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
I live in New Zealand and tried these cookies and they didn’t work out (because of sea level and humidity, I think). So after 4 attempts I finally figured out how to make them chewy and gooey at sea level. I took different suggestions from your different recipes and here is what worked for me. So I did 10T melted butter and 2T shortening and mixed really well with the sugars. I also added 1/4-1/2 cup more flour to this. When I used the recipe amount for flour it didn’t work where I live. Maybe this will help those that live at sea level. Thanks for the yummy recipe! 🙂
I have never made chocolate chip cookies before by myself and I saw these and thought I would give it a try… My friend from home makes cookies and they’re okay but these were AMAZING. I am in college and am on a very tight budget being out of state and everything but all your recipes look perfect, so I spend my money on food instead of anything else. I cannot wait to try everything. Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing this tasty recipe! I was so excited to try it and it lived up to all the hype! 🙂 I am definitely going to make these again and again. I used half wheat flour and white. They turned out perfect! Thanks again! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made these for my husband last night and he LOVED them! He also felt like this recipe was THE CC cookie recipe. I also have purchased your cook book and I absolutely love it! Thanks for sharing your talents and tasty recipes!
These are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had. The whole batch lasted only 2 days at our house!
SO GOOD!!!!! I can’t wait for my husband to try them. GREAT flavor and texture! You gals are the best!
The kids really like it. I’ve been making this type of chocolate chip cookies for months now and they still asked me to make it every week.
My husband is a cookie monster and I have tried many chocolate chip cookie recipes. He’ll eat any cookie but I haven’t always been happy with the recipes I’ve tried. In search of a new chocolate chip cookie recipe I searched your site and tired this one. It’s perfect! I love the flavor – the strong vanilla taste, the perfect amount of salt, the carmel-y taste from all the brown sugar. I love the texture. I have made this recipe twice already – which has allowed us to have fresh-baked cookies every night! They’re addictive!
I honestly don't know why I tried this recipe because I love my recipe. But I was curious about the melted butter, I didn't love the dough (which is good because it means there are cookies to eat) but the cookies are scrumptious! Truly.
So I made these today for dessert and I think I've made myself sick <eatting the batter, plus 3 nice and gorgeous and warm lovely cookies. A bowl of spaghetti and meatballs and an enormous amout of chocolate chip cookies/batter, do not go together!! My goodness I think I'm going to pop!!!