Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 11 min
Total time: 31 min
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups flour; 1 tsp cornstarch; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1 1/4 tsp baking soda; 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temp; 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed; 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 eggs, room temp; 1 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips; 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips; 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate (70% or higher), (chopped into chocolate chip size chunks); flaky sea salt to sprinkle over chocolate chip dough balls before baking

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by Whitney // July 24, 2020 (updated April 2, 2021)

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A chocolate chip cookie recipe you can count on! These chocolate chip cookies are soft, thick, chewy, and sprinkled with a touch of sea salt to excite your taste buds on a whole new level!

If you want more cookie variations we have chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, double chocolate chip cookies, and Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough bites! Or if you like something a bit different, try my oatmeal butterscotch cookies, too!

Chocolate Chip Cookies against a white background.

A Spin on Tradition

When you think of traditional cookies, of times the first thing to your mind is a chocolate chip cookie. I mean, it doesn’t get much more traditional than that. It’s been around for decades (if not longer) and everyone has eaten a few in their lifetime.

While I grew up making Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies and have experimented with a good deal of chocolate chip cookie recipes in my day I have to swear that these are probably the best things ever.

Through my trials, errors, and experimenting I have found what it takes to make the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe and I’m sharing it here with you now. I also have the best chocolate chip cookie bars too!

Some of the most important things to note are the mixture of chocolates used, the dough chilling time, and the salt flakes at the end. While these changes may not seem significant, I assure you they are and I’ll be walking you through exactly HOW they affect the cookie recipe as we continue, so keep reading.

Ingredients Needed

Flour. Using all-purpose flour we can create a good cookie dough base.

Cornstarch. Normally seen as a thickener in soups, but in cookies, cornstarch helps to give a little puffier end result for those perfectly soft cookies.

Leavening Agents. Baking powder and soda are both used to help create a lighter cookie.

Salt. While it’s in practically every recipe out there, it’s for good reason. Salt helps to bring the flavors together and make recipes taste better.

Butter. I use unsalted because salt has already been added to the dough, but butter helps add that savory melt in your mouth feel in every bite. If you want a brown butter cookie try my brown butter chocolate chip cookies. They’re amazing!

Sugars. A mix of both brown sugar and granulated sugar gives you a sweet and chewy cookie with crisp edges just like the ones you’re dreaming of.

Vanilla Extract. While you may not notice the vanilla flavor in the dough, you will notice if it’s ever missing. This vital flavoring agent helps to make your cookies taste fantastic.

Eggs. Make sure that they’re room temperature, but if you forget to pull them out in time you can always stick them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes to make them room temp!

Chocolate Mixture. Using a mixture of mini chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and chocolate chunks you know you’ll have that classic melted chocolate look and a good amount of chocolate in every single bite!

Flaky Sea Salt. Years ago I would have never thought of this, but flaky sea salt really helps to deepen the flavors and make them pop. It’s amazing and you only need a sprinkle over each cookie!

How to Make Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

In a mixing bowl, combine your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt with a whisk and then set it aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and 1 egg, mix and then add in the other egg and mix again until well incorporated.
While mixing on low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated and then add in the chocolates. Note that you may have to mix the chocolate in by hand because the batter will be thick.
Once the chocolate has been added, place the dough in an airtight container and place it in the fridge for 24-72 hours. This is a HUGE secret to getting the perfect taste out of the cookies. The flavor is more pronounced after the cookie dough has been chilled for a longer period of time.
When the dough is ready to be baked, preheat your oven to 375°F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a 2 tablespoon sized scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared sheet and then top with a sprinkle of flaked sea salt.
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown and the centers still appear soft. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet or 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

FAQs and Recipe Tips

Storing Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baked chocolate chip cookies should be stored in an airtight container. They will last at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Can Chocolate Chip Cookies Be Frozen?

Yes! Chocolate chip cookie dough can be frozen as well as baked cookies. For freezing the dough I recommend freezing it in already portioned baking sizes so that it’s easy to grab a few at a time and bake. This allows you portion control so you don’t have to bake an entire batch at once if you don’t want to and you still get fresh from the oven taste and feel.

For freezing cookies, flash freeze them on a baking sheet for about an hour before transferring to an airtight container of zipper topped baggy in the freezer.

Can Chocolate Chip Cookies Be Made Without Brown Sugar?

Yes they can but that molasses in the brown sugar is what helps to give chocolate chip cookies their iconic chewy goodness. You can make your own brown sugar substitute if you find yourself trying to avoid the store. Simply mix 1 cup of white sugar with 1 teaspoon of molasses and it becomes 1 cup of brown sugar. Use what you need and follow along as directed.

Every year on August 4th is national chocolate chip cookie day, so if you find yourself looking for reasons to make cookies (as if you really need a reason) then this would b the most perfect holiday to try them on.

Why Chocolate Chip Cookies Are Flat

If you follow along with this recipe as I suggest this shouldn’t be an issue, but one of the biggest reasons for flat cookies is a warm dough. By chilling our dough we allow the butter and everything in it to set up so much that while baking it gives the cookie a puffy result instead of a flat one. So even if you are in a hurry to get your hands on these tasty cookies, make sure you chill the dough before baking because it’s super important!

Chocolate chip cookies on a black wire rack.

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