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
Am making these now – first visit to your site, was in need (!) of a new c.c. cookie recipe. Mine came out more golden looking than yours and seemed to spread more but the taste is superb. Such a flavorful cookie and mixed up so easily. Will try these again soon with other add-ins. And I’ll be stopping back for more yummy recipes.
I was so excited about these…maybe too excited because I “read” 1 1/2 c. butter… not sticks… double butter…BAD COOKIES. Will attempt again.
Second attempt was WONDERFUL… I was a little worried because I doubled it and didn’t have enough eggs, but 2 eggs and 1 yolk worked fine. delicious 🙂
Just made these today…. My hubby said they were the best cookies Ive ever made! (Not that that says much ;)) But I am glad to find a cookie recipes I dont ruin! yay!
Tried these today! I made the base recipe as instructed, then split the dough in half (one half used semi-sweet chips and the other milk choc chips). Then each half, I baked 2 different ways. The first was the tear and bake as given in the recipe. The second way was 1/4 scoop, place on parchment tray and refrigerate for 20 mins, then bake. Although in the end these were not my favorite CC cookie (blander outside, inside like a blondie and too much vanilla), I would recommend the milk chocolate, scoop and refrigeration method. The cookies are much prettier and more uniform. I had no trouble with recipe as written and couldn’t begin to tell you my elevation ;). Btw, even though these are not my favorites, I had no problem eating them! Thank you for your site!!
I was afraid the cookies wouldn’t turn out because of melting the butter. They turned out perfect. The cookies were gone before the day was over. Another great recipe! We have chickens and so I was able to use fresh eggs as well! The colored eggs are pretty neat.
Ok I admit I was skeptical. Every Choc. Chip cookie recipe I have ever made with butter they are flat, hideous cookies (like tollhouse). Even while mixing it wasn’t looking like it was going to work. Then…the timer went off and voila! The cookies were NOT flat they were beautiful little chocolate chip cookies sent from heaven. Ok maybe not sent from heaven but you know what I mean! They turned out PERFECTLY! Thank you!
I just made these, sooooo yum! My whole family including the little girl growing in my belly agree!
I usually have difficulties making perfect CC cookies because the altitude is so high in Idaho! But these cookies turned out amazing!
Best cookies ever! I have made them several times, but today they were better than ever. They might just be the death of me.
Wow I made these last night and 6 of them got gobbled up by my boyfriend before I even got to put them on the cooling rack. This is amazing as my boyfriend doesnt usually eat sweet things so I could not beleive my eyes. Oh and the tip about splitting them in half and leaving the rough side up worked perfectly 🙂