When the craving for chocolate chip cookies strike, look no further than this easy recipe for chocolate chip cookies! No need to chill the batter! No waiting for butter to soften! This recipe quickly delivers chocolate chip cookies with crispy edges, chewy centers, and melty pools of chocolate in every bite!
The Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe to Beat All Others
Nothing hits the way a warm chocolate chip cookie does straight from the oven. But when the craving strikes, who wants to wait for butter to soften, the eggs to come to room temperature, or the dough to chill? Not me! And certainly not my kids!
So I made it my mission to create a chocolate chip cookie recipe that would deliver a soft, yet chewy cookie at a moment’s notice. And after months of experimentation with different flours, sugars, and chocolate chips, I have perfected a fail-proof recipe that you will forever turn to. We have been making this chocolate chip cookie for years now and given that it is the recipe that all of my kids friends ask me to share with their parents, it is well past time I share it here with you!
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Ingredients Needed
You will find the full list of ingredients, along with quantities in the recipe card. Below is a quick glance at what you need and tips to help you make the right selection.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is best–even better than pastry flour or cake flour!
- Sugar: A combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar will yield a chocolate chip cookie with crispy edges and a soft, chewy center. Both dark and light brown sugar work equally well. The only difference is that using dark brown sugar will result in more pronounced caramel notes.
- Chocolate Chips: Use any variety of chocolate chips you like. I personally prefer a combination of semi-sweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Oh so decadent!
- Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract; imitation vanilla will give your cookies an artificial taste.
- Butter: Even though we will be adding salt to the cookie batter, opt for unsalted butter–that leaves you in control!
- Salt: Sea salt is best here, as it will balance out the sweetness in the cookie and make the flavors truly pop. If you don’t have sea salt, opt for kosher salt (not iodized salt/table salt).
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Place the Egg in Bowl of Warm Water. No need to let your eggs come to room temperature, simply pop the egg (or eggs depending on how many cookies you are making) in a bowl of lukewarm water while you melt the butter and measure the dry ingredients. This will warm the egg up JUST enough to prevent the butter from solidifying from the cold egg.
- Melt the Butter. Place the butter in a heat-safe large mixing bowl and microwave until ALMOST fully melted. Give the butter a whisk so that the residual heat melts the butter fully. Let the butter cool slightly while you prepare the dry ingredients. This will ensure the warm butter doesn’t scramble the egg.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients. Place a large mixing bowl on a kitchen scale, zero it out, and set it to measure in grams. Then add in flour until you reach 210 grams (for one batch of cookies). Add the sea salt and baking soda to the flour and whisk to incorporate.
- Whisk Wet Ingredients Together. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and egg to the melted butter and whisk until the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter.
- Combine Dough. Add the wet ingredients and chocolate chips to the batter and fold together until the flour is fully moistened.
- Scoop Dough. Using a small cookie scoop (or 1.5 tablespoons of dough) scoop out the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about 2-inches between each ball of dough.
- Bake Cookies. Bake the cookies until the edges are set and LIGHTLY golden, but the center is still soft. The cookies will continue to set up on the baking sheet as they cool.
- Cool. Place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and let sit for 3-5 minutes, then remove the cookies from the tray and let cool fully. Or enjoy warm–that is my vote.😉
Kristen’s Tips
Tips to Remember for Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Weigh the flour. For less than $10 you can purchase a kitchen scale that will guarantee that you use the EXACT amount of flour the recipe calls for, which in turn ensures your cookies are always perfectly soft and chewy, never dense or thin. If you don’t have a scale, be sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup, never scoop from the bag.
- Salt is needed–but in the right way! Use unsalted butter and sea salt for a cookie that strikes the perfect balance between sweet and salty.
- Parchment paper is key. I have found that the type of cookie sheet makes minimal difference. But using parchment paper helps the cookies to bake evenly and prevents the bottom of the cookies from overbrowning.
- Use a cookie scoop. It just helps to ensure each cookie is the same size, so the baking time remains consistent.
Storage Instructions
- Store Baked Cookies: These chocolate chip cookies will stay soft and chewy for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Simply let the cookies chill fully, then place them into an airtight container.
- Freeze Dough to Bake Later: Scoop dough out onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, pop the cookie sheet into the freezer and let the dough freeze until harden; about an hour. Place the frozen balls of dough into a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Bake at 350℉/177℃ for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are set and slightly golden.
More Cookie Recipes
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Prevent your screen from going dark
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Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃ and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Place 1 large egg (whole) in a bowl of warm (~100-110℉/ 38-42℃) and let sit while you melt butter and prepare dry ingredients.
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Add ½ cup unsalted butter to a heat-safe mixing bowl. Microwave for 40-60 seconds, until almost fully melted, but not bubbling. Remove from the microwave, whisk well until any remaining solids have melted. Set to the side to cool slightly.
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Place a large mixing bowl on a kitchen scale, zero it out, and set it to measure in grams. Then add in flour until you reach 210 grams all-purpose flour. Add ½ teaspoon sea salt and ½ teaspoon baking soda to the flour and whisk well to incorporate.
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To the melted butter, add in ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Crack the egg into this mixture and whisk again to evenly combine.
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Add the sugar and butter mixture to the dry ingredients and fold together until the flour is just moistened. Add in 1 cup chocolate chips and gently fold together until the chocolate chips are evenly distributed through the cookie dough.
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Use a cookie scoop (or 1½ tablespoon of dough per cookie) to scoop the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet. Be sure to leave about 2 inches of space around the cookie dough, giving the cookies room to spread.
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Bake for 9-13 minutes, until the center is just set and the edges are just beginning to brown. Keep in mind all ovens vary, so you want to keep a close eye on the cookies (using the oven light) the last few minutes of baking. Keep note of time for future batches.
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Place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and let sit for 3-5 minutes, then remove the cookies from the tray, placing them on a cooling rack to cool fully.
Sea Salt: Feel free to replace with kosher salt, but NOT table/iodized salt.
Brown Sugar: Use dark brown sugar for more pronounced caramel notes. Light brown sugar for a more classic cookie. Both delicious.
Chocolate Chips: Use any variety of chocolate chips you like. I personally prefer a combination of semi-sweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips.
Storage: Let cool, transfer to an airtight container, and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezing Dough: Scoop dough out onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, pop the cookie sheet into the freezer and let the dough freeze until harden; about an hour. Place the frozen balls of dough into a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Bake at 350℉/177℃ for 13-15 minutes.
Calories: 153kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 106mgPotassium: 27mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 186IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
