Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe! Crispy on the edges, soft and chewy in the center, with plenty of chocolate throughout. No chill time required — just make and bake. This easy recipe will be your go-to!

Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies – RECIPE FAIL!

Ever make the Original Nestlé Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe on the back of the bag of chocolate chips and they spread as flat as a pancake? Yeah, me too.

While most chocolate chip cookies have the same ingredients, the amount of each ingredient can make a big difference. After all, baking is a science. I’ll be sharing all of my tips for successful cookies.

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Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

First off, what makes MY chocolate chip cookie recipe the best? My recipe uses more brown sugar and vanilla for added richness and flavor.

I also use more flour, so there is no need to refrigerate the dough to prevent spreading.

This cookie dough base is also used in my super popular M&M Cookie Recipe with over 200 reviews!

It will quickly become your favorite base recipe to use for all kinds of cookies.

Soft or Crisp Cookies?

The way you make and bake these chocolate chip cookies will determine the final product.

Here are some general tips:

• Use soft, yet firm butter. Room temperature butter should be slightly cold, and give a little when touched. Melted butter, or butter that is too soft, will make the cookies spread too thin. You can refrigerate the dough if your butter is too soft to help combat this.
• For soft cookies: Bake cookies until the edges are barely starting to brown and the centers look just slightly under-baked. Let the cookies rest on the pan for a few minutes, to finish baking, for a soft-baked cookie.
• For crispy cookies: Bake cookies until golden brown on the top and edges; baking an additional 2-3 minutes past the recommended time.

Thick or Thin Cookies?

Everyone’s idea of the best chocolate chip cookies varies.

Some like them thick and gooey, some like them thin and crispy.

• For thick cookies: Use more cookie dough, about 2 Tbsp per cookie. And shape the cookie dough balls tall and round. You can also press the edges of the cookie inward just after the tray comes out of the oven. I like to do this with a serving spatula. For the thickest cookies, refrigerate the dough for 30-60 minutes before baking. This slows the spread even more.
• For thin cookies: Use a smaller portion of dough, about 1.5 Tbsp per cookie. Other options include using slightly softer butter, or slightly pressing the dough 1/3 of the way down after it is scooped.

I prefer my chocolate chip cookies to be slightly crisp on the outside, while staying soft, thick and chewy on the inside.

Ingredients

To make the best chocolate chip cookies you will need:

• Butter – Using unsalted butter will help control the amount of salt added. If using salted butter, half or omit the amount of additional salt.
• Brown Sugar – Gently packed. (We’re not building a sandcastle here.) The molasses in brown sugar adds a nice rich flavor.
• Granulated Sugar – For sweetness, crispness, and caramelization.
• Eggs – Use large or extra large eggs for a good amount of moisture and structure.
• Vanilla – Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour – Stir, spoon, and then level the flour when measuring. This incorporates air into the flour so that it’s not packed into the cup, resulting in excess flour.
• Salt – To enhance flavors.
• Baking Soda – For making thicker cookies.
• Chocolate Chips – Buy the good stuff. The best chocolate chip cookies need the best chocolate chips. I prefer Guittard or Ghirardelli.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

After you’ve gathered your ingredients, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line cookie trays with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, so you are ready to bake.

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and both sugars. Cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well and scrape the bowl with a spatula.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on low until just combined.
3. Add the chocolate chips.
4. Mix gently on low speed until just combined. Do not over-mix.

Scoop & Bake

Scoop cookie dough balls (about 2 Tbsp each) and place onto the prepared baking sheet about 3-inches apart (8 cookies per tray.) Top with additional chocolate chips, if desired.

Bake at 350˚F for 8-12 minutes until cookies are spread out, puffed up, matte (not shiny in the middle), and starting to brown on the edges. Cookies should look slightly under-baked still. NOTE: Time will depend on different elevations, ovens, and desired final product. (Soft vs crisp cookies, etc.)

For thicker cookies, press edges inward with a cookie spatula while still warm. Allow cookies to cool for 1-2 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Extra Baking Tips & How to Freeze Cookie Dough

• Use a cookie dough scoop. This helps the cookies bake evenly and look uniform. I prefer a #30 or #40 scoop. NOTE: The bigger the number, the smaller the scoop, and the smaller the number the bigger the scoop. These two sizes are between 1.5 and 2 Tbsp of cookie dough. I used a #30 scoop for the cookies shown.
• Space cookie dough 3-inches apart, not two. I like to bake 8 cookies per tray compared to the typical dozen (12). (See image in post.) First of all, you don’t want your cookies melting into each other. Secondly, the more cookies on the tray, the thinner the cookies bake because the heat is trying to distribute evenly across all of the cookies.
• Freeze cookie dough to bake later. Freezing chocolate chip cookie dough is easy and great for fresh cookies anytime. Simply scoop cookie dough balls onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Set in the freezer for 1-2 hours until firm. Then transfer frozen dough balls into a freezer safe zip-top bag and freeze up to 3 months. NOTE: You will need to bake cookies roughly 3-5 minutes longer, if baking from frozen.

Enjoy this easy, classic chocolate chip cookie recipe that is simply THE BEST! It is by far the recipe that I use the most and get the most compliments on.

More Bakery Style Cookies

• Peanut Butter Cookies
• Best Sugar Cookies
• White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
• Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Best Snickerdoodle Recipe
• Homemade Oreo Cookies
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate M&M Cookies
• Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

4.80 from 10 ratings

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Created by Amber Brady

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe! Crispy on the edges, soft and chewy in the center, with plenty of chocolate chips. No chill time required — just make and bake. This easy recipe will be your go-to!

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YieldsYields30 cookies

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup (226 g) butter, (2 sticks) room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, gently packed
• ▢ ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 3 ¼ cups (390 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips, (one 12-oz bag)

Equipment

• KitchenAid 5-Qt. Stand Mixer 
• Electric Hand Mixer
• Aluminum Half Sheet Tray (2 Pack)
• Silicone Baking Mat
• #30 Cookie Scoop
• Serving Spatula

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheet trays with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and both sugars. Cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well and scrape the bowl with a spatula.
• In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on low until just combined.
• Add the chocolate chips. Mix gently on low speed until combined. Do not over-mix.
• Scoop cookie dough balls (about 2 Tbsp each) and place onto a prepared baking sheet about 3-inches apart (8 cookies per tray.) Top with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
• Bake at 350˚F for 8-12 minutes until cookies are spread out, puffed up, matte (not shiny in the middle), and starting to brown on the edges. Cookies should look slightly under-baked still. NOTE: Time will depend on different elevations, ovens, and desired final product. (Soft vs crisp, etc.)
• For thicker cookies, press edges inward with a cookie spatula while still warm. Allow cookies to cool for 1-2 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Butter: Use unsalted butter or salted butter and adjust salt as needed.

To measure flour properly: Stir the flour to incorporate air into it, then spoon it into the measuring cup, and level it with the back of a knife.

For thicker cookies: Refrigerate dough 30-60 minutes before baking in addition to pressing edges inward while still warm.

For crispier cookies: Bake 2-3 minutes longer, until golden brown all over.

To Store: Place chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

To Freeze Cookie Dough: Scoop cookie dough balls onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Set in the freezer for 1-2 hours until firm. Then transfer frozen dough balls into a freezer safe zip-top bag and freeze up to 3 months. NOTE: You will need to bake cookies roughly 3-5 minutes longer, if baking from frozen.

To Freeze Baked Cookies: Freeze cookies in single layers divided by parchment paper, wrapped well or in a freezer bag, up to 3-4 weeks.

Nutrition Info.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 128mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g

Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated using a third-party tool and are provided as an estimation only.

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