Get ready for the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies! These cookies have crisp buttery edges, soft centers, and they’re packed with chocolate. No chill time required – freshly baked cookies ready in under 30 minutes.
After sharing hundreds of recipes it was finally time to share our favorite version of the classic chocolate chip cookie. Following tons of testing and tasting we agreed that this was the winner. A few special ingredients and techniques make this recipe the best. These cookies are loved by everyone that tries them.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
Taste: Butter, brown sugar, vanilla, a touch of salt, and lots of chocolate.
Texture: Crisp buttery edges, soft centers, and creamy chocolate.
Size: These cookies are big and chunky. Making them large helps to get the perfect texture.
No chill time: Cookies ready when you want them. After preparing the dough the cookies get baked right away.
Basic ingredients: This recipe is made with pantry staples.
What sets this recipe apart
There are one million chocolate chip cookie recipes out there. Here’s what makes this one better than others:
Cold butter: This cookie recipe does not use softened butter. Use butter straight from the fridge. This ensures that the cookies bake up with the perfect thickness every time. None of the inconsistencies that come with over softened butter (like cookies that spread too thin).
More brown sugar than white sugar: This recipes uses mostly brown sugar which adds color, chewy texture, and an underlying caramel flavor.
Cornstarch: Adding cornstarch to the dough helps to create a cookie that has a nice soft texture.
Large dough balls: When portioning the dough make large dough balls. This ensures that the cookies have a nice thickness with crisp edges and soft centers.
Chocolate: Try one or more of the following for getting the perfect chocolate-cookie ratio.
- Use chocolate chunks instead of chips. This creates large pockets of chocolate all throughout each cookie. Our favorite are semisweet chunks from Trader Joes.
- Coarsely chop a few tablespoons of chips/chunks so that little shards of chocolate disperse all throughout the dough.
- Use a combination of different chocolates. Mix dark, semisweet, and/or milk chocolate chips/chunks.
Ingredients needed
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Cornstarch (don’t skip this – it helps make the cookies soft)
- Unsalted butter (salted butter can be used, just reduce the added salt by half)
- Brown sugar (light or dark, make sure it’s fresh and soft)
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chunks or chips
- Walnuts (optional)
Recipe overview
Combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars.
Add egg and vanilla extract. Beating until well combined and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Beat in the dry ingredients.
Mix in chocolate chunks and nuts (if using).
Scoop the dough into ¼ cup portions and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes.
Recipe tips
- This dough comes together easiest with a stand mixer. Since we’re using chilled butter the stand mixer helps break down the butter easier than a hand mixer.
- Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This helps the cookies bake evenly and prevents them from spreading too much. Bonus: it also makes cleanup a breeze!
- Use a cookie/ice cream scoop for evenly sized cookies.
- Add a few extra chunks/chips on top of the cookies right before baking.
- For thicker cookies leave the dough balls mounded, for slightly thinner cookies flatten the dough balls just a bit.
- Under bake the cookies. You should remove these cookies from the oven when they are just starting to turn light golden brown but they are still undercooked. They should be so soft that you cannot pick them up off the baking sheet without them falling apart. They will firm up as they cool on the baking sheet.
- This recipe (with a few modifications) was also used for our Nutella-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cookie Cups and Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies. Try those, too!
How to get perfectly round cookies
Immediately after the cookies come out the oven place a round glass or bowl (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie and gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.
Make ahead option
If you need to get a head start on this recipe I recommend making the dough in advance then baking the cookies when you need them. You have two options:
Freeze: Freeze portioned dough balls double wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then let the dough balls sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. For thicker cookies leave the dough balls mounded, for slightly thinner cookies flatten the dough balls just a bit.
Refrigerate: Dough can be portioned, double wrapped, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Let the dough balls sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. For thicker cookies leave the dough balls mounded, for slightly thinner cookies flatten the dough balls just a bit.
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Recipe
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into four pieces
- ¾ cup brown sugar (light or dark), it should be fresh and soft
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, cold, straight from the fridge
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup semisweet chocolate chunks** (or chips), plus more for topping, if desired
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in the middle-upper and middle-lower portions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer* fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined (about a minute or two). Because the butter is cold it won't look as soft and creamy as you might be used to, that's ok, keep beating it. Add egg and vanilla, beating until combined and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the flour mixture until fully combined. Add the chocolate chunks and walnuts, mixing until combined.
- Scoop the dough into ¼ cup portions and form into balls. Place on the lined baking sheets with several inches in between each dough ball. If desired, you can press a few chocolate chunks/chips onto the top of each dough ball (this makes a prettier cookie). For thicker cookies leave the dough balls mounded, for slightly thinner cookies flatten the dough balls just a bit.
- Bake*** for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to set and the centers are still underdone. The cookies should be so soft that if you tried to pick them up off the baking sheet they would fall apart. Place the baking sheets on cooling racks and cool completely, they will firm up as they cool. See recipe notes regarding optional step of shaping the cookies after baking.
Video
Notes
How to get perfectly round cookies:
Immediately after the cookies come out the oven place a round glass or bowl (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie and gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.
Make ahead option:
If you need to get a head start on this recipe you can make the dough in advance. Freeze: Freeze portioned dough balls double wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then let the dough balls sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. For thicker cookies leave the dough balls mounded, for slightly thinner cookies flatten the dough balls just a bit. Refrigerate: Dough can be portioned, double wrapped, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Let the dough balls sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. For thicker cookies leave the dough balls mounded, for slightly thinner cookies flatten the dough balls just a bit.Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Gina
Those soft chewy chocolaty centers are everything! This is my ideal CC cookie – will definitely be holding onto this recipe!
Taylor
These were what chocolate chip cookie dreams are made of! So soft, chewy and gooey with the perfect amount of chocolate chunks in every bite. I topped mine with flaked sea salt which finished them off so nicely!
rk808
Omg I have been trying many different chocolate chip cookie recipes. I decided to try this one because it didn’t require softening or melting the butter! I was very surprised at how they turned out. They are perfect!! I’m so glad I tried them out.
Allison
That’s great to hear! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Lp
Can you provide the actual dry ingredient weights that u use .. I don’t trust the inconsistency of cup measurements and prefer to weigh ingredients if possible .. thanks !!!
Allison
I used the following: 245 grams all purpose flour, 150 grams brown sugar, 50 grams granulated sugar. Enjoy!
Tania Hakki
Converted its 210g flour?
Should we use 210g or 245g?
Allison
I believe 210g is closer to 1-2/3 cups. I recommend 245g.
Trivanks
My mouth watering!!! 😋😋😋
Cee
I usually don’t comment on any sites, but found these cookies to be so fantastic, I had to let everyone know. Easy recipe to follow, and yes, take them out just after the 9 minutes. I baked the second baking sheet a tad longer and found the cookie to be a little too crunchy, although still very good. It replaces my search any longer for “the best chocolate chip cookie “ recipe. My dear husband loves them too!
Allison
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
S_kra
I like to play on the safe side with new recipes especially cookies. But I came across yours and tried it now myself, turned out SUPER delish! I used peanut butter spread and mixed it with some chopped milk chocolate chunks and it came out perfect! I thought the sugar portion was a lot but realized I was wrong, it is perfectly balanced. Thank you for sharing your recipe with the world ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Jackie
I have tried soooo many chocolate chip recipes and this truly is the BEST! I still continue to pulse my mixer and not “mix” because I’ve always over-mixed. This recipe is FOOL PROOF and I get PERFECT cookies every time! Thank you!!
Allison
You’re welcome! Thanks for the kind review. 🙂
Elizabeth
Yum!! I am definitely a novice baker, but you wouldn’t think that because of how delicious these cookies turned out! Thanks Allison!
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m so happy to hear that. 🙂
Maggie Davis
These look so good!!! I have a question. Can I substitute the butter, or at least half of it, for margarine? Butter is very expensive where I live so I usually sub it with margarine, but I do want to make sure the end result is as delicious as this cookie looks!!
Allison
Hi, Maggie. I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. I think the margarine might make the cookies a bit thinner. You’d have to play around with it.
Bev
I made these cookies Tuesday, and they are the best chocolate chip cookies at her made. The insides were soft and the edges were just the right texture. I had a little sea salt to the top but other than that I followed the recipe completely. These will be my go to chocolate chip cookies. Thank you for sharing. It’s Friday and I’m making them again I can’t keep my family out of them.
Allison
That’s great to hear! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂