Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These chocolate chip cookies are extra soft, chewy, and they turn out perfect every time. This is the only chocolate chip cookie recipe you will ever need!
I feel like a homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe is something that everyone should have in their recipe box. Several years ago I spent quite a bit of time working on creating the perfect chocolate chip cookies and after several attempts I finally landed on the perfect recipe.
So today I wanted to share this classic cookie recipe with you again because it’s one that I make all of the time! Not only are these the best chocolate chip cookies you’ll every try, but they’re also:
- Easy to make
- Incredibly soft and chewy
- Full of melted chocolate chips
- Super delicious!
Every single time I make a batch of these cookies, people go crazy for them and ask how to make them. That’s when you know you have a good recipe!
Recipe Ingredients
First things first, you’ll want to gather all of your ingredients for these cookies. Let’s discuss each one and why it’s important to this recipe:
- All-Purpose Flour: The flour is what provides the structure and helps them hold their shape. Just be sure to measure your flour correctly. Too much flour can lead to cookies that won’t spread in the oven.
- Baking Soda & Salt: The baking soda helps give the cookies a little lift and the salt enhances the flavors.
- Unsalted Butter: I prefer to stick with unsalted butter in all of my recipes, since the amount of salt in salted butters can vary quite a bit between different brands. Only have salted butter on hand? Simply reduce the salt in this recipe to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: The brown sugar adds moisture and creates chewy chocolate chip cookies while the granulated sugar helps them spread.
- Eggs & Vanilla Extract: There are two eggs in these cookies to bind everything together plus a little vanilla extract. I also recommend using room temperature eggs as they will disperse more evenly into the dough.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: I find that semi-sweet chocolate chips work best because they’re not too sweet and not too bitter. Feel free to use any kind that you prefer though!
How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies
Once you’ve gathered all of your ingredients, it’s time to prepare these easy chocolate chip cookies. Here’s a simple breakdown on how to make the cookie dough and bake the cookies.
- Whisk together your dry ingredients: Whisking the dry ingredients separately will help ensure that the baking soda and salt are evenly dispersed in your dough.
- Beat the butter and sugars together: I like to mix the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 1 to 2 minutes or until they’re well combined.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract: It’s best to mix in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla. I also suggest stopping to scrape down the sides of your bowl at this point and mix one more time before adding the dry ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients: You only need to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Mix in the chocolate chips: You can either gently fold in the chocolate chips or mix them in on low-speed until they’re fully incorporated into the cookie dough.
- Chill the cookie dough: This will help ensure that your cookies don’t spread too much in the oven. I find that two hours is the perfect amount of time!
- Scoop and bake the cookie dough: I suggest using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop because it creates the perfect cookie. The cookies will also take about 10 to 12 minutes in a 350°F (177°C) oven. You’ll know they’re done when the tops are set and the edges are lightly golden brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool: I prefer to let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 to 10 minutes, since the residual heat helps the cookies finish setting up. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Quick tip: If you want perfectly round cookies, use a spoon to shape the warm cookies once they come out of the oven.
FAQ’s
How do you prevent your cookies from being flat?
If your cookie dough is too warm your cookies may spread more in the oven. If you find that they’re spreading too much, chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator longer. You can also place the balls of cookie dough in the freezer for 20 minutes to speed up the process.
What do I do if my cookies don’t spread in the oven?
Too much flour in your cookie dough can lead to cookies that won’t spread very much. If you find that your cookies aren’t spreading very well, simply press the cookie dough down to flatten them some before baking.
Can you freeze the cookie dough or baked cookies?
Yes! I suggest scooping the cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place the baking sheet in the freezer. Once the cookie dough is frozen, you can store it in a freezer bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake the cookie dough from frozen, add an additional 1 to 2 minutes of baking time.
Baked cookies that have cooled completely will freeze well for up to 3 months too. Simply place the cookies on the counter and thaw to room temperature before serving.
Can I prepare the cookie dough ahead of time and refrigerate it?
Yes, you can! The cookie dough may be covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If it’s too hard to scoop, let it sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes and that should make it easier.
Baking Tips
- When measuring your flour, make sure to stir your flour around, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.
- If you forget to bring your eggs to room temperature, simply place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Feel free to swap out the semi-sweet chocolate chips for dark chocolate or even milk chocolate chips.
More Homemade Cookie Recipes!
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Classic No-Bake Cookies
Video Tutorial
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 and 3/4 cups (345 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (230 grams; 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 12-ounce package (2 cups; 340g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, cream the butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 1 to 2 minutes or until well combined. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract one at a time until fully combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Slowly mix in the dry ingredients and continue mixing until just combined, then mix in the chocolate chips on low-speed until fully incorporated into the cookie dough.
- Cover the cookie dough tightly and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.
- Once the dough is almost chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line three large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator, using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheets. Make sure to leave a little room between each ball of cookie dough.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown and the tops are set. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Mine didn’t flatten, they came out amazing but they were very thick. Any idea where I went wrong?
Did you make sure to spoon and level your flour? And did you use baking soda not baking powder?
Love this recipe. My husband likes espresso chip in these cookies. Thank you
This is my favorite chocolate chip recipe and the only one I make now. My oven does require a bit more than the 11 min bake time, but with some extra time they always come out soft and chewy. I don’t make any other changes. You absolutely must chill for at least an hour or the cookies will deflate flat in the oven or be too sticky to even roll into a ball. Excellent recipe!
Hey there, I’m a big fan of the smaller portion recipe and I wanted to make more so I used this one this time. The cookies turned out great! But I had a question: these tended to be a bit fluffier, which is fine, but I personally prefer how they came out with the smaller portion recipe, they were a bit more dense and shapely. Do you know why that is? Thank you so much! Great work
Hi, Brandon! This recipe uses a slightly higher ratio of flour to butter and sugar, so that’s probably why. Are you spooning & leveling your flour? If so, you can reduce the flour in this recipe up to 1/4 cup and that should help.
These came out delicious! My husband loves chewy with a little crunch and softness and these were perfect! I refrigerated exactly 2 hours. The only thing is that mine cooked for 14 minutes and they came out perfect!
Yummy but too cakey. Next time I make these I’ll probably use less flour and I wouldn’t refrigerate the cookie dough before baking.
I have always struggled making chocolate chip cookies. They have always been to hard fluffy. This recipe is now my go to, they are the perfect combo of chewy and crispy edges.
The GOAT OF CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES ? would never go back to any recipe ever again!
I used the metric measurements as stated in the recipe and my cookies came out fluffy and did not thin out. They weren’t cakey though, so not sure what went wrong. Was i not supposed to do it based off of the metric measurements ?
Did you only mix the butter and sugar together for 1 to 2 minutes? If you happened to over mix them, that could incorporate more air into the cookie dough and cause that to happen.
What if you don’t have large eggs, also why does my cookies turn out puffy like a muffin top lol. I made cookies before long time ago and they didn’t do that.
What size eggs are you using?
Oh My Goodness!
These Chocolate chip cookies came out Amazing! The best ever!
I’ve been baking the same pkg Chocolate chip cookies for at least 45 years, but these hands down are Perfect!
Thank you for sharing! Delicious
These did not come out well….more like cake, and I followed the recipe to the letter?
Sorry the cookies didn’t turn out well for you, Lauren. If you followed the recipe exactly, they shouldn’t have turned out cakey. Did you make sure to use 2 sticks of butter, 2 large eggs, and baking soda (not baking powder)? And did you make sure to spoon and level your flour as well?
I find the only thing that makes these cookies better is using Milk Chocolate chips. I roll my cookie dough into a log a lil smaller then what I want the cookie to be & freeze it. Then when it’s time to bake, I cut the dough about the width of my index finger and place each cookie on a parchment paper about 1inch apart. Following the recipe steps from there. They turn out exactly the same every time.
With ONE minor adjustment, this is definitely my favorite CC cookie recipe and as much as I shop around year after year trying to see if I can improve upon it, I really haven’t found anything that is better. Here’s my adjustment: I let the dough rest in the fridge between 48 and 72 hours before I ball them up for the freezer so I can grab a handful of cookies at a time. The extra resting time creates a more flavorful, denser cookie (learn more about why here: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-best-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe#:~:text=If%20there%27s%20one,levels%20of%20awesome)
I always bake these straight from frozen and they are magnificent. Super chewy, crisp edges, the perfect cookie.
I figured I’d try something new this year and rather than “break and bake” I’d try from scratch instead. EXTREMELY happy I found this easy to follow, delicious recipe!!
This is my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe! And I’ve tried a lot.. this cookie is the perfect texture & perfectly sweet. Here are some things I do to take this delicious recipe to the next level.
I weigh all my dry ingredients & brown half of the butter.
I marinade the dough 1-3 days.
I use vanilla paste or vanilla beans.
I use semi-sweet chocolate chips and chop up a dark chocolate bar to get nice chunks 🙂 1000/10
I made these and they turned out good. But very cake like. Can u tell me what I did wrong?
Did you make any adjustments to the recipe? Did you mix the butter and sugar together too long? Spoon and level your flour? And did you make sure to use baking soda and not baking powder?
Absolutely DELICIOUS! this is the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe! My only alterations are that I use salted butter and half milk chocolate chips and half semi sweet chocolate chips. That’s only due to preference. I baked 3 cookies before chilling the dough to see what difference it made and I found that although you don’t have to chill the dough the cookies hold their shape better and cook evenly when the dough is chilled. The 3 unchilled cookies were flatter that the others.
Absolutely love this recipe I also have the small batch of chocolate chip cookies recipe as well and they come out soft and chewy each time thank you
I think I’ve commented before, but just in case: these cookies are a win. The chilled dough is a must. When I chilled them 1 – 3 days (I’ve made them multiple times chilling various lengths,) they were much better and stayed soft longer compared to immediately baking after mixing.
I also appreciate that there are no special ingredients – just my pantry staples. Makes it very easy to whip up a batch at the spur of the moment.
I have received several compliments on these. Thanks for a bomb recipe! ?
These chocolate chip cookies are to die for! Better than any cookie I’ve bought from a bakery. I highly recommend this recipe. Take your time! Lay out all your ingredients. Mix things properly. This recipe will not fail you! 10/10!!!
Good evening! I have made these cookies. Yum! Would like to make jumbo cookies with your recipe. Any suggestions for cooking time?
Hi, Sarah! It will depend on how large you scoop them. I have a similar recipe in my cookbook, but it uses a little more flour and a little less granulated sugar so the cookies are thicker. I scooped those with 1/3 cup measuring cup and baked them for 15 to 18 minutes. Hope that helps!
This is my go to recipe!
These always turn out to perfection ?
I’ve been looking for a recipe for soft cookies and was so excited to make these. And I followed all the instructions but my cookies didn’t turn out like how the picture showed. They didn’t spread as much but instead they rose like if it was a cupcake. I don’t know what I did wrong.
Did you double check all of your measurements? Did you make sure to use 2 sticks of butter? And spoon and level your flour?
Did you use baking powder instead of baking soda?
Hello ov been making these cookies awhile always come out perfect the recipe calls for 2 large eggs bit iv always used 2 small eggs but lately cookies coming out cakey and I can’t work out where I’m going wrong verry frustrating as iv always followed the recipe exactly please advise where I’m goin wrong it says online too many eggs bit how do I add less eggs and how many less should I try just with 1 egg I’m confused as thryv always come out perfect
I’d recommend using 2 large eggs for the recipe first and see if that helps. Are you doing anything differently? Using a different oven? Different baking sheets?
Best recipe ever!!!
Cookie sheets make a HUGE difference! An insulated cookie sheet on the bottom rack produced perfectly shaped cookies but after 11 minutes cooking and add’l 5 minutes sitting were still too wet on the bottom. Put them back for a couple more minutes and they were just done. Next batch was on a regular metal sheet on the middle rack and they were golden brown top and bottom in about 8 minutes but they did not flatten out very much. Went back to the insulated sheet and cooked a minute or so longer and perfectly cooked and shaped cookies. Tried the insulated sheet on the middle rack for the last batch but lowered to bottom rack halfway through because tops were cooking faster than bottoms. After 10 minutes bottoms needed a little longer but tops were perfect. Turned off the oven, opened the door and left them inside a little longer. I used a tablespoon size scoop so my cookies are small, I refrigerated the dough overnight, used foil on the cookie sheets and let the dough sit out a little so it was soft enough to work with. It was probably about an hour between the first and last batches and despite it having sat out that much longer the results were pretty much the same. But the 2nd batch cooked on a different cookie sheet came out much different than all the others.
So cookie sheet type and rack placement have a HUGE impact on the results. They are all delicious though!
Really loved the flavor of the cookie, however they came out very flat. They were refrigerated for 2 hrs, Maybe I didn’t wrap tight enough. Would try again to see if they don’t flatten out again
Hi, Lori! There are a few reasons cookies can turn out flat – if the butter is too warm, not enough flour, or your baking soda isn’t fresh. You could try chilling the cookie dough longer (or scooping it and chilling it that way so it chills faster). Have you also checked your baking soda to make sure it’s still fresh?
Awesome. Love this recipe, it’s so easy.
Love the cookies. They are soft and chewy. Will definitely be making these again.
I finally found the easiest and best chocolate chip cookie recipe! I don’t refrigerate them for two hours as the recipe calls for, but they still come out tasty, soft and chewy! Everyone raves about these when I make them. Sometimes, I add a little sea salt sprinkle to them. 🙂