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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
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Last Updated on March 9, 2024
I had been trying different chocolate chip cookie recipes and when I found this one it was my favorite! I made them twice exactly as the recipe called and they were amazing! But the third time I made them I was out of unsalted butter. I used Country Crock original (salted) butter and left out the half teaspoon of salt. The dough was very runny unlike the first two times I made them. I’m wondering if this is because of the salted butter I used. Any thoughts? Thanks for the recipe!Â
I used salted butter in mine and reduced the salt and they came out perfect. I could totally be wrong but country crock is usually margarine not butter. It has a lot more water and tends to make dough runny and cookies flat. If it is butter I apologize. I’ve never noticed it being real butter before.
I followed the video and directions word for word, however, the outcome was a dry and crumbly cookie…maybe it was me or maybe something was left out of the directions.
i have the same thing sometimes. Turns out its my stupid ovens fault…you see, the heat rises from the bottom so my pastries look SO GOOD and then whichever pan was on the bottom is completely BURNT!!! I use a pizza stone to help even out the heat, and halfway through time i switch the top and bottom. Don’t give up on this recipe! It’s delicious when it’s done the right way.
I made these for a friends birthday at school. It was super easy and they tasted delicious, while still being easy to take with me and fit in my locker. My friends loved these! I would say it’s a great recipe, but I don’t know if i’m going to make it again. It was kind of small, and while I can just double it, most recipes already have that which would be way easier.
These were really delicious! Freezing them made them the same size as a muffin top which I personally loved. Also, I added more like 1 cup and 1/4 to 1/2 of chocolate chips. We also used mini sized chips. However, if you use the 2 tbs size you will probably only get enough batter for 15-18. So I would recommend doubling the recipe. Other than that it was great
Oh my husband loves these cookies, I substituted almond flour for flour. Swerve brown sugar and stevia in the raw for the sugars. I made last night and my husband they are addicting. Thank you
I’ve always had a hard time with chocolate chip cookies. They usually spread out too thin and are too crispy. These are PERFECT! I’ve made them 3 times now. And they came out perfect every time. My new go-to recipe for sure.
I have always had a hard time with Chocolate chip cookies ……I’m looking forward to making these!
So…couple pros and a con:
Pros: convenience of starting with melted butter, scooping & chilling the dough to bake when time permits, pretty good flavor. Didn’t have any issues with the yield (used the small Pampered Chef cookie scoop).
Con: really expected a more awesome tasting cookie. After the first couple batches were baked I thought they were almost bland (!). Like another review I read, I added salt by dipping the top of the dough balls into kosher salt and was much happier with the flavor.
This is a recipe worth keeping and I’ll certainly make these again. But next time will add 1/4 to 1/2 t more salt to the dough, and may still put kosher salt or sea salt flakes on top.
I doubled the amounts for the dough and kept the amount of choc. chips the same. I portioned them out to be heaping table spoons (about 1.5 inch balls) and got closer to 24 cookies. I froze the dough ball sin advance, and thawed them in the fridge for 24 hrs before baking. I also let them sit on the cookie sheet as the oven was pre-heating. I have two ovens and baking time varied from 10-14mins. I just baked them until they were a little brown around the edges, on the rack toward the upper third of the oven so that the tops would cook a bit faster (getting very slightly browned). You want these to be very soft when you take them out of the oven. Don’t let them get too brown. They harden as they sit (several mins on the pan and then on a cooling rack). I was selling them at a church bake sale the next day, and they turned out crispy on the edges and outside yet still soft in the middle. Delicious.
I did something wrong, my cookies didnt flattened and spread. And i only got 14 cookies out of it. They taste is pretty good but they not soft like i thought they’d be.
I made these. And I doubled the ingredients (besides the Chocolate chips, they would be too much for my taste) but it was still just nearly 24 cookies. Did I do something wrong? Maybe… But these still taste amazing 🙂
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