The BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
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 a tiramisu or chewy brownies. Mmm…
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!
Scroll down for the recipe!
5 star review
“Best chocolate chip cookie recipe EVER! This is my go to and always a hit! I quadruple the recipe so I can freeze some. I just scoop them out lay on parchment paper 3 high put them in a freezer ziplock and freeze! Absolutely love these cookies!”
—Patricia
Recommended For This Recipe
Essential Baking Tools For Cookies
I created a list with all my favorite baking tools to make the most perfect chocolate chip cookies every time!
🍪 Chocolate Chip Cookies are kinda my thing. My family loves them so much, but I must say these brown butter chocolate chip cookies are tied for first place in my book!
Best Tips For Making Chocolate Chip 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 overmix. Make sure you DO NOT overmix 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 overmix 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 airtight 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’s 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 chocolate chip cookies. Seriously, go make a batch right now (or maybe another one of my cookie recipes) and freeze the rest. You’ll thank me later when that craving kicks in! 😉
I hope you make them and LOVE them!
The BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (let it cool for 5 minutes)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup chopped dark chocolate, (or any chocolate of your choice)
- Flaky sea salt for garnish, (optional)
Instructions
- In a mixer or a large bowl, mix the (cooled) melted butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and well combined.
- To the same bowl, add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix by hand until just combined. Do NOT overmix. Fold in chopped chocolate.
- Using a cookie scoop, form dough into balls (approx. 1.5 tablespoons of dough).
- Place the dough balls in the fridge for, at least, 20 minutes (the longer, the better). You can also freeze the dough balls for future use.*
- When ready to bake, remove the dough balls from the fridge. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- 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 the oven and sprinkle with sea salt (optional). It's ok if they are a little undercooked, they will continue to bake as they cool.
- Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Click here for all your cookie baking essentials.
- 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 overmix. Make sure you DO NOT overmix 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.
- Don’t overmix 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!
- 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 bake 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!
I can’t count how many times I’ve made these cookies, this is the best recipe I’ve ever used,and my family and friends are always telling me to make them again.
So happy to hear, Adela! Thank you for your comment!
Also I have two questions: almost every time I leave the baked cookies in a container over night they get grainy by morning. So what is the best way to store them. The other question is can I cool the cookie dough overnight in the fridge?
You might try putting a slice of fresh bread in the container with the cookies. I have found the cookies, nice and soft and moist and doesn’t change the original results of the cookies.
Great tip, Linda! Thank you for sharing!
i adore this recipe, i’ve baked it a couple times now and always get asked for more! It’s quite rich but true to its name – its chewy but crispy, my go to cookie.
So happy to hear, Gisele! Thank you for your comment!
I love to cook, but I am NOT a baker. My husband loves chocolate chip cookies and the joke is I always buy the ingredients and they sit in the pantry. I thought I’d better make them so I looked up chewy chocolate chip cookies and this is the one I found. I made them once and they were a hit. My granddaughters and my son in law raved about them. So I made them for hubby and he was just as impressed. I used regular chocolate chips so this time I bought dark chocolate chunks. I roughly chopped them to get 1 cup but I had to take quite a bit out because there was way too much. They wouldn’t all mix into the batter. So the cookie balls are sitting in the fridge as I write this. Im making them for the ladies coming over tomorrow and they love their sweets. I’m sure they’ll be a hit with them too. Hmmm, maybe I should photocopy the recipe so they can all take one.
So happy you loved it, Diane! Thanks for sharing!
The cookies are delicious but I did follow everything to a T and after 12 minutes in the oven my cookies were still pretty much raw. That’s the only thing I have to say but even as it states in this page all ovens are different so maybe it’s just my oven
Hi Kate, the cookies harden as they cool on the baking sheet so if they come out a little raw, that’s ok! You don’t want to bake them for too long or else you risk getting rock hard cookies. Nobody wants that lol. Enjoy!
I cooked them longer than the recipe stated, because I was nervous. However, they were still moist and chewy and absolutely delicious. I thank you so much for this simple, easy to follow recipe.
So happy to hear, Maybelline! Thank you for your comment!
Hi! I want to add chopped pecans! Do you know how much I should add?
I have a recipe for Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies: https://asassyspoon.com/chewy-pecan-chocolate-chip-cookies/
The best cookies i ever made! I printed the recipe so i will always have it! These cookies are exactly what i was looking for.And this recipe is even easier than the traditional recipe which is definitely a plus.
So happy to hear, Laura! Thank you for sharing!
Hello! I have a question about melting the butter, should I completely melt it or should I melt it half way than whisk it the rest of the way.
I heard stories of the cookies coming out greasy when it’s melted all the way
Hi! I’d melt the butter completely but allow it to cool before mixing it with the other ingredients. Hope that helps!
i now know this recipe by heart i make it every time! its sooooooooooooooooooooo GOOD thank you soooooooooooooooooooooooo MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So happy you love it, Harper! Thank you for sharing!
Ive been making these cookies for family for a year now and everyone adores them. The first time I made them I made a batch for my mother and brother and my mother ate over half of them in the middle of the night 😂. I did change one thing. I use bread flour. After the first time I thought how can I make them chewier. And I had just started making bread and found out the protein in bread flour helps that chewiness. These are the only cookies I’ve found that work with bread flour though
So happy to hear, Brittany! Thank you for your comment!
It was a bit sweet but overall delish!!