With thousands of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, how do you choose the right one?
After years of testing and tweaking, I’ve learned that while a well-formulated recipe is essential, the best chocolate chip cookies also rely on a few key techniques — like chilling the dough and slightly underbaking the cookies to keep the centers soft and chewy. Over time, I’ve found that this recipe strikes the perfect balance between effort and reward, consistently delivering the perfect chocolate chip cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the best chocolate chip cookie?
The best chocolate chip cookies perfectly balance a soft, chewy centre with crisp, golden brown edges — and should never be dry or cakey.
Achieving this comes down to a few key things: a well-formulated recipe, chilling the dough to develop flavor and texture, baking larger-sized cookies to maintain that chewy/crisp contrast, and slightly under-baking them so that they stay soft and tender.
Do I need to chill chocolate chip cookie dough before baking?
Yes, I highly recommend chilling chocolate chip cookie dough before baking! Chilling and aging the dough helps develop flavor and improves texture, giving you cookies just like those you’d find at a professional bakery.
For best results, I recommend chilling the dough for at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight.
What’s the best type of chocolate to use: chips or chunks?
Choosing between chocolate chips and chocolate chunks really comes down to personal preference.
Chocolate chips are convenient and provide a more even distribution of chocolate throughout the cookie.
Chocolate chunks, on the other hand, will give your cookies pockets of gooey, melted chocolate. Additionally, chopping your own chocolate bar produces small shavings of chocolate that get distributed throughout the entire cookie.
Can I freeze cookie dough or baked cookies?
Absolutely! Both baked and unbaked cookies freeze well, though for the best texture, I recommend freezing them unbaked. After portioning the dough, place the cookie dough mounds on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Once frozen, transfer the dough to an airtight container or freezer bag for long-term storage. When you’re ready to bake, bake them straight from frozen — just add a couple of minutes to the baking time.
Fully baked cookies can also be frozen once cooled. Store them in an airtight container for up to 3 months and reheat before serving for that fresh-baked taste.
How to Make the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you could also use a handheld mixer, or just do it by hand with a whisk), mix the butter and sugar on medium speed until well combined.
Note: You don’t need to mix until “light and fluffy”, as many recipes indicate. You actually want to incorporate the least amount of air as possible, so that your cookies don’t become cakey!
With the mixer still on medium, add in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla, again being careful not to incorporate too much air.
Turn the mixer down to a low speed and add the dry ingredients, half at a time, into the wet ingredients and continue mixing at a low speed until just a few streaks of flour remain.
Next, add in the chocolate chips and, with a rubber spatula, fold the mixture just until combined and the chocolate chips are evenly distributed throughout.
Pro tip: The next step involves chilling and aging the cookie dough which helps develop flavor and texture. Though you don’t need to chill your cookies, I strongly recommend it!
Using a ¼-cup measure and a spoon, portion the cookie dough into ¼-cup mounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Note: You don’t need to space them far apart at this point because they will be rearranged after chilling.
Dip your fingers in a bit of water (to prevent sticking), and press down gently on each mound to flatten slightly.
Pro tip: For picture-perfect cookies, press 2 to 3 additional chocolate chips onto the top of each mound.
Chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes, uncovered (to prevent plastic wrap from sticking), then gently cover your baking sheet with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours and up to 48 hours.
Note: Once your cookies have chilled, they will be firm and easier to handle. At that point you can transfer them to a plate or airtight container and keep them covered while the others bake. Likewise, you can freeze the unbaked cookies for easy Chocolate Chip cookies later!
After 4 hours, preheat your oven to 350℉.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place the cookies about 3 inches apart on all sides. I recommend only baking 6 cookies of this size at a time on a single baking sheet, as they will spread a lot in the oven. Ideally, using two baking sheets is best here — just rotate them in the oven (top shelf vs. bottom shelf) halfway through baking.
Bake them in the centre of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes. If using two baking sheets, place one in the upper third of the oven and one in the lower third, and rotate the two pans halfway through baking.
Important: Chocolate chip cookies should appear slightly underdone in the centre when removed from the oven to ensure the centres are soft and chewy. They will continue to cook on the pan after removing them from the oven!
Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, or chopped into ¼" chunks
- Fleur de sel, or flaked sea salt (optional; for topping)
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour1 tsp baking soda1 tsp kosher salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, if using an electric hand mixer), combine butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix on medium speed until well combined.Pro tip: Despite what many recipes indicate, you do not need to mix until "light and fluffy". Rather, you want to incorporate the least amount of air as possible into the cookie dough, so that the cookies do not become "cakey".1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature¾ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed½ cup granulated sugar
- With the mixer still on medium speed, add in eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla, being careful not to incorporate too much air.2 large eggs, at room temperature2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, half at a time, to the wet ingredients. Continue mixing on low speed until only a few streaks of flour remain.
- Add in chocolate chips. Using a rubber spatula, fold the mixture just until combined and the chocolate chips are evenly distributed.1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, or chopped into ¼" chunks
- Using a ¼-cup measure and a spoon, portion the cookie dough into ¼-cup mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.Note: If chilling the dough (as recommended below), there's no need to space out the cookies yet — they can be rearranged after chilling.
- With your fingers,gently press down on each mound to flatten slightly. (To prevent sticking, dip your fingers in a bit of water first.)Pro tip: For picture-perfect cookies, press 2 to 3 extra chocolate chips onto the top of each mound.
- Chill the dough, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then gently cover with plastic wrap and continue chilling for at least 4 hours, or up to 48 hours.Pro tip: Chilling the dough helps it to "age", enhancing both flavor and texture. While chilling isn't strictly necessary, I highly recommend it for the best results.Once chilled, the dough will be firm and easier to handle. At that point, you can transfer the cookie mounds to a plate or an airtight container to keep them covered while the others bake. You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough for easy, freshly baked cookies later!
- After the dough has chilled for 4 hours, preheat oven to 350℉.
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place the cookie dough mounds about 3 inches apart (on all sides).Note: I recommend preparing multiple baking sheets and baking only 6 cookies (of this size) at a time on a single baking sheet, as they will spread significantly in the oven.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes.Note: If using two baking sheets, place one in the upper third and one in the lower third of your oven, then swap the pans halfway through baking.Pro tip: To ensure a soft, chewy texture, the cookies should appear slightly underdone in the center when removed from the oven. They will continue to cook on the baking sheet after being taken out of the oven.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. To maintain freshness, store any leftover cookies in an airtight container.
