addition of the 1 teaspoon of cornstarch is optional, but it contributes to the rich, gooey texture. Freezing the formed cookies for an hour before baking also helps.

Weigh the individual balls of dough to keep them all around the same size. This recipe will yield about 9-10 4.5 ounce (128 gram) cookies.

I personally like the look of additional chocolate chips placed directly all over the tops, but they weren’t decorated this way at the bakery. Sometimes I add them to the top, sometimes I just dump the entire 12 ounce (340 gram) bag of chocolate chips into the mixer. You can also swap for chocolate chunks.

If desired, you can add a small sprinkling of sea salt to the top of each cookie.

Bake the cookies just until set, about 18-20 minutes. Allow them to cool before removing from the baking sheets.

Notable Ingredients

I used dark cocoa powder to really get that deep color in the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. It can be found in the specialty baking section of some grocery stores or online.

Look for Special Dark Cocoa Powder or even this Black Cocoa Powder (Amazon link) for quite the striking color.

If unavailable, you can substitute with plain unsweetened cocoa powder. The color just won’t be as dark.

Dark Chocolate Cookies Recipe

Adapted from Kirbie’s Cravings

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5 from 1 vote

Dark Chocolate Cookies

A recipe for Dark Chocolate Cookies inspired by our visit to New York City! These rich and decadent dark chocolate cookies are packed with an entire bag of chocolate chips.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate, chocolate chip, cookie, dark chocolate, dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 33 minutes minutes

Servings 10 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter chilled and diced
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (50 grams) dark cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (115 grams) cake flour
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces (340 grams) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips divided

Instructions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and creamy.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
• Pulse in the dark cocoa powder until incorporated.
• In a medium bowl, combine the all purpose flour, cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Mix the flour mixture into the butter until just combined.
• Stir in 9 ounces (255 grams) of the chocolate chips. 
• Pull off about 1/3 cup piece of dough, weighing it and adding more or less to make 4.5 ounces (128 grams).
• Roll into a ball and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, dividing them between two baking sheets and about 2-3 inches (5-7.5 centimeters) apart.
• If desired, top the cookie balls with the remaining 3 ounces (85 grams) chocolate chips.
• Place the baking sheets in the freezer for 1 hour to thoroughly chill.
• Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
• Bake the frozen cookies in the preheated oven until just set, about 18 minutes.
• Allow to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes, before serving. These cookies are best served the day they are baked.

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