You will LOVE this quick and easy Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. These cookies bake up with crisp, buttery edges, soft centers, and lots of chocolate chips. Six cookies, made in one bowl, no mixer, no chill time. The perfect treat for those times that a cookie craving hits!
There are few things that are as satisfying as a fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie. For those times that you need a cookie IMMEDIATELY, but don’t want the temptation of several dozen cookies sitting around, you can reach for this recipe. It makes six perfect chocolate chip cookies in less than 30 minutes.
Some of our most popular recipes are small batch recipes. Small Batch Cupcakes, Small Chocolate Cake, and Brownie in a Mug. Small batch recipes are perfect for quickly satisfying your sweet tooth or baking for a small group. Sweet, chocolate-filled cookies, with crisp buttery edges and soft centers – HEAVEN!
Jump to:
Ingredients needed
Start by gathering the following ingredients:
- Unsalted butter: Melted and cooled just a bit.
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar: Using a combination of both creates the best cookie texture.
- Baking soda: For the perfect lift.
- Salt: Just a couple pinches to balance the sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla, not imitation.
- Large egg yolk: Since this is a small batch recipe we only need the yolk, no white.
- All purpose flour: You’ll need at least ½ cup, plus a bit more, if needed (more on this below).
- Chocolate chips: Use any kind of chocolate chips that you like. Tip: chop a tablespoon of your chocolate chips so that you have tiny chocolate shards running all throughout the cookies along with the larger chips.
Recipe overview
Whisk melted butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add an egg yolk and vanilla extract.
Sprinkle in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Scoop the dough, place on a baking sheet and bake!
Cookie sizing
I make 5-6 fairly large cookies with this recipe by scooping the dough into 2-tablespoon portions. If you’d like to stretch this recipe, you could get 7-8 cookies by making the dough balls a little smaller (if so, reduce the cook time by 1-2 minutes).
Tips for small batch chocolate chip cookies
- Ingredients: It is super important to be precise when making small batch recipes. Since you’re using such a small quantity of ingredients a little more or less of one thing or another can make a huge difference.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper: This will help the cookies from spreading too much. Bonus: It makes clean up a breeze!
- Measure flour properly: Fluff the flour with your measuring cup, measure a heaping portion, then level it off with the back of a knife.
- Light brown sugar vs. dark brown sugar: You can use either for this recipe. I have noticed that the extra moisture in dark brown sugar makes the cookies spread a bit more than the light brown sugar, but they’re equally delicious either way.
- Adding extra flour: This recipe gives the option of adding up to 2 additional tablespoons of flour. This will create a thicker cookie.
- Don’t overbake: Pull these cookies from the oven before they are baked all the way through. The edges should be set, but the center should still be slightly underdone. They should be so soft that they would fall apart if you tried to pick them up straight from the oven (pssst, don’t do that). Once they cool on the baking sheet they will firm up. Underbaking slightly ensures a soft and tender cookie.
- Use your favorite “chips”: I most often make these cookies with chocolate chips/chocolate chunks, but I have also made them with white chocolate, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips and walnuts (like a Kitchen Sink cookie). Use your favorite mix-ins.
I can’t leave you without sharing our family’s favorite way of enjoying these cookies. We each get a warm cookie and place it in a bowl next to a fat scoop of vanilla ice cream (Tillamook is our fave!). The warm cookie and cold ice cream create a swoon-worthy combo. Enjoy!
SUBSCRIBE to our free NEWSLETTER – LIKE us on FACEBOOK – Follow on INSTAGRAM
Recipe
Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, still warm, but not hot
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark), packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips, plus extra for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk butter and both sugars until well combined (at least 1 full minute). Add the egg yolk and vanilla, whisking until combined. Remove the whisk, but first, tap it on the side of the bowl to allow any excess to drip into the bowl.
- Measure out ½ cup of flour by fluffing the flour with your measuring cup, scooping a heaping portion and leveling it off with the back of a knife. Sprinkle the ½ cup flour over the top of the wet ingredients, sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the flour. Using a rubber spatula, stir until combined. If the dough seems really wet you can stir in 1-2 additional tablespoons of flour until it reaches a cookie dough consistency. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough into 2 tablespoon mounds. Place on the baking sheet a few inches apart (you should have 6 dough balls). If desired, press some additional chocolate chips onto the tops. Make sure the dough balls are mounded higher rather than wider to ensure they won't spread too thin. Bake for about 9-12 minutes*, until the edges are set and the centers still slightly under baked. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the cookies cool and firm up.
Video
Notes
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!
Patty
Hello!
I am an elementary teacher and would like to use your recipe for a fraction lesson. This entails my making a video cooking it and uploading it to my district’s learning management system (like Google Classroom). May I have permission to do this? This simple recipe that can be done with just one bowl is perfect for my fraction unit. Delicious cookies too!
Allison
Hi, Patty. Yes, feel free to use it. Thanks for checking. Good luck with your lesson. 🙂
Chris
I think we make these about once a week! My wife LOVES them and the batch size is perfect. Roll them in chocolate chips before baking to make a super sinful cookie ?
Allison
That’s a great idea! I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Dana
I doubled the recipe minus one egg yolk(I only used the one and it was a fresh duck egg) and these came out PERFECT. I have always struggled making cookies and these were so amazing. Thank you so much!!
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Olive B.
This called for way too much flour. Cookies came out bland and bready. Would not use again.
Allison
Sorry to hear that. Did you properly measure the flour (as stated in the recipe)? Did you add the extra 1-2 tablespoons or only use 1/2 cup?
Jaime Butcher
Was looking for an easy recipe for a small batch of chocolate chip cookies and this was so easy to make! They were delicious!!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Jaime. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Vicky
Delicious definitely recommend!!
Allison
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Lilah Snyder
Lovely! I made these with my mom, they came out perfect. They expanded A BUNCH! (Which I love) I would definitely make these again if it’s just me!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
rebecca w
these are the best. cookies. ever. they are so good and melt in your mouth delicious!! 100000/10 review, i can’t stop eating these!!
Allison
Haha! Thanks for the kind review. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
claudia
tastes great
Pam
I was so upset after making these because they were so good and there were only 6. I wanted a small batch thinking they would be your run of the mill cookie. However these were delicious! Next time I will have to double the recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Allison
Haha! I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Kim
This is such a great recipe for a quick small batch of delicious cookies!! Thanks love it!! The cookies were amazing!!
Allison
Thanks, Kim! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Heather
These are by far the best small batch chocolate chip cookies I have ever made! I’ve tried many various small batch recipes but never could find one that was worth saving, so grateful to have found this recipe, it’ll be in my regular rotation!
PS – I made each ball around 1 heaping Tbsp, and it yielded exactly 12 cookies (that way I can eat 2 and not feel too guilty!) ?
Allison
Thanks for the kind review, Heather. I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
jenifer
i love this recipe