When it comes to defining the “perfect” chocolate chip cookie, I’ve found that everyone has their preferred type of recipe and many factors (elevation, humidity, personal preference) can influence that definition. These Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies are definitely one of my favorites! I recommend scooping them large so they have time to develop their signature buttery-crisp edges and retain their soft centers.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter – Always use real butter if you can. One thing that’s unique about this recipe is that we’re using melted butter. Melted butter coats the flour more thoroughly than creamed, softened butter, limiting gluten development and resulting in a denser, chewier cookie.
- Brown sugar – Light or dark.
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs –You’ll need one whole egg and one egg yolk. The extra egg yolk adds fat without extra liquid, creating richer flavor and the soft, chewy texture these cookies are known for.
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips – Semi-sweet or bittersweet.
How to Make Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- We’re starting with some melted butter. I recommend melting slowly at half power until all the pieces are almost melted and let residual heat finish melting it. It should be just warm to the touch, not hot.
- That gets mixed up with typical cookie dough ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, vanilla, a whole egg, and and egg yolk.
- Fold in some chocolate chips and you’re good to go!
- Transfer the dough to a parchment lined baking sheet. I prefer the texture of these cookies best when scooped large, in a ball of about 3 tablespoons of dough. A scooper works great! Don’t flatten them down after placing them on the baking sheet.
- I’ve learned you can under-bake them by quite a bit because they set up well and get more crisp around the edges as they cool. So don’t wait for them to get browned, just set. Once they come out of the oven, let them cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a baking rack. Enjoy!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store fully cooked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy with days for best results.
- Freeze cookies in single layers, with each layer separated by parchment, in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw desired number of cookies at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
You don’t need to, unless your butter was too warm. However, if you find your cookies are spreading flat in the oven, refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes before baking can help!
Yep! Feel free to prep the dough up to 48 hours before baking. For ease of baking later, scoop the dough into balls and refrigerate in single layers, with each layer separated by a sheet of parchment, in an airtight container. This will make it easy to transfer portioned dough onto your cookie sheet when ready to bake.
Yes. Portion dough into balls and freeze on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag and freeze up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen at 325°F for 14-16 minutes, or until edges are set and centers look slightly under baked.
Yep. Feel free to add nuts or change up the flavor of baking chips. You can also add citrus zest, spices, or whatever you’d like!
We’ve had readers report great success using a good quality 1:1 gluten-free flour blend!
Find your Favorite chocolate chip cookie!
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoon butter 1½ sticks melted and cooled until warm*
- 1 cup brown sugar light or dark
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- *You want your butter melted, but not hot. It’s best when it has a milky look, not clear yellow. Your dough will be quite loose if you use hot melted butter and you’ll need to wait for it to harden a bit before scooping your dough. I recommend melting slowly at half power until all the pieces are almost melted and let residual heat finish melting it. It should be just warm to the touch, not hot.
- Heat oven to 350℉. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
- Beat butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Scoop into balls (see Notes below for alternate scoop method) and bake until outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy. Baking time will depend on the size of your cookies. I think the texture of these cookies are best when scooped large, about 3 tablespoons of dough, each, which will bake for 9-12 minutes. Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Serve or store in airtight container.
Notes
- Store fully cooked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy with days for best results.
- Freeze cookies in single layers, with each layer separated by parchment, in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw desired number of cookies at room temperature.
- Alternate scoop method: This recipe as written from ATK suggests rolling 1/4 cup dough into a ball and then breaking it in half, placing the broken side facing up on the cookie sheet. The craggly texture of the top creates a nice shape and texture to the baked cookie. That being said, I almost always just use an extra large cookie scoop and skip the breaking part because it’s quick and easy and they still turn out amazing.
Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
Great recipe. These cookies kept their size and did not spread too much. I needed more like 15 mins baking time (at 5300 ft. elevation).
Okay these are seriously the best cookies I have ever made. We make them for all the neighborhood. One neighbor ate two cookies in front of me before she left the porch…she loves them so much. Thank you for sharing this with us. It is amazing how a simple great cookie recipe makes life better.
I loved this recipe it was so easy and fun to make.
This is the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe ever!
These cookies are my go to recipe! Crispy outside and delicious chewy caramely inside. Definitely overdose on the chocolate chips and you’ll have a perfect cookie!
I make these all the time but one thing I do EVERY time is brown the butter before hand. Melt butter in a pan and just swirl in a circle as it cooks and when it starts turning golden brown I remove it and stir for a bit in a measuring cup or bowl and let it cool. Makes a warm butterscotch flavor that’s insane.
Can I just say how much I love these cookies! They have been my “go-to” cookies since they appeared on your blog many years ago. Thank you!
I’m back. 100% Imperial margarine worked. And I don’t have to separate the water. I much prefer this taste over butter. I like the texture better, too. I lessened the mini-chip portion from 1/2 a bag to a quarter or third of the bag. These are the best cookies ever. My son asks for them instead of the horrid store bought cookies. I’ve made them sooo many times since my first post (above) Oh, I use a full tsp of salt because it brings out the flavors. Today I’m looking for a oatmeal cookie recipe I can use with my remaining mini-chips. Thank you again. Forever grateful.
Glad you had success! If you’re still looking for an oatmeal cookie, we love these ones and these ones!
I’ve always had a strong preference for Imperial margarine for cooking. I just prefer the taste of it. But if margarine was the reason my cookies were coming out wrong, I was willing to try butter. My former cookies always came out puffy and cake-like (which I find horrible). I wanted more of a flat Pilsbury type of cookie (without the weird ingredients). This is now theeee recipe! 🙂
I still prefer the smell and taste of margarine. For the first batch I used one stick of butter and a half stick of margarine. Because margarine is part water, I poured off the margarine and dumped the excess water. Then I added more until I got a half stick.
Since these came out so well, next time I will try 100% Imperial! I’m sure they’ll be awesome (but I’ll report back when I make them). Also, since I don’t like nuts in my cookies, I used an extra half bag (probably 6-7oz) of mini chocolate chips along with the regular sized bag! I always use semi-sweet to contrast the amount of sugar that’s already in cookies! Perfect.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! After these are perfected for margarine, I would like to mess around with using part flour and part ground oatmeal!
Can I use milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet?
Of course 🙂