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
Haven’t tried this yet but was wondering if there are any modifications for high elevation?
I don’t have any experience with high altitude baking, but some readers have found this guide helpful.
I’ve been baking for fifty years and this is the best Chocolate Chip cookie recipe I’ve ever encountered. I’ve made them five times since I found the recipe and every time they’ve turned out beautifully.Reducing the amount of white sugar really helps keep the cookies soft. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Thank you, Sadie! So glad you liked the cookies!
Can I use vegetable oil instead of butter? Also, can I not chill the cookie dough? Lastly, can I use Special Dark Chocolate Chips?
Dark chocolate chips will be okay. I don’t suggest using vegetable oil and it’s okay to skip the dough chilling, but if you do the cookies won’t be quite as thick.
Can you freese the dough to pull out and bake at a late time?
Yes, absolutely! You can bake balls of frozen cookie dough for an additional 1-2 minutes or just freeze the cookie dough and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
I replaced 1 cup of regular flour with whole wheat. I also cut down on sugar. recipe calls for way too much. You do know that chocolate chips are sweet, right? So instead of suggested amount I used just 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar, NOT packed. And I added chopped walnuts. Also, instead of chilling the dough in the fridge for 2 hours, I shoved it in the freezer for 30 minutes to save time and it worked fine. Cookies came out very well. Thank you for the recipe.
can i use palm sugar instead of brown sugar?
That should be fine.
I have never made really good chocolate chip cookies until now. Thank you for this recipe and tips!
Absolutely delicious! I wanted to try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe rather than using the one on the Nestle bag. So glad that I did and will use this from now on. I followed the recipe exactly as it is and I wouldn’t change a thing.
I LOVE this recipe. I could hardly cool the cookies down between batches before my family members were snatching them off the cooling rack. I will definitely be bookmarking this recipe to use again!
My new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! Excellent!
Hello,
So I just went out and bought all the ingredients but I got milk chocolate chips they’re not semi sweet chocolate chips. Does the chocolate chips have to be semi sweet
That will be fine. Milk chocolate chips are sweeter, so the cookies will just be a bit sweeter. You can use less chocolate chips if you prefer.
Ok thank you sooo much!
Tried these this weekend. They were very good. Held their shape, were a good thickness and nice and chewy. I’m tired of cookies that get hard as rocks. I’m going to freeze half and see how they hold up,
Followed this recipe to the letter.right cooling temp,cooking time(left for a few extra minutes) and the centre of the cookies were still doughy/raw.
Put back in for another 10 minutes but didnt make a difference.
Not sure what went wrong
The cookies will still be soft when you take them out of the oven. Did you let them cool completely?
Yeah completely and still doughy in the middle.bit raw
I’m not sure what would cause that unless your oven temperature is off. Have you checked it with an oven thermometer?
I loved this recipe! Chilling the dough for the minimum of 2 hours was a wonderful suggestion and indeed a MUST. They turned out delicious and held their shape. I made them for Valentine’s Day yesterday and family loved them (left out the nuts as I have picky eaters). I used a Silicone mat and put 12 small scoops on the first cookie pan. I thought I put enough space between them, but they ran together. The rest of the batches, I only put 6 on each sheet and they were beautiful. The cookies that ran together were still delicious, I just had to cut them apart and some appeared to be more square than round. This recipe will definitely be my go to from now. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I don’t have brown sugar is there something else I can use instead?
You do need brown sugar for these cookies. If you don’t have any brown sugar, you can add 1 tablespoon of molasses to 1 cup of granulated sugar and mix well to make 1 cup of brown sugar.
Can i use pure granulated sugar?
Do you mean in place of the brown sugar? If so, I don’t suggest it. You do need the brown sugar in these cookies. You can add 1 tablespoon of molasses to 1 cup of granulated sugar and mix well to make 1 cup of brown sugar.
Is it okay to leave the dough in the fridge for a day?
Yes, that would be fine! If it’s too hard to scoop, just leave it on the counter for 20-30 minutes and that should help.
hi danielle… i wonder why my cookies are never flat like yours.. they always have dome .. i used ice cream scoop as well to form the dough… warm regards from indonesia..
Did you make sure to spoon and level your flour or weigh it? If so, try slightly flattening the cookies before you bake them and that should help them spread.
Hi. I would like to thank you for such an amazing recipe. I LOVE these cookies and so does my entire family. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you, Zoe! So glad you liked the cookies!
Hi, this recepe looks amazing I’m gonna definitely try it. What does packed means exactly? How do you pack brown sugar? Every recepe for cookies I have ever read calls for it but I’m Italian and it’s not something that we do. ? Please explain
It just means to lightly press the brown sugar into your measuring cup.
Is it necessary to use an electric mixer for the butter, sugar, and eggs? I don’t have one 🙁
As long as the butter is soft enough, you can use a fork or whisk to cream together the butter and sugars and then just use a spoon to mix in the rest of the ingredients as stated in the recipe.
No, you can use a whisk and bowl to mix it. Remember to soften your butter though. I’ve done this recipe and couple times and I have not used an electric mixer more than once. It is a bit hard to mix sometimes.
I made these cookies today and they came out to perfection! Chilling is a must. I used a small scoop and was afraid they would spread too much, but they didn’t, holding their form quite well, remaining thick. They were moist and chewy at 11 minutes. Your instructions were great! Thank you!
Is it best to use dark brown sugar or yellow brown sugar in the recipe?
I use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar is fine too.
Hi there! I’ve only recently gotten into baking, and the first cookie I’ve decided to try was the classic chocolate chip cookies. I ended up going over tens of cookie recipes, but none of them has been as spot on as this one! Anytime I bake these they are always well received by my family and my classmates.
So happy to hear that, Anna!
Is it ok to add pecans …will they get soft after 2 hrs. Or chilling the dough?
Yes, that’s fine. It shouldn’t affect the pecans.
Loved this recipe sooooo much! I only had half the amount of chocolate so added some raisins to compensate – they were so gooey and delicious went down a treat in our home!
Can I use salted butter and eliminate the teaspoon of salt?
I would still use about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. A good rule of thumb when substituting salted butter for unsalted butter is to reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon per stick of butter.
Tried this recipe the other day. It’s pretty spot on. They were fluffy, moist, and chewy. I love, love, love that you gave the measurements in weight. I didn’t use an electric mixer, just a whisk and wood spoon, I have no idea why I decided to do this (I have a 2 year old running around?) and I used a splatmat instead of parchment paper anyway, I do not think it made any difference. I would recommend chilling before baking. I tried with chilled dough and without. They taste the same, but hold their shape better chilled. I do not write reviews, ever, but it’s so hard to find a good recipe (that I don’t have to tweak), hopefully this will help others.
So glad the cookies turned out great for you!
Why do these cookies only stay for 3 days ? , all my ingredients are room temperature
I’m not sure what you mean by 3 days? I have a note in the recipe that they will stay fresh up to 5 days. They’ll keep a little longer than that, but I find after 5 days they aren’t quite as fresh.
Hi…is the brown sugar packed or applied loosely? Most recipes call for packed…
I pack the brown sugar.