Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipes Ever (Soft & Chewy)

Chewy and soft big chocolate chip cookie.

5 from 2 votes

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipes 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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time11

Total Time21

Course: Dessert

Keyword: chocolate chip cookies

Servings: smaller cookies

Calories: 133kcal

Author: Jaz

Ingredients

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)

US Customary - Metric

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