The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
You’re looking at the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. Perfected over a period of 6 years, the flavor and texture are spot on and work every time!
The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
I have been deeply invested in creating the best chocolate chip cookie recipe for over 6 YEARS. And i’m thrilled to say, it is *finally* absolute perfection. These are the best homemade chocolate chip cookies, period. Here’s what makes them so great:
- They will work EVERY SINGLE TIME you bake them. There are no failed attempts here. If you follow this recipe, you can guarantee you will be eating on of the best cookies of your life in a matter of minutes.
- The flavor does NOT quit. And I’ll tell you the secret reason why. These cookies are vanilla-forward. So much so that you might think there is a typo in the recipe. It’s not a typo – the vanilla really pulls out all of the flavor of the brown sugar, butter, egg, chocolate chips, etc and makes these the best chocolate chip cookies.
- They will stay soft and chewy! IMO, these have the best texture of any chocolate chip cookie ever and they will still have that texture the next day. These won’t turn into dry bricks and disappointment when they cool.
- This recipe makes the perfect amount. You’ll end up with a lot of cookies, but not too much. It’s a win-win.
- Finally, they freeze exquisitely well (both baked and as dough!) Which means you can essentially have an instant delightful cookie whenever the fancy strikes. Which, trust me, once you eat these homemade chocolate chip cookies will be all the time.
Ingredients
- Salted butter, softened – I use salted butter, if using unsalted butter add an extra pinch or two of salt to the cookie dough.
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract – No, that isn’t a typo for the vanilla. These are a vanilla-forward cookie and it makes them my FAVORITE ever.
- All-purpose flour – I get asked all the time what the best flour for chocolate chip cookies is. The honest truth is that I have tweaked this recipe for years and in reality, simple all-purpose flour works perfectly here.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Favorite chocolate chips – Use whatever chocolate chips are your favorite or what you have on hand. You can even chop up a chocolate bar and use it in this recipe. I like ghirardelli chocolate chips for these because they are so smooth and rich.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture. This will take about 2 minutes.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until a soft but not sticky dough forms.
- Fold in your favorite chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough out into 1 1/2 tbsp portions (a #40 cookie scoop works great here) and arrange on your cookie sheet. Can use parchment paper, a silicone mat or an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350° F for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies have spread and are just beginning to turn golden brown on the edges.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Best temp to bake Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe uses the typical 350° F – this will allow the cookies to spread just slightly but won’t melt the butter too quickly, which would make them thin and crunchy instead of the soft & chewy we’re going for.
How long to bake these cookies
Bake these cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies have spread and are just beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. If we’re being honest, I swear by baking them for 9 minutes and 30 seconds – but that just feels fussy to write in the recipe.
Best Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (167g) salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (123g) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (115g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (304g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (200g) favorite chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture.3/4 cup (167g) salted butter, softened , 1/2 cup (123g) brown sugar , 1/2 cup (115g) granulated sugar
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.1 egg, 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Add in the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until a soft but not sticky dough forms.2 cups (304g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda , 1/2 tsp salt
- Fold in your favorite chocolate chips.1 cup (200g) favorite chocolate chips
- Scoop the dough out into 1 1/2 tbsp portions (a #40 cookie scoop works great here) and arrange on your cookie sheet. Can use parchment paper, a silicone mat or an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350° F for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies have spread and are just beginning to turn golden brown on the edges.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Video
Nutrition
Storage
If eating freshly baked, these chocolate chip cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’re choosing to freeze your cookies, they will last for up to 3 months.
How to freeze cookies
I have a post all about how to freeze cookies, but here’s the basics: let your cookies cool completely and then seal in a freezer bag, careful to omit as much air as possible. Label the bag with the type of cookie and date it. Pop in the freezer and use within 3 months!
Can you freeze cookie dough?
Oh, absolutely! I recommend freezing the dough after it has been shaped into balls. For my trademark tips, check out this post on how to freeze cookie dough! But here’s the gist:
- Shape the dough into balls and place on a baking sheet.
- Put the baking sheet in the freezer for about an hour, or until the dough balls are firm.
- Transfer the frozen dough balls to an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. Voila! They’re ready to freeze for up to 3 months.
FAQs
My first guess is that your baking soda is old! Check the date on it and make sure it hasn’t expired. The longer your baking soda is open, the less effective at giving a rise it will be! Humidity and elevation can also play a role in the height of your cookies. Try adding up to 1/4 cup of flour to the dough and see if that helps.
The best part about these chocolate chip cookie recipe is that it is engineered to yield soft cookies – so science is on your side! Beyond that, make sure that you aren’t overmixing your dough and that you aren’t overbaking them!
I try really hard to give you recipes that don’t need to be chilled before baking – because who has time for that? You do not need to chill this chocolate chip cookie dough prior to baking (and they turn out perfectly!)
I like to use a cookie scoop to make sure all of my cookies are the same size and will bake evenly. I love the shape a cookie scoop gives my cookies, so I usually don’t flatten them. But you definitely can if you’d like!
This may sound counter-intuitive, but make sure you don’t overmix your cookies! This will make sure your dough doesn’t become tough – allowing the rising agent to do its job and yield a fluffy cookie.
Yes! You can. If that’s what you’re looking for, I would recommend giving this recipe a try: chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar.
Yes, but you will still want to make sure that there is a rising agent in dough to give your cookies a nice, fluffy, chewy texture. I have a post all about baking soda substitutes that you might be interested in checking out.
Made these today and they are fantastic! Love the extra vanilla and that the dough doesn’t need to be chilled. The #40 scoop makes the perfect sized cookie, in my opinion. Thank you so much for sharing!
These chocolate chip cookies are by far the BEST you will ever have! I make these every holiday by request. They come out amazing every…single… time. I don’t measure the chocolate and add walnuts to some for the nut lovers haha. Highly recommend!!
These are awesome! I don’t usually like Chocolate Chip Cookies but these are to die for…
The family LOVED these cookies! Great recipe, will make these again!
Extremely picky with baking recipes. I have spit out baked goods from some of the most famous bakeries on my state. This is BY far the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve tried in all my 10 years of baking! I used a #50 scoop though, because a #40 is 2 tbps, not 1.5, and I dodnt want to end up with less than 30 cookies. A #50 is approx 1.2 tbps, and gave me 37 cookies. I also added a handful of rainbow sprinkles for some extra pretty! This will now be my go-to chocolate chip recipe.
These were awesome, we really enjoyed them!
AMAZING recipe! This is now our go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe! Comes out perfect every time and they’re usually all gone within 24 hours! Highly recommend!
These were awesome. I usually have trouble with chocolate chip cookies. I did weigh the flour. How do you measure your flour? Sifted, fluffed or just scooped?
What does a cup of flour weigh when you measure it your regular way?
Everyone says they’re the best cookies ever! My neighbor asked for the recipe right away! I’m going to try making them gluten free for me.
Hi, I was wondering if you tried making them gluten free. What flour mix did you use?
Thanks!
You can make these gluten free with a 1:1 replacement like Bob’s Red Mills.
Do you mind sharing how the gluten free turned out and what you substituted with? TIA
I know I am in the minority here, but these cookies are both too sweet and too salty for me. I will say my husband loved them, but even he noticed the salt, which he of course liked. Using both salted butter and added salt seemed like too much salt to me but I wanted to make the recipe as written to give it a fair try. He said, “I’m probably never going to get these cookies again, right?” Right. Both my adult son and I thought they were cloyingly sweet (actually “cloyingly” was my word not his but he agreed), though my son will eat more of them because, yeah they are homemade cookies. Since the amount of regular and brown sugar in the recipe isn’t much at all (actually less than in the chocolate chip cookie recipe I normally make), I am assuming that the sweetness is somehow created by the vanilla. I will also say that the texture is nice. Not sure yet how long they will stay soft because I just made them. I am sure most people making this recipe will really like it, it just doesn’t do it for me.
If you read her recipe she states she uses salted butter that if you use unsalted butter she suggests adding a pinch or two of salt.
True on the salt issue. Just omit the extra salt if using salted butter.
I also wasn’t overly fussed with this recipe. Mine came out dry and didn’t spread. I think I would increase the butter or egg.
Hi Ani, I just wanted to let you know that I totally agree with you. The second I tried the cookies, I tasted salt. It was weird. I didn’t hate the cookies, but I definitely won’t make them again.
Funny, I felt they needed a bit more salt and was thinking about topping my next batch with some Maldon salt flakes. I did use unsalted butter, but I added a pinch of salt to make up for it. Just goes to show this is all subjective.
My search is over!! FINALLY after trying a dozen chocolate chip cookie recipes this is hands down my favorite. I did end up substituting 1 tablespoon baking powder since I was out of baking soda, but I’m sure it won’t make much of a difference. I’ll be doubling and tripling this recipe in the future and it will be my new go-to!