Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Ever (Soft & Chewy)

Indulge in the best-ever chocolate chip cookies! These cookies are all-in-one – they’re chewy, soft with a crispy edge, and loaded with irresistible pools of gooey chocolate. What’s more, this recipe is incredibly simple, requiring just a few basic ingredients and no chilling time. You can also make happy-face chocolate chip cookies with some simple tips.

This chocolate chip cookie recipe has evolved from all the lessons I have learned from baking hundreds of cookies. I have tried to keep this recipe simple, with simple ingredients (no corn starch), no complex rare ingredients, and no chilling required. However, chilling the dough can enhance the flavor, so if you have time, you can chill it for up to 3 days.

These cookies are not overly sweet or greasy, and at the same time, they won’t end up in dry crumbles.

What makes these cookies soft and chewy?

Extra egg yolk and brown sugar give these cookies a soft center and chewiness, and I guess if you have been baking chocolate chip cookies, this is no secret. 

An egg yolk makes the most difference, so I would not leave it out for a soft chewy cookie.

What about corn starch? Yes, it adds a touch of softness, but if I don’t add it, I don’t miss it. So, I usually leave it out of these cookies.

What you will need

1. All-purpose flour: Make sure to fill the measuring cup with a spoon and then level to measure flour. Even better, use a kitchen scale.
2. Baking soda: For leavening.
3. Unsalted butter: If you don’t have unsalted, use salted butter and skip the salt added in the recipe.
4. Brown sugar: I am using light brown sugar, but you can use dark brown sugar too. To retain chewiness, do not substitute with white sugar.
5. White granulated sugar.
6. Eggs: One egg and one egg yolk at room temperature. If you forgot to remove eggs from the fridge, place them in warm water for 5 minutes.
7. Vanilla extract: For some extra flavor.
8. Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips/chunks/melts: I prefer using bittersweet chocolate chunks and melts, but you can use either chips or chunks, and either semisweet or bittersweet. Milk chocolate chips may make these cookies too sweet, so use them if you are fond of extra-sweet cookies. You will need chips and melts/melting wafers to make smiley-face chocolate chip cookies.
9. Salt: I am using table salt in the recipe. To top off after baking, you can use sea salt flakes, such as Maldon.

Reducing sugar

Reducing sugar will affect the spread of the cookies and also its texture. If you want to reduce it, press the cookie dough balls to form flat disks or you will end up with thick puffed cookies.

How to make

Prepare by preheating the oven to 350°F (175°C) and getting a baking sheet/pan ready. Use as such or line with parchment or baking paper. If using a chocolate bar, divide it into chunks.

1. Add butter (cut in small chunks) to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave to melt (around 70-80 seconds if using refrigerated butter and 30-40 seconds if at room temperature).
2. Let the butter cool for 5 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix these dry ingredients.
4. Once the butter has cooled, add sugar and whisk.

5. Follow by adding egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, and whisk to combine.
6. Then add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold gently and do not overmix.
7. Lastly, add chocolate chips/chunks and fold them in batter.
8. The dough may appear soft but you can easily shape it to make cookie dough balls. (If it appears too soft, place it in the freezer for 5 minutes, no need to cover it.)

9. Take 1.5 tablespoons cookie dough balls (for smaller cookies) or 2 to 3 tablespoons (for medium to larger cookies) using a cookie scoop and place them on the baking sheet. Smooth any irregular edges with your fingers.
10. Bake for 9-11 minutes for smaller cookies and 11-13 minutes for larger cookies. The edges will turn slightly brown (do not overbake).
11. Once done, remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet/pan for 5 minutes. If you wish, add more chocolate chips/chunks on top.
12. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool for another 5-10 minutes.

To make happy face chocolate chip cookies

Follow steps 1 to 6 just as above.

7. Add chocolate chips/chunks (do not add melting wafers) and fold them in batter. The dough may appear soft but you can easily shape it to make cookie dough balls. (If it appears too soft, place it in the freezer for 5 minutes.)
8. Take 1.5 tablespoons cookie dough balls using a cookie scoop and place them on the baking sheet. Do not add extra chocolate chunks/chips to the dough balls.
9. Bake for 9-11 minutes. The edges will turn slightly brown (do not overbake).
10. Once done, remove from oven. Add chocolate chips on one end to make eyes and insert a melting wafer on the other side to make a smiling face.
11. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet/pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool for another 5-10 minutes.

Cookie fails

1. Cookies did not spread and turned into puffed balls

This means:

• The amount of fat (butter) or sugar was not enough.
• Too much flour.
• Cold dough if you had chilled the dough.
• Incorrect oven temperature.
• Overmixing

What to do?

• Make sure to measure butter and sugar accurately. Brown sugar is often called for as packed in recipes. So when measuring it, make sure to fill the measuring cup and press the top of the sugar, then use a flat spatula to remove the excess.
• Measure the flour using a cooking scale. If you don’t have one, measure flour by the spoon and level method. This means filling the measuring cup with flour using a spoon and then leveling it using a flat spatula. Do not dip and sweep.
• After adding the dry ingredients, fold them in gently. Try not to overmix.

2. Cookies turned flat

This recipe has just enough sugar and fat to make them spread but should not make them flat. If your cookies do turn flat, chill your dough for an hour or flash freeze for 10-15 minutes.

3. Cookies dry and crumbly

The most common cause of this issue is overbaking. Cookies may appear undercooked when removed from the oven, but this is normal; they will continue to set as they cool. Your cookies should be golden with a slight hint of brown near the edges.

Another reason is leaving the dough balls uncovered for a long time, causing the surface to dry out. This results in dry crumbs on the surface of the cookie.

I prefer to smooth the surface of cookie dough balls with my hands, which avoids a crumbly surface.

How to keep cookies fresh?

Chocolate chip cookies taste the best fresh out of the oven, no way around it. To keep them soft, store them in an airtight container with a small piece of bread or tortilla. However, when stored, they do lose some of their crispiness at the edges.

The only thing that works for me is reheating the cookie right before eating—in a microwave for 8-10 seconds. If you can wait, you can reheat it in the oven, but I usually don’t want to heat the oven to reheat one cookie.

Reheating melts the chocolate, bringing out the soft center and the slightly crispy edges.

Storage

These cookies will stay fresh for 5 days at room temperature. Store them in an airtight container with a small bread slice so that they stay soft.

You can chill the dough for up to 3 days if you wish. If the dough feels too crumbly after chilling, use your hands to make the dough balls; the warmth of your hands will help shape them. Alternatively, let the dough soften at room temperature for around 15-20 minutes before making dough balls.

Freezing

You can freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Make sure to wrap them individually and then store them in a freezer-safe container.

You can also bake some cookies and freeze the rest of the dough in the form of cookie dough balls.

Baking frozen cookie dough balls

You can thaw them at room temperature or bake them directly from frozen. If baking from frozen, add 1-3 minutes to the baking time.

Success tips

• Use the same amount of flour as mentioned in the recipe.
• When transferring extra egg yolk, make sure not to transfer any egg white.
• The best pan to bake these cookies are metallic light-colored ones. The underside may turn a bit too brown in darker pans.
• Once done, leave the cookies on the baking tray for around 5 minutes, not too long or they may become soggy.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipes Ever (Soft & Chewy)

5 from 2 votes

Author: Jaz

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Indulge in the best ever chocolate chip cookies! These cookies are all in one– they're chewy, soft with a crispy edge, and loaded with irresistible pools of gooey chocolate. What's more, this recipe is incredibly simple, requiring just a few basic ingredients and no chilling time. You can also make happy face chocolate chip cookies with some simple tips.

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 11 minutes mins

Total Time 21 minutes mins

Servings 30 smaller cookies

Video

Ingredients

 

1/2x1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (See note 2)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar (See note 3)
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 large egg (at room temperature, see note 5)
• 1 egg yolk (at room temperature)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1.25 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips/chunks (close to 8 ounces chocolate bar) (Add upto 1/4 cup extra if you wish, see note 6)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Optional: If using a chocolate bar, divide it into chunks.
• Prepare a baking sheet; use as such or line with parchment or baking paper.
• Add butter to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave to just melt the butter (around 70-80 seconds if using refrigerated butter and 30-40 seconds if at room temperature).
• Let the butter cool for 5 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix these dry ingredients.
• Once the butter has cooled, add sugar and whisk.
• Follow by adding egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, and whisk to combine.
• Then add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold gently and do not overmix. (The dough should appear soft. Refer to the video to see the consistency. Do not add extra flour; use only the amount mentioned in the recipe.)
• Then add chocolate chunks/chips or melts and fold them gently.
• Take 1.5 tablespoons cookie dough balls (for smaller cookies) or 2 to 3 tablespoons (for medium to larger cookies) using a cookie scoop/measuring spoon and place them on the baking sheet. Smooth any irregularedges with your fingers.
• Optional: Add some extra chocolate chunks/chips on the top of dough balls.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes for smaller cookies and 11-13 minutes for larger cookies. The edges should turn slightly golden-brown (do not overbake).
• Once done, remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet/pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool for another 5-10 minutes. (Our cookies never make it to the cooling rack. We love the melted chocolate chunks!)
• Enjoy!

To make happy face chocolate chip cookies

• Follow steps 1 to 9 just as above.
• Add chocolate chips/chunks (do not add melting wafers) and fold them in batter. The dough may appear soft but you can easily shape it to make cookie dough balls. (If it appears too soft, place it in the freezer for 5 minutes.)
• Take 1.5 tablespoons cookie dough balls using a cookie scoop and place them on the baking sheet. Do not add extra chocolate chunks/chips on top of the dough balls.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes. The edges will turn slightly brown (do not overbake).
• Once done, remove from oven. Add chocolate chips on one end to make eyes and insert a melting wafer on the other side to make a smiling face.
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet/pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool for another 5-10 minutes.

Notes

1. Soft dough: The dough may appear soft but you can easily scoop it and even use your hands to make cookie dough balls. If you are not able to shape it, keep the dough in the freezer for 5 minutes and then shape it. (Do not add extra flour to try to make it firm.)

2. Butter: If you don’t have unsalted, use salted butter and skip the salt added in the recipe.

3. Brown sugar: I am using light brown sugar, but you can use dark brown sugar too. To retain chewiness, do not substitute with white sugar.

4. Reducing sugar: It will affect the spread of the cookies and also its texture. If you want to reduce it, press the cookie dough balls to form small flat disks or you may end up with thicker cookies.

5. Eggs: For best results, use eggs at room temperature. If you forgot to take them out of the fridge ahead of time, you can place them in warm water for 5 minutes to quickly bring them to room temperature.

6. Chocolate chips/chunks: I prefer using bittersweet chocolate chunks or dark chocolate melts, but you can use either chips or chunks, and either semisweet or bittersweet. Milk chocolate chips may make these cookies too sweet, so use them if you are fond of extra-sweet cookies. For making happy face chocolate chip cookies, you will need melting wafers and chocolate chips.

7. Storage and freezing:

These cookies will stay fresh for 5 days at room temperature. Store them in an airtight container with a slice of bread so that they stay soft.

You can chill the dough if you wish to for up to 3 days. If the dough feels too crumbly, use your hands to make the dough balls; the warmth of your hands will help in shaping them.

You can freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Make sure to wrap them individually and then store them in a freezer-safe container.

You can also bake some cookies and freeze the rest of the dough in the form of cookie dough balls.

You can thaw them at room temperature or bake them directly from frozen. If baking from frozen, simply add 1-3 minutes to the baking time. Cookies baked from frozen dough may turn out slightly thicker than usual.

8. Nutritional information:  It is only approximate; it’s best to refer to the specific ingredients and brands you are using in the recipe.

• For smaller cookies (1.5 tablespoons, 30 cookies):  133 kcal per cookie
• For large cookies ( 2 tablespoons, 24 cookies):  166 kcal per cookie
• For larger cookies (2.5 tablespoons, 18 cookies): 222 kcal per cookie

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipes Ever (Soft & Chewy)

Amount Per Serving (1 small cookie)

Calories 133 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Trans Fat 0.1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 21mg7%

Sodium 81mg4%

Potassium 63mg2%

Carbohydrates 17g6%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 115IU2%

Calcium 13mg1%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition information is calculated automatically and should be used only as an approximation.

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Course Dessert

Keyword chocolate chip cookies

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