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 a delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough Bites! Or, mix your cookie love with cake by trying my Chocolate Chip Cupcakes or my Cookie Dough Cake Recipe!

Chocolate Chip Cookies against a white background.

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, these are probably the best ever! Through experimenting and trial and error, I have found what it takes to make the BEST chocolate chip cookies, and I’m sharing it here with you now. I also have the best chocolate chip cookie bars too!

Why This Recipe Works

  • Chocolate in every bite. These cookies have pieces of chocolate in every bite! The secret is to use a variety of chocolates and sizes of chocolates in the dough. This recipe uses regular-sized chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips and pieces of Ghirardelli’s bittersweet chocolate.
  • Perfectly chewy cookies that don’t spread! The trick to getting cookies that don’t spread and go flat is to chill the dough! I recommend chilling the cookie dough for 24-72 hours in order to get the best results. See my FAQs below to learn why!
  • Flaky sea salt on top. Trust me on this. The flaky sea salt on top of these cookies is a HUGE difference. You’ll love it! The direct saltiness on your taste buds followed by the sweetness of the cookies is a party in your mouth! You’ll quickly see why sea salt chocolate chip cookies are so amazing!

Ingredient Notes

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie ingredients on a gray background.
  • Cornstarch: Normally seen as a thickener in soups, but in cookies, cornstarch helps to give a tender texture and it used as a type of anti-cake texture ingredient. This means it helps the cookie remain chewy and not puff up like a cake texture.
  • Leavening Agents: Baking powder and soda are both used to help create a lighter cookie.
  • 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.
  • 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!

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt in a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
  2. Cream the butter and sugars together in a stand mixer or mixing bowl with an electric mixer 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.
A mixing bowl with sugar, brown sugar, and butter inside.
Creamed butter and sugar in a glass mixing bowl.
  1. While mixing on low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated and then add in the chocolates. You may have to mix the chocolate in by hand because the batter will be thick.
Chocolate Chip Cookie dough batter.
  1. 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 game-changing 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.)
Chocolate Chip Cookie dough batter in a rectangular Tupperware.
  1. When the dough is ready to be baked, preheat your oven to 375°F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Use a 2-tablespoon-sized scoop to scoop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Top with a sprinkle of flaked sea salt.
  3. 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 for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Chip Cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.

Recipe Tips

Using the difference types and sizes of chocolates increases the amount of melty chocolate in each bite as well as provide difference of flavors. I love the addition of the Ghirardelli chocolate pieces. The unsweetened chocolate makes a huge difference!

Adding the cornstarch is an important ingredient. Don’t skip it or substitute for it. The cornstarch helps produce soft chocolate chip cookies that are chewy in texture as well.

Looking to make a smaller batch of chocolate chip cookies? Instead of halving this recipe, check out my Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe!

Want to add some peanut butter? Try my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing

These cookies are best made in advance because of the necessary chill time. Store the cookie dough in the fridge in an airtight container for 24-72 hours depending on your time frame and how developed you want the flavors to be.

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

To freeze cookie dough, I recommend freezing the dough in the cookie portioned balls. Flash freeze on a baking sheet until the dough balls are firm (about 20 minutes) and then transfer to a Ziplock bag or airtight container. The cookie dough will last in the freezer for 4-5 months.

To freeze baked cookies, wait until they are cooled all the way before storing in an airtight container or Ziplock bag. You can also store them with sheets of parchment paper between the cookies so they don’t stick all together in the freezer. Freeze for up to 2 months for best results. Anything above 2-3 months maybe develop freezer burn. To reduce freezer burn, wrap the cookies individually in plastic wrap before storing in a Ziplock bag in the freezer.

A chocolate chip cookie broken in half.

FAQs

Can these 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 20 minutes before transferring to an airtight container or Ziplock bag 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.

When is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day?

Aug. 4 is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. But you don’t need a national holiday to make these yummy cookies! This is by far the best chocolate chip cookie recipe out there!

Do I have to chill chocolate chip cookie dough?

You definitely should! Baking cookies with chilled dough helps with so many things. It helps the flavors develop because the dry ingredients incorporate the wet ingredients better. This gives you a more even bake and more developed flavor. It also helps so your cookies don’t get flat! 👇🏻

Why are my chocolate chip cookies flat?

If you chill the dough, you won’t get flat cookies! 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 helps the cookie retain a little bit of its height instead of flattening out. 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!

Can I use milk chocolate chips?

You can, but instead, you should check out my Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe! They are amazing!

Chocolate chip cookies on a black wire rack.

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The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies topped with sea salt on a gray background.
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5 from 30 votes

BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

The BEST chocolate chip cookies ever! This is my go-to recipe. These cookies are soft and chewy with slightly crisp edges with really soft centers. We use semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, and a chopped bittersweet baking bar to deliver the ULTIMATE chocolate chip cookie! Top it off with some sea salt and you're good to go!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes
Total Time: 31 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients
 

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with hand held beaters, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. About 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and 1 egg. Mix. Add the second egg. Mix to combine. With mixing speed on low, slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated. Add in the chocolate chips, and chocolate chunks. Mix. (You may have to mix in the chocolate by hand). Once the chocolate is mixed into the dough, place the cookie dough in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for 24-72 hours. 
  • When ready to bake preheat the oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a 2 T size cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and place on the prepared baking sheet. (12 cookies per sheet). Lightly sprinkle the cookie dough balls with flaky sea salt. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges. The centers will appear soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely. 

Notes

Using the difference types and sizes of chocolates increases the amount of melty chocolate in each bite as well as provide difference of flavors. I love the addition of the Ghirardelli chocolate pieces. The unsweetened chocolate makes a huge difference!
Adding the cornstarch is an important ingredient. Don’t skip it or substitute for it. The cornstarch helps produce soft chocolate chip cookies that are chewy in texture as well.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing
These cookies are best made in advance because of the necessary chill time. Store the cookie dough in the fridge in an airtight container for 24-72 hours depending on your time frame and how developed you want the flavors to be.
Baked chocolate chip cookies should be stored in an airtight container. They will last at room temperature for 3-4 days.
To freeze cookie dough, flash freeze the dough in cookie portioned balls on a baking sheet until firm (about 20 minutes) and then transfer to a Ziplock bag or airtight container. The cookie dough will last in the freezer for 4-5 months.
To freeze baked cookies, wait until they are cooled all the way before wrapping the cookies individually in plastic wrap and storing in a Ziplock bag in the freezer. Wrapping the cookies reduces the risk of freezer burn.

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcal (12%)Carbohydrates: 30g (10%)Protein: 2g (4%)Fat: 11g (17%)Saturated Fat: 6g (30%)Cholesterol: 26mg (9%)Sodium: 149mg (6%)Potassium: 124mg (4%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 19g (21%)Vitamin A: 215IU (4%)Calcium: 30mg (3%)Iron: 1.5mg (8%)
author: Whitney Wright
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review on the blog post letting me know how you liked this recipe! Take a picture and tag @saltandbaker on Tik Tok, Instagram, and Facebook so I can see what you’re making!

This recipe was originally published on July 24, 2020. It was updated on Dec. 20, 2021, to include additional information and photos.