Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies that are perfect in every way! This is the only chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe you’ll ever need. Soft, chewy, tender cookies that are so easy to make! Craving chocolate? Make sure to try my Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Tart and Flourless Chocolate Cake!
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies are far and away America’s favorite cookie. And I totally understand why! That chewy, chocolatey goodness is too much for me to resist too!
There seem to be a couple of camps of people when it comes to their chocolate chip cookies: those who like them crisp and crunchy or those who like them soft and chewy. Me? I call firmly into the soft and chewy category with one small exception. I want my cookies to be slightly crisp around the outside edges but soft and chewy in the middle.
With all the chocolate chip cookie recipes on the internet, they usually fall into one camp or the other. I like to be right in the middle – the best of both worlds.
The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
I spent a bit of time wondering what to title this blog post… maybe “The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies”, or “Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies”… because after experimenting with LOTS of chocolate chip cookie recipes (tough job I have, right?), this recipe is my absolute favorite.
In the end, I settled on the title “Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies”, because that’s what they are. And although these are in fact “perfect” to me… I know there is a wide range of thoughts on what makes a perfect chocolate chip cookie.
What Makes a Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe?
For me, a perfect chocolate chip cookie has a lightly browned, crispy edge with a soft and chewy center, and, of course, rich flavor. They shouldn’t be too puffy or cakey, but also not be totally flat or crisp. Wow, that’s lots of words to describe a pretty simple cookie!
So, I came up with one and now I’m sharing my recipe with you. If you like chewy (but also crisp), gooey, flavorful, easy to make chocolate chip cookies, then this recipe needs to come to life in your kitchen very soon!
Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – All-purpose flour is what most of us have in our pantries and that’s what you’ll need for this recipe.
- Baking soda – Baking Soda creates a leavening reaction to give your cookies just a bit of lift so that they aren’t flat.
- Salt – Salt within the recipe helps to balance and pull forward the sweetness from the sugar and the chocolate chips.
- Unsalted butter (melted) – Using unsalted butter helps to control the amount of salt (and the flavor) of the cookies. You want that buttery taste with the right amount of salt instead of too much salt. Using melted butter helps your cookies stay chewy and soft. If you do use salted butter, omit the salt that the recipe calls for.
- Dark brown sugar and white sugar – Using dark brown sugar in this chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe helps to keep your cookies soft and chewy while adding some depth with a slight caramel flavor. The white sugar helps to balance out the flavors so that the cookies have just the right amount of sweetness and caramel flavor without being too much.
- Egg and egg yolk – these add texture to the recipe while also helping to bind everything together. The extra egg yolk makes the cookies extra chewy.
- Vanilla extract – no cookie worth its salt omits the vanilla extract. It adds a flavor that, while subtle, is definitely noticeable when missing. It’s job is to enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Can’t have a chocolate chip cookie recipe without chocolate chips! I opted for semi-sweet chocolate chipsThe ultimate flavor ingredient in this recipe. See below for optional substitutions.
- Walnuts or pecans (optional) – These aren’t necessary for great chewy chocolate chip cookies, but they do offer some crunchy texture to complement the softness of the cookie.
How to Make the Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Combine dry ingredients: add flour, baking soda, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Melt the butter: Once it’s melted, add it to another large mixing bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer).
- Blend melted butter and both sugars: Beat (or stir vigorously by hand) until the butter and sugars are well combined and the mixture is smooth and shiny.
- Add the eggs and vanilla: Continue to beat until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients, chocolate & nuts: Pour your flour mixture slowly into the mixer, then the chocolate chips (and nuts if desired), and blend just until all the flour is mixed in (don’t over-mix).
- Chill the dough: Preheat oven to 350℉ and move the bowl of cookie dough to the fridge for 10-15 minutes (while the oven heats up).
- Scoop the dough: Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, then use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the batter onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheets. If the dough is too soft, move the entire baking sheet (with the cookie dough on it) to the fridge for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Bake the cookies: one baking sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes (I usually bake mine for 10 minutes). Remove the cookies from the oven when the edges of the cookies are just BEGINNING to get golden brown, and the centers of the cookies appear slightly under-baked.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool about 5 minutes on the baking sheets. During this time they will continue to cook, firm up, and brown. Once partially cooled, carefully transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
Tip: Keep the remainder of the dough in the fridge while you are baking the others. Keeping the dough cool will help the cookies keep their shape while baking.
FAQs
Baking is part science and part art. Here are some frequently asked questions and their answers to help you make a batch of the best chewy chocolate chip cookies ever so that you say “wow” every time!
What Makes a Cookie Chewy? The most important factor in making chewy cookies is moisture content. Cookie dough with a higher moisture content will yield a softer, chewier cookie.
The butter, eggs, and brown sugar (thanks to being made with molasses) all contribute moisture to your dough. Also, brown sugar is slightly acidic, which helps the baking soda to leaven your cookies so they aren’t flat and crispy all the way through.
How Do You Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Chewy?
- Use more brown sugar than granulated sugar – the higher moisture content helps keep your cookies soft and gives the best chocolate chip cookie flavor.
- Underbake them (just slightly – we aren’t going for raw “cookies”!)
- Store them in an airtight container – the longer you leave them out in the air, the harder they’ll get.
- Melted butter in this chocolate chip cookie recipe makes the most chewy chocolate chip cookies.
Why Use Melted Butter? Some cookie recipes use softened butter instead of melted butter. I use melted butter in this recipe because it yields cookies that have a softer and chewier texture.
Why Refrigerate the Dough? I know, I know. As soon as the dough is mixed up, you want to throw those bad boys into the oven so you can enjoy them faster (trust me, I understand!). However, there is a purpose behind chilling the cookie dough before you bake it. Putting your cookie dough in the fridge solidifies the fat so that it takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat does. The longer the fat takes to melt, the less your cookies will spread! Chilling the dough also gives the flavors to meld together and intensify.
The longer you chill the dough, the better the flavor.
Do You Have to Use Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips? No, not at all! One of the best things about this recipe is its versatility. While semi-sweet chocolate chips are the classic go-to, if you want to change things up, try replacing them with:
- Milk chocolate chips
- Chocolate chunks
- M&Ms
- Chopped candy bars
Can chocolate chip cookies be frozen? Yes. You can freeze after they have baked and cooled but my preferred method is to freeze the cookie dough. Form the dough into cookie dough balls and then flash freeze for an hour. Then just transfer the frozen cookie dough into a freezer safe bag. The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months!
To bake, remove the cookie dough from the freezer, preheat the oven and add an additional couple minutes to the bake time. You can also just the dough that in the fridge overnight and bake for the indicated bake time.
Can they be made in advance? Yes. The cookie dough can be prepared and chilled for up to tw0 days before baking.
These Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies now have a permanent place on my list of favorite recipes! I love that they can be mixed up and enjoyed all in less than an hour, perfect as an after-dinner treat. And because this recipe is so easy to follow, kids can help make them (or maybe even make them for you)!
Happy baking!
Make sure to follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
More Cookie Recipes
How to Make Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks, melted
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional
Instructions
- In one large bowl add flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
- Melt the butter, then add to another large bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Blend melted butter with both sugars, and beat (or stir vigorously by hand) until the butter and sugars are well combined and the mixture is smooth and shiny.
- Add the egg, then the egg yolk, and continue to beat until fully incorporated.
- Add vanilla and blend well.
- Pour flour mixture slowly into the mixer, then the chocolate chips (and nuts if desired), and blend just until all the flour is incorporated.
- Preheat oven to 350*F and move the bowl of cookie dough to the fridge for 10-15 minutes (while the oven heats up).
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop the batter (using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop) onto the parchment paper lined baking sheets. If the dough is too soft, move the entire baking sheet (with the cookie dough on it) to the fridge for an additional 10-15 minutes. The cookie dough should be somewhat firm before baking, or the cookies will turn out very flat.
- Bake cookies, one baking sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes (I usually bake mine for 10 minutes).
- Remove the cookies from the oven when the edges of the cookies are just BEGINNING to get golden brown, and the centers of the cookies appear slightly under-baked.
- Allow the cookies to cool about 5 minutes on the baking sheets, and they will continue to cook, and firm up. Once partially cooled, carefully transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
- Keep the remainder of the dough in the fridge while you are baking the others. Keeping the dough cool will help the cookies keep their shape while baking.
Notes
Tools Needed
2 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop | Cookie SheetNutrition
Originally published September 15, 2013.
I followed this recipe exactly as written, except for chilling – I let mine chill closer to 30 minutes because I took a shower and lost track of time. Mine spread out to the point that they were flat and basically one giant cookie (although they tasted amazing). Not sure what went wrong!
Just made these last night. A little flat from being rushed, but super delicious. No more nestle packaged cookies for our family. I must’ve eaten 6 in the last 20 minutes, but I love knowing what goes in them. Makes binging easier 😉
Hi Glory,
I’ve loved many recipes listed on your website. We recently made your peanut butter cookies and I’m anxious to try a new flavor. I’m wondering why your recipe calls for semi sweet chips? Could I use milk choc chips instead? Sorry if this is a dumb question but I’m not an expert when it comes to anything in the kitchen! Thank you in advance.
Katy
Hi Katy, So glad you’re enjoying my site! Semi-sweet chocolate chips are the most common chocolate chips you’ll find in the supermarket, and the most common choice in chocolate chips cookies. Please feel free to use the chips of your choice =)
can you help me! I’ll be moving to high altitude soon and I’ve been making this recipe because it’s THE BEST EVER. How can I make them the same at high altitude so that they don’t turn Out flat!?
I just made these last night per Pinterest. They are yummy. I do have to say the butter taste is a bit overwhelming. I’m wondering can you do 3/4 stick of butter and the other 3/4 stick of something else, perhaps applesauce? It was just too buttery, so much so that you could only eat 1 or 2 cookies. If I want a cookie, I’m gonna eat some cookies haha! I had to use m&m’s instead of chocolate chips since I didn’t have any but they still turned out great (chocolate wise). Thanks!
Hi Tori, So glad you gave the recipe a try! The ratio of butter to other ingredients in this recipe is generally in line with other chewy style chocolate chip cookies… but perhaps you would prefer a fluffier, more “cakey” cookie? Feel free to experiment with the recipe, but I have only made it as listed.
I have tried countless numbers of chocolate chip cookie recipes looking for “the one”. Well I found it. This is hands down and without question THE absolute BEST I’ve made. My boy’s eyes popped open wide when they ate one and totally agreed with me. Next time will have to be a double batch :). Thank you for sharing.
best and easiest cookies ever! Big hit with the whole family!
I just made these for the first time. They are delishish. I do not think they will last long.
Does it matter if I use light brown sugar?
I made them with light brown sugar and they seem to have worked out wonderfully, but I’m new to baking bahaha
I consider myself a chocolate chip cookie conneseiur/junkie and these are THE cookie. Best ever thank you soo much for this recipe!