This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
This is the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe and the only one you need, seriously. Over a million people have seen this recipe and it has over 500 5-star reviews! One bowl, no mixer, a soft cookie with crisp edges and tons of gooey chocolate chips – this is the recipe YOU need to make.
Why are these the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies?
THIS chocolate chip cookie recipe is the only one that you need. It’s a soft and chewy cookie, full of chocolate, tons of flavor with the best taste, crisp edges and soft, gooey centers. They’re easy to make with no weird ingredients and you can change up the recipe to make any kind of cookie recipe you want.
Important Ingredients Needed
- Butter – I use unsalted butter in all my cookie recipes, unless otherwise specified. I like being able to control the amount of salt added. But you can also use salted butter, just cut down on the added salt. I use MELTED butter in this recipe to create a rich toffee-like flavor, plus you don’t need a mixer!
- All Purpose Flour – be sure to measure it correctly. All-purpose flour is important for cookies – it helps create the structure and softness you expect. Too much and the cookie will be dense, to little and they will spread. Type of flour is also important – I don’t recommend substituting other flours in this recipe.
- Chocolate Chips vs Chocolate Chunks – use your favorite milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips – chocolate chunks work too. Or chop up a chocolate bar!
How to you make Chocolate Chip Cookies like a pro
- Prepare your ingredients: Melt your butter in a large bowl. You don’t even need to use a mixer unless you want to. Measure your sugars correctly and if you remember, allow your eggs to come to room temperature.
- Mixing Process: Add white sugar and brown sugar to the melted butter and stir until combined. Add a whole egg, baking soda, vanilla, and salt. Stir. It’s important to mix the sugars with the butter first, to allow the sugar to start to dissolve to create that toffee-like flavor. Combine flour into the wet ingredients. Again, you don’t need a mixer unless you want to use one. Stir in chocolate.
- Baking to perfection: Use a cookie scoop to scoop 1- or 2-tablespoon balls and place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or a baking mat. Chill the dough at least 30 minutes! Chilling the dough allows the butter to harden so they stay soft in the oven and don’t flatten too much, and it also allows the flavors to come together. Once chilled, space cookies 2-inches apart on baking sheet bake at 350° until they’re just no longer glossy and light golden around the edges.
Freezing Cookie Dough
Scoop the balls of chocolate chip cookie dough onto your cookie sheet, cover with plastic, and freeze the cookie sheet until the dough balls are frozen. Then place them in an airtight container and store in freezer.
How to bake cookies from frozen cookie dough:
- You can bake these directly from frozen as directed. Place them spaced on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat baking mats and bake until they just loose their glossy sheen.
- You can also let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for 30 minutes before baking. They’ll turn out perfect!
Storing & Freezing Baked Cookies
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
- Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container after they’ve cooled.
Tip From Dorothy
Tips For Perfect Cookies Every Time
Secrets to Thick & Chewy Cookies
- Do not skip the chill step! Chilling prevents the cookies from spreading and flattening too much. It also allows the gluten to rest and form which keeps the cookies soft on the inside.
- Melted butter is key to giving this recipe its unparalleled flavor with the brown sugar and helps avoid over mixing (which can affect texture). Brown sugar also keeps the cookie thicker – granulated sugar causes cookies to spread more.
Achieving the Perfect Texture
- Measure the flour correctly! Be sure not to pack your flour. I like to use a spoon to spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level it off. Too much flour makes a cake-like or dry cookie.
- Be sure not to over bake! These cookies are done as SOON as you notice that the top looks no longer glossy and the bottoms are just slightly golden brown. They’ll settle as they cool and finish cooking; if you wait to take them out until they’re all the way golden they’ll be over baked.
Variations
- You can double this cookie recipe, make the cookies as big or small as you want.
- You can turn them into pan cookies or cookie cakes and add any mix-ins you like. Think of the recipe as a blank canvas.
- Be sure to use the types of chocolate chips you like.
- I also like sprinkling these with sea salt for salted chocolate cookies.
FAQ about Chocolate Chip Cookies
Be sure to chill them: if you bake them too soon after mixing they will spread out because the melted butter needs to firm up before going into the hot oven.
Other reasons cookies spread and flatten: too much baking soda or not enough flour, but don’t worry – this recipe has been tried and tested so many times I know it’s the perfect amount.
They might be TOO cold! If you’ve chilled them longer than an hour or two, or if you’ve frozen the dough, then they might be so cold the heat of the oven can’t catch up. What to do: press them slightly with the palm of your hand before they go into the oven. This helps start them to spread out – but don’t worry they won’t spread too much!
You can freeze cooled cookies or freeze the cookie dough balls before you bake them.
Do not over bake these – they are done as soon as the edges are light golden and the center is no longer glossy.
BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (104g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (186g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (255g) chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk)
Instructions
- Note: This dough requires chilling.
- Place melted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Add granulated and brown sugars and mix on low speed until the mixture is smooth. Mix in egg and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until combined.
- Mix in baking soda and salt, then slowly mix in flour and mix just until the batter is smooth and comes together. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl during mixing. Slowly mix in chocolate chips.
- Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Scoop 2 tablespoon balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Spacing doesn’t matter because you will be chilling the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a second cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Remove the chilled cookie dough balls from the refrigerator and space them 2-inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake (2 tablespoon sized cookies) for 11-15 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden and the tops are no longer glossy. Let cool on the cookie sheets at least 10 minutes before removing.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- How to freeze: Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container for up to two months.
- Freezing cookie dough: Freeze balls of cookie dough in a single layer. Once frozen you can put them in an airtight bag or container. Bake directly from frozen as directed (allow cookies to thaw on cookie sheet while oven preheats).
- If your cookies don’t seem to be flattening, you can press them lightly before or during baking with the palm of your hand to help them along. This happens sometimes when they are very cold, and it can also happen with different brands of ingredients.
- Try using white chocolate chips or a combination of milk, semi-sweet, and white chocolate chips instead of all one flavor. You can even substitute butterscotch or peanut butter chips, or add your favorite nuts. Just keep the amount of add-ins to 1 1/2 cups.
- Want chewy cookies? Try my BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.
Recipe Nutrition
Favorite Cookie Recipes
Last Updated on March 9, 2024
This is an outstanding chocolate chip cookie recipe! It is very popular with my family and friends. Furthermore, it is very easy to make.
I strongly recommend forming all of the cookies before refrigerating them.
Just made these for the second time and they might be the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. The only change I made was using a smaller cookie scoop (1TB) and baked a few minutes less, checking around the 7 minute mark. They’re tasty, moist, chewy, keep their shape and loaded with chocolate chips but still not too much in relation to the dough (used semi and white chocolate this time). Will definitely make these again and might try with more salt for that salty-sweet combo 😁
I made these today and they came out flat! I chilled the dough for 1 hour, recipe said at least 30 minutes. Not sure what happened? I used Land of Lakes butter.
That is very strange. Did you use all purpose flour or make any other substitutions? I’ve never had these flatten more than in the photos.
I used regular bleached flour. Sifted it. Followed the recipie as written. They still tasted good but were flat.
I’ve been using different chocolate chip cookie recipes for over a year now trying to find one that my family likes and this one is it! The whole batch is gone within a day so I have to double it- I will say that it makes a small batch, closer to 15 than 24 but this is genuinely the best CC cookie recipe I’ve found!
I rate this 5 stars! These are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made! Keep posting more recipes.
I am waiting to bake these so they are in the fridge. I didn’t get but 18 cookies not 24 as listed using a 2 tablespoon scoop. Not sure why it would be 6 cookies short but it is. 🤷♀️
I only got 16. I used a # 18 scoop. 🤷
Uggg! I used a #30 sized scoop. Baking more today because my family loves these cookies ❤️
Only got 16 & I forgot the 1/2 cup chocolate chips so I put them in the tops of each dough ball. The taste is AMAZING 😍 & recipe is definitely a keeper 👍❤️
I rested mine for 24 hrs and cookie was still fluffy after baking. I had to flatten a bit with a fork since I didn’t want it to look like a mini muffin. Was that because I baked as soon as I took it out of the fridge do I need to let it rest at room temp before baking? Also used parchment paper vs. baking straight out of the cookie sheet. They tasted great and looked nice after flattening them a bit – just wondering if that is normal?
Sometimes that happens and I feel like it’s sometimes because it’s too cold but it could also be different brands of butter / flour measuring etc. If I notice it happening I’ll press them lightly with my palm to help them get started and then they flatten.
Buenísimas!!!!
Las mejor receta de galletas hasta el momento!!
Millones de gracias por la receta!
Saludos desde España
Lo sé, ¿verdad? ¡Estos son tan buenos!
Followed directions exactly, though I did slightly over bake. Did not care at all for the finished cookies.
Can you let me know why you didn’t like them? Overbaking can definitely be an issue.
I wanted to love these as my friend made them and they were perfect. Mine were a bit fluffy and didn’t habe the right texture, I wanted soft and chewy. These felt a bit doughy. I don’t know what I did wrong.
What kind of butter did you use, how long did you chill them, how long did you bake them?
I consider myself a seasoned baker, having been doing so for at least 45 yrs, and I’m always looking to try new recipes. This one did not disappoint! They are delicious and we’re well received at my DIL’s bridal shower. I made the dough, froze it and even transported them to another state to bake at the Airbnb we were staying at. Everyone loved them and were fighting over who was taking the last few home. Here’s my only negative comment….this batter does not yield 24 cookies as stated if you are scooping 2 tbls of dough. I barely got 13.
Featured In
Rate This Recipe