There’s just something so irresistible about chocolate chip cookies! If I’m ever in a restaurant and I see some kind of chocolate chip cookie dessert on the dessert menu, 9 out of 10 times, that’s what I order. Or maybe the chocolate soufflé or salted caramel something.

I digress.

I’m not a fan of thick, fluffy, cakey cookies. After many failed attempts, however, I finally perfected the type of cookie I love.

This chocolate chip cookie recipe is my holy grail of cookies! Soft and chewy with perfectly crispy edges and melty chocolate chunks. And my favorite part is that they STAY soft all week long!

Here’s how I made them.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Unsalted butter. Always use unsalted butter as it gives you complete control over the flavor of a recipe.
• Brown sugar and granulated sugar. Sugar is what keeps cookies soft in general plus when you add more brown sugar than granulated sugar, the cookies will result in an even chewier texture with a caramel-like taste because of the molasses.
• Egg. This acts as a binder that binds all the ingredients together.
• Vanilla extract and salt. The best flavor enhancers.
• All-purpose flour. The most versatile flour that gives these cookies structure. Be careful not to overmix the dough as it may result in pancake-like cookies.
• Baking soda. This acts as the leavener helping these cookies rise a bit without letting them spread too thin.
• Chopped dark chocolate. The best of the best!

How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies From Scratch

• Making the cookie dough batter. I like to use one bowl for everything because fewer dishes is always the goal. In a mixer or large bowl, cream butter and sugars together. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and well combined. To the same bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined. Do NOT over mix. Fold in the chopped chocolate (meaning use a spatula to mix it slowly).
• Form the cookie dough balls. Using this cookie scoop, scoop dough and form into balls. Each dough ball should be 1.5 tablespoons of dough. Place them on a baking sheet and refrigerate the dough balls for, at least, 20 minutes (the longer, the better). You can freeze any leftover dough for future use.
• Bake the cookies! When ready to bake, remove dough from the fridge. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place dough balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. It’s ok if they are a little undercooked, they will continue to bake as they cool. Cool for 5 minutes before devouring. That’s all folks!

Best Tips For Making Chocolate Chips Cookies

I’ve received several questions about best practices for chocolate chip cookies so here they are.

• Follow directions to a T. First, make sure to follow the recipe exactly as it is stated below. Baking is not like cooking; any minimal change may alter the final result.
• Don’t over mix. Make sure you DO NOT over mix the wet and dry ingredients. It’ll let air into the batter and make the cookies go flat. No bueno.
• Baking soda only! Make sure you’re using baking soda, not baking powder. Huge difference.
• Just chill man. Yes, chilling the cookies in the fridge for at least 20 minutes is annoying but I guarantee the longer you chill the dough, the better the flavor will be.
• Check your oven temp. Lastly, if you run into issues, check your oven temp. Not all ovens are the same but you can check to make sure your oven is heating properly with an oven thermometer.

How do you keep chocolate chip cookies from going flat?

• Don’t over mix the dough. TRUST ME. It will be a DISASTER of flat, pancake-like cookies. It happened to me on Thanksgiving Day! *facepalm*
• Chill the dough for at least 20 minutes to solidify the ingredients. This will help the cookies spread less. Promise, it’s worth the wait!

How do you keep chocolate chip cookies soft?

• Underbake them. To keep these chocolate chip cookies soft, make sure you bake them no more than 11 minutes. You want them to be slightly underbaked. They will continue to cook as they cool anyway however it does help them stay softer for a longer time.
• Let them cool. Once you take them out of the oven, let them cool completely before serving. Place them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week. When you’re ready to eat, just pop one in the microwave for 10 seconds to get those melty chocolate chips. YUM!

How To Freeze Cookie Dough

Whenever I make a batch of these cookies, I usually freeze half of the batch so I always have cookie dough ready to go in the freezer! It’s the best new year resolution I’ve ever stuck to.

Here’s how you can do that too:

• Chill the cookie dough balls before freezing. When you form the cookie dough balls, place the cookie dough balls that you want to freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
• Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze. After about 1 hour in the fridge, remove the baking sheet with the cookie dough balls and make sure they are firm. Transfer them to a freezer bag for storage. They won’t stick together if they are chilled/firm.
• Bake cookies whenever you want! All you have to do is remove the dough balls you want to make from the freezer bag and bake straight from the freezer. You may want to bake them for 1 extra minute since they are frozen and it will still be delicious! I’d vouch to say they taste even better!

Frozen cookie dough lasts up to 3 months in the freezer.

Comes in handy for rainy days, when the company comes over, or when you need a sweet pick-me-up. I’ve received SO many compliments about these soft chocolate chip cookies. Seriously, go make a batch right now and freeze the rest. You’ll thank me later when that craving kicks in! ;)

I hope you make them and LOVE them!

Originally posted in October 2017. Updated photos + recipe in October 2020.