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
YUM! I just made these.. infact the last batch is in the oven. I've already had two! I'm very picky about my cookies and rarely bake. I have an amazing oatmeal chocolate chip recipe but we're out of oatmeal! We're snowed in here in OK today and these are perfect to add to the day! Thank you so much!
Oh, goodness. This is quite possibly the best CC cookie recipe EVER! The dough was odd to work with…I'm used to using softened butter and having the dough be more, well, dough-like. But holy cow, were they delicious! I made one addition…added a little bit of decaf instant coffee granules. Weird, yes, but they add a great richness to the cookies! Well done, the perfect chewy cookie!
I have been searching for the perfect CC cookie recipe from the time I started baking thirty years ago with my grandmother. This one has become the ONLY one I use since I found it on the Sur La Table website a few years ago. I do one thing differently, though. Extensive taste "research" led me to refrigerating my dough for 36-48 hours instead of baking it right away. After chilling, I let it sit at room temp until scoopable and then bake away. Letting the dough rest allows the flavor to develop fully and gives the cookies a richer taste. Try it and you'll never bake immediately again!
Amazing! This is "the one" for me!
LOVE this recipe!! I live in Maryland sea level and I didn't have to make any alterations at all. They were perfect. I've actually made quite a few of your recipes and I've loved them all!! Thanks for the wonderful recipes.
I have been on this never ending search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie and vioa-la. I found it! i should've known it wouldn't disappoint, i made the mint frosted brownies on here and those were terrific too! I added 1 c pecans bc my friend ordered them that way. These were insane! i dont there's any left and i just made them last night too!
I was scared to make this recipe because every batch of CCs I make turns out terrible, but I nailed this on my first shot! I gave them away to ladies from church who both said they thought I bought them from a bakery!
Also I think this recipe trumps my MILs, whose recipe my DH swears by.
I am tempted to make more today! (And I made 2 batches yesterday_)
And, by the way, I live in Arizona. Surprisingly, no altitude problems or alterations.
These turned out perfectly! Once again, you guys have blown me away by the amazingness of your recipes. I shared these cookies with one of my best friends, my boyfriend, and my roommate. They all loved them.
these tasted delicious, but they didn't turn a pretty brown or flatten like yours. Not sure why?! My husband raved about them–thanks!