Hatch Green Chile Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hatch Chiles – While I prefer making these with fresh Hatch chiles when available, you can also use canned or jarred (preferably) chiles as well. If nothing else, you can also use other green chiles instead. I used two hot Hatch chiles here.

Flour – Use all-purpose flour here for the cookie base.

Leavener – For the cookies, you only need baking soda, be sure it’s still good.

Butter – Unsalted butter for the main fat works well here, and I melt and cool it first.

Sugar – Use a combination of white and dark brown sugar for the cookies. The higher amount of dark brown sugar to white sugar helps make the cookies soft and chewy. Light brown sugar is also ok.

Eggs – I use one whole, large egg and one large egg yolk in the cookies. This also helps to keep the cookies soft and chewy.

Vanilla – A bit of vanilla extract helps to balance the flavors in the cookies.

Chocolate – I use semi-sweet chocolate chips here for Hatch chocolate chip cookies, but dark chocolate also works well. Milk or bitter-sweet chocolate could also work, but I haven’t tried those.

Preparing the Cookie Dough

Start by turning your oven broiler to high and line a baking sheet with foil. Move the oven rack to the highest or second highest position. Roast the Hatch chiles for 3-5 minutes a side until fully roasted and blackened. Place them in a zipper-lock plastic bag or a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool and steam for 10 minutes.

Once steamed and cool enough to handle, peel off the blackened skin and remove the seeds. Dice into small pieces and set aside to fully cool.

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and set it aside to cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder and set that aside as well.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the white and dark brown sugar with the slightly cooled butter. Whisk until well incorporated and the sugars have melted. Set aside for 5-10 minutes so the sugar finishes dissolving into the butter while the Hatch chiles cool as well.

Once everything has cooled, add the vanilla extract to the wet ingredients and whisk together. Now add the egg and egg yolk, one at a time, and whisk until no streaks of egg remain.

Start adding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, about ⅓ at a time and mix until just combined. Now add the diced chiles and chocolate chips to the cookie dough and fold the ingredients together.

Cover and place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to chill the dough.

Baking the Cookies

When the cookie dough is almost done chilling, preheat your oven to 325°F / 160°C and line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon, scoop the cookie dough out and roll into balls, then shape them so they’re slightly taller than they are wide. Place on the baking sheet 2-3 inches apart, you should be able to fit about 12 at a time.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or so. They should be slightly underbaked and just barely starting to brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet to cool and finish setting up for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Repeat this process until all cookies are baked, returning the cookie dough to the refrigerator between batches. Serve warm or allow them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container at room temperature.

No Fresh Hatch – As mentioned in the ingredients section, if you can’t find fresh Hatch chiles, they’re usually available in canned and jarred varieties year-round. A 4oz can or about ¼ cup of diced, jarred versions work fine as well. You can also opt for regular canned green chiles, using mild or hot.

Mild Version – If you’re not a fan of spicy food, you can try using 1 mild Hatch chile or a 4oz can of mild Hatch or green chiles instead. This will give the chocolate chip cookies a very mild bite with a bit of smokiness.

Spicy Version – If you love a sweet and spicy combo, try using 2-3 hot Hatch chiles, 2 4oz cans of hot Hatch or green chiles, or ½ cup of jarred. You can also stick to 2 chiles but add a ½ teaspoon of chipotle powder to the cookie dough.

Danish Dough Whisk – I typically use a regular whisk when mixing dry ingredients and the wet ingredients, but once I start adding the dry to the wet, whether it’s in cookies or muffins, I like to swap to a Danish dough whisk. This style of whisk is much easier to clean, while also making it more difficult to overmix a dough or batter and is great for folding in ingredients.

Cookie Scoop – While quality cookie scoops aren’t necessary for making cookies, they really do help with keeping consistency in sizes. They also work perfectly for other applications such as making meatballs or any time you need to scoop something soft and stay consistent.

❄️ How to Store Hatch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Once the Hatch green chile chocolate chip cookies have cooled completely, you can store them in an airtight container or plastic storage bag. They should stay nice and soft for upwards of two weeks.

If you make a large batch or have a bunch leftover, you can also freeze them. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet or plate and freeze them for 1-2 hours. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight freezer container and they should keep for at least 2-3 months.