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
Do u have to freeze the dough before putting it in the oven?
I do recommend chilling the cookie dough so the cookies don’t spread too much in the oven. If you need to speed up the process, you can scoop the dough and let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.
They are very good , I substitute the granulated sugar for a no sugar granulated and the simi chocolate for sugar free simi chocolate and the cookies turn out great
Love this recipe it is a tried and true recipe
I made this recipe and the dough was super sticky no amount of flour fixed it I’m so disappointed had to throw it away
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times, even with melted butter, and the dough has never been too sticky to work with. I would recommend double checking the measurements that you used (specifically the butter and flour) and keep in mind that if you make any adjustments to the recipe it can affect it as well.
They were pretty good. I thought I let them sit for long enough, leaving them in the fridge for 2 1/2 hours followed the recipe to a T but they spread out quite a bit in the oven. Idk if maybe I added too much butter (I used 2 sticks) or something. The flavor was good the texture was not.
I’ve made this recipe several times now. Oh my stars! Some of the best cookies I make. Has never failed. Thank you for sharing!
Can you use unbleached and/or bleached flour?
I usually use bleached flour, but either one would be okay.
Are you suppose to press down on the balls at all before baking? Mine didn’t seem to flatten well.. delicious dough though!
No, they should spread in the oven as they’re baking. If they didn’t spread it could be because there was too much flour in the cookie dough.
I live and obviously cook at a high altitude. Looked through many of the comments but didn’t find my question or an answer.
Are there any differences in the amounts of any of the ingredients for baking at a High Altitude?
Thanks.
I’m not familiar with high altitude baking, but some readers have found this guide helpful for adjusting my recipes.
Can I brown the butter and add toffee bits and pecans?
You can brown the butter, but you will need to make adjustments to the recipe. I’d recommend following my brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe here and just adding toffee bits and pecans to that cookie dough.
Super yummy cookies. Thank you for the recipe. Do you have any crunchy cookies recipe?
Yes! My almond biscotti, snowball cookies, and spritz cookies are a few crunchy cookie recipes. You can find all of my other cookie recipes here.
I followed this recipe to a T, and they didn’t look anything like the picture. I thought they’d kind of shrink down when they came out of the oven but they didn’t. They were still tasty, just didn’t look like the picture 🙁
Were the cookies too thick and didn’t spread very much? If so, that can happen if the butter and eggs are too cold, you measured too much flour, or you happened to use baking powder instead of baking soda. If your oven is too hot or you use a darker baking sheet, that can cause them to bake up thicker as well.
Do you have to use unsalted butter?
No, you can use salted butter and reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
This cookie recipe is perfect! Love that you included the gram weights for the ingredients. Makes it super easy every time
these are really the best chocolate chip cookies ever. just perfect. ty for spending time creating them and uploading the recipe
Wow! Yep, Best cookies I’ve ever had.
Love your recipe make them all of the time and put my spin on them to and they always come out fantastic. Thank you !
These are amazing, I have been making them for a couple of years. The best recipe ever. Can I make them into cookie bars? How long would I bake them? Thanks
That would be fine! It would be enough for a 9×13 pan and probably take about 25 minutes at 350F. I do have a chocolate chip cookie bar recipe here if you want to try it instead.
Wow!Thank you for wonderful chocolate chip cookie’s recipe!!