The BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
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These chocolate chip cookies are seriously the best! Soft and chewy in the middle with crispy edges, they are an instant classic. I love how delicious these cookies look as soon as they come out of the oven, perfectly golden brown and they sink and wrinkle as they cool creating a bakery style look that's visually mouthwatering.
Exploring the Recipe
This recipe took me quite a while to perfect, but it is seriously the best chocolate chip cookie! For me, the ideal chocolate chip cookie has crispy edges but a soft, chewy center. They also shouldn’t harden up after a day or two of sitting on the counter. I want them to still feel soft days later, too! These cookies have just the right amount of chocolate with a pinch of flaky sea salt for the perfect balance of salty and sweet.
Why You’ll Love These chocolate chip cookies
Easy and Quick to Bake. You can make this recipe in about an hour from start to finish. There is no chilling period, and they can be made in one bowl making this an easy clean up recipe!
Perfect Texture. These cookies have an ideal texture with crispy, crunchy edges and a soft center that’s not overly gooey. I love that they still taste fresh even days later!
Customizable. If you like less or more chocolate in your cookies, you can customize this recipe to your preference! This is a great brown sugar cookie base that can be used for other various mix-ins like walnuts, pecans, white chocolate chips, or sprinkles.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Butter. Bring your butter to room temperature before mixing the dough. For my tip on butter temperature, read below.
Dark Brown Sugar. Dark brown sugar makes a difference in these cookies because the granules are much finer than light brown sugar, which alters the overall weight in the recipe.
Granulated Sugar.
Eggs. Bring your eggs to room temperature before mixing the dough.
Vanilla Extract.
Baking Soda.
Baking Powder.
Salt.
Flour. You will want to use all-purpose flour that has been spooned and leveled, or weighed with a kitchen scale, for this recipe.
Semisweet Chocolate Chips. Feel free to change up the type or amount of chocolate in this recipe to your preference!
Semisweet Chocolate Chunks. If you do not have chocolate chunks, simply substitute them with more chocolate chips.
Flaky Sea Salt. This is entirely optional, but I love a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on the melted chocolate of my chocolate chip cookies! I love this brand of flaky sea salt.
How to Make The Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step One: Begin by preheating the oven to 350° F (177° C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set these aside for now.
Step Two: In a large bowl or a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 2 minutes. You want the butter and sugar to have formed large clumps, then turn off the mixer! Then, beat in the eggs and vanilla until just combined, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
Step Three: Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix. Then, add in the flour gradually, mixing slowly and on low speed, until just combined. The dough should be soft and pliable, but not overly sticky or dry. Add the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks, reserving about 1/3 of each to press into the tops of the cookies.
Step Four: Roll the dough into 2-inch (5-cm) sized balls and arrange them about 3-inches (8-cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press some of the remaining chocolate chips and chocolate chunks into the tops of the cookies.
Step Five: Bake the cookies for about 8 to 9 minutes or until the edges are set and the centers look slightly wet. Remove the trays from the oven and leave the cookies to finish baking on the trays for a further 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack with a metal spatula. Repeat the process with the remaining cookie dough until all of the cookies are baked.
Step Six: While the cookies are still slightly warm, sprinkle the tops with flaky sea salt, if using.
Tips for Making Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Weigh Your Ingredients! Standard baking measurements are not all the same, and everyone's cup of flour is different. Weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale can make a big difference when it comes to your recipe turning out. I highly recommend weighing your ingredients with this recipe to achieve the perfect cookie!
Use Room Temperature Ingredients. For the best results, your butter should be around 62°F (16°C). This ensures that your butter isn't too cold for creaming, but not overly warm which will cause the cookies to spread.
Don't Over-Cream the Butter and Sugar. This has really made a difference with all of my cookies! Watch for the butter and sugar to combine but create big, airy clumps rather than creaming into one solid mass. This usually takes about 2 to 3 minutes, at most, depending on the temperature of your butter.
Variations
Add some nutty flavor by mixing in chopped walnuts or pecans.
Swap the semisweet chocolate chips or chunks for dark chocolate or white chocolate!
If you want to make these cookies really sweet and chewy, add in some caramel baking bits for a twist!
Serving Suggestions
These bakery style chocolate chip cookies serve best after resting for about 10 minutes after being pulled out of the oven so that they have a chance to set up. They are perfect for dunking into a cold glass of milk or your afternoon cup of coffee! Serve these alongside other classic cookie recipes such as Snickerdoodles or Sugar Cookies.
Storage Instructions
Store the finished cookies, once fully cooled, in airtight containers or bags at room temperature for about 1 week.
To Freeze: Let the cookies cool completely. Place in freezer safe containers or bags and remove as much air as possible. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Simply place them on the counter to thaw.
Tools You’ll Need
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my cookies so flat?
There are a couple of reasons that this can occur. Using butter that is too warm or melted can cause excessive spreading. Ideally, your butter should be “softened” to about 62°F (16°C). Other reasons for flat cookies is over-mixing the dough, using incorrect ingredient ratios, or placing dough on hot baking sheets. Be sure to weigh your ingredients!
Why are my cookies puffy or dense?
Cookies become "puffy” when too much flour has been used. An easy fix to this problem is by weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale. If you don’t have a scale, spooning flour into your measuring cup and leveling it with a butter knife can work! Using ingredients that are too cold or not having enough fat or sugar can also cause dense cookies.
Do I need to chill the cookie dough?
In my recipe, I do not share a step for “chilling the dough,” but it certainly doesn’t hurt to do! Chilling will give your cookie a more chewy texture, and it can also help to keep the cookies from spreading. If you are baking these on a hot day or in a hot room, I would suggest chilling the rolled dough for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Classic Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 g) salted butter, softened
- 1 cup (230 g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup (73 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt, optional
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup (190 g) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
- 1/2 cup (50 g) semisweet chocolate chunks, divided
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 350° F (177° C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set these aside for now.
- In a large bowl or a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 2 minutes. You want the butter and sugar to have formed large clumps, then turn off the mixer! Then, beat in the eggs and vanilla until just combined, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix. Then, add in the flour gradually, mixing slowly and on low speed, until just combined. The dough should be soft and pliable, but not overly sticky or dry. Add the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks, reserving about 1/3 of each to press into the tops of the cookies.
- Roll the dough into 2-inch (5-cm) sized balls and arrange them about 3-inches (8-cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press some of the remaining chocolate chips and chocolate chunks into the tops of the cookies.
- Bake the cookies for about 8 to 9 minutes or until the edges are set and the centers look slightly wet. Remove the trays from the oven and leave the cookies to finish baking on the trays for a further 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack with a metal spatula. Repeat the process with the remaining cookie dough until all of the cookies are baked.
- While the cookies are still slightly warm, sprinkle the tops with flaky sea salt, if using.
Notes
- Weigh Your Ingredients! Standard baking measurements are not all the same, and everyone's cup of flour is different. Weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale can make a big difference when it comes to your recipe turning out. I highly recommend weighing your ingredients with this recipe to achieve the perfect cookie!
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients. For the best results, your butter should be around 62° F (16° C). This ensures that your butter isn't too cold for creaming, but not overly warm which will cause the cookies to spread.
- Don't Over-Cream the Butter and Sugar. This has really made a difference with all of my cookies! Watch for the butter and sugar to combine but create big, airy clumps rather than creaming into one solid mass. This usually takes about 2 to 3 minutes, at most, depending on the temperature of your butter.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
155
