This post will teach you how to make perfect chocolate chip cookies from scratch. It is a detailed guide, full of tips and tricks to help you make amazing homemade chocolate chip cookies. This easy chocolate chip cookie recipe makes a great base, so you can customise your chocolate chip cookies as you like!
I am not claiming that these are 'the best chocolate chip cookies' ever, but to me, this easy chocolate chip cookie recipe has everything I look for in a chocolate chip cookie. As a baking blogger, I have made my fair share of homemade chocolate chip cookies, and this cookie recipe is my back pocket, everyday simple chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is the one I go back to time and time again, for so many reasons:
- The dough comes together super quickly with no additional steps.
- Three kinds of sugar gives you amazing texture and chew.
- Huge chocolate puddles (which are optional), are my favorite.
- Crispy outsides, and a chewy chocolate chip cookie middle
- The dough freezes amazingly, so it is great to keep on hand.
To me, these are the perfect chocolate chip cookies. I have also stuffed this post full of tips and tricks for making the best chocolate chip cookies - a lot of these tips can be applied to any chocolate chip cookie recipe, I just wanted a place for them all to live!
If you love this simple chocolate chip cookie recipe, make sure to check out my brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe! For a quick and easy cookie situation with no scooping and rolling needed, my chocolate chip cookie bars are the perfect thing.
How to make the best chocolate chip cookies
There are a few steps to make sure these perfect chocolate chip cookies work out as well as possible:
Make sure your butter and sugar are properly creamed.
This chocolate chip cookie recipe yields a slightly thicker cookie, and part of that comes from the beating of the butter and sugars. This aerates the mixture, providing both lift in the recipe and texture.
It is important to ensure that the mixture is light and fluffy before adding in the eggs. Using melted butter in a recipe such as in my M&M cookie recipe and my mini egg cookie recipe, or brown butter like I use in my small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe gives a slightly denser, chewier cookie.
Measure your ingredients properly.
I think we all know now how important baking with a scale is to ensure accuracy - this applies here too.
Portion with a scoop.
Having nice evenly sized cookies means that they are going to bake evenly. I like to use a spring loaded cookie scoop to scoop out my cookie dough, but if you do not have one, you can weigh the balls of dough - each one should weigh about 55g.
Chill the cookie dough.
This is an important step for this recipe - chilling the cookie dough allows the flavours in the cookie batter to develop, the flour to hydrate slightly, and the butter to chill down. Give the cookie dough at least an hour in the fridge, or up to overnight.
How to make gooey chocolate chip cookies - bake until just set.
The level of doneness on a chocolate chip cookie is obviously personal preference. I prefer mine only just baked. Removing the cookies from the oven when they are just done gives you a nice gooey inside and a slightly crispy edge - remember they will set up on the pan a little too.
How to make chewy chocolate chip cookies
The role of sugar in cookies is important - both the amount in terms of the ratio of sugar to other ingredients, and the ratio of brown to white sugar.
When I am testing, I will play around with the quantities of white and brown sugar in a recipe - if i want the cookie to be thicker, a little chewier, and spread less, I will use more brown sugar, whereas if I want slightly crispier edges and more spread, I will increase the ratio of brown to white sugar.
I often get asked if it is possible to reduce the quantity of sugar in a cookie without compromising the texture - the short answer to this is no. Sugar plays an important role in the structure of the cookie, as it contributes to the moisture level while also interacting with the fat to provide lift within the cookie.
If you want to make a cookie appear less sweet, you can make sure that the dough is properly salted, and use darker chocolate in the cookie to offset the sweetness.
This recipe has brown, white, and raw / turbinado sugar in it. The brown and white sugar provide texture, while the turbinado gives a little crunch that I love so much.
Adding an extra yolk to chocolate chip cookies can also help provide chew - I do this in my egg yolk chocolate chip cookie recipe.
What is the best chocolate to use in chocolate chip cookies?
I almost always use chopped chocolate in my chocolate chip cookies. There are a few reasons for this:
- Sizing - Cutting up chocolate into chunks gives you a great range of size in your chocolate. This means you get a good distribution throughout
- Melty Pockets of chocolate - Chocolate chips often have a stabiliser in them which means they don't melt. This makes them great for things like muffins, but I much prefer using chopped chocolate for cookies because the chocolate melts, and you get pockets of chocolate throughout.
- Quality - if you use chopped chocolate, you can use whatever quality you like. It's also a great way to mix up the types of chocolate you use too - I like doing a mix of dark and then sometimes a fun flavour
- Chocolate Dust - This is a name I made up, but the dust is what's left from chopping chocolate. It all goes into the bowl and you get tiny chocolate specks all throughout the cookies.
- Melty Chocolate Puddles - Chopped chocolate means you can press extra chocolate onto the top of the cookies to get big chocolate puddles!
- If you want to use chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate, by all means go ahead?
How to get big puddles on chocolate chip cookies
I like to use a little trick to get those big puddles on the tops of my chocolate chip cookies. Just before the dough goes in the oven, I take each ball of dough, and flatten it slightly. I then press chunks of chopped chocolate onto the top. You can add some of the chocolate dust from chopping too. Then I squeeze it back into a ball, and place it on the baking sheet.
This means that when the cookie bakes, the chocolate will end up spread across the top of the cookie, and give you those big chocolate puddles on the tops. If you are freezing your cookie dough, do this step before they go into the freezer. You can't squish frozen dough!
How to keep cookies fresh
Store chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. To keep them fresh, you can place a marshmallow or a piece of bread in the container with them to help stop them from going stale.
However, I prefer to only bake of the amount of cookie dough that I need, and freeze the rest for another time.
How to freeze chocolate chip cookie dough
This dough freezes perfectly. Scoop it out, chill for an hour, and then bake off whatever you are wanting to bake off. Transfer the rest to a parchment lined baking sheet, and freeze until solid.
This is a flash freeze and should take 30 minutes to an hour. Then, transfer to a ziploc bag and label with the type of cookie dough you have. You can bake it directly from frozen - decrease the baking temperature to 325°f / 165°c and bake for the same amount of time - you may need to add an additional minute or so.
For all my tips and tricks on freezing cookie dough and baking from frozen, check out my post: how to freeze cookie dough
How long does cookie dough last in the fridge?
You can chill your cookie dough for a minimum of an hour before baking, or up to overnight. If you want to make it in advance, cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days, although if I know I will not be needing it for some time, I will freeze my cookie dough and bake from frozen.
If you want a no chill cookie recipe my olive oil chocolate chip cookies are great for this - they are also a dairy free variation of a chocolate chip cookie if you need that!
The 'Cookie Scoot' - for perfectly round cookies every time.
The "Cookie Scoot" is my secret weapon to perfectly round cookies. It's a totally optional step, but one that I really love. All you do is take a round object slightly larger than the cookie.
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, while they are still hot, put the cutter over the cookie and 'scoot' it into a perfectly round shape. The best. I do it basically every time now.
I use a cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie. I have a set of all different sizes which is made by ateco - it is super handy to just grab the one that you need!
Cookie troubleshooting
There are a couple of things that can go wrong with cookies - they will likely still taste delicious, but there are a few common issues?
Why are my cookies flat?
- Your baking powder / baking soda is expired so it is not doing the job it is meant to.
- You did not chill the cookie dough sufficiently before baking
- The ingredients were too warm, so the cooling period was not enough to chill the dough enough for it to not spread.
- Your oven is running hot - this is the most common issue. If your oven temperature is off, this will greatly affect the spread of your cookies. Make sure you are baking the recipe according to the oven directions (my recipes are all conventional bake), and make sure your oven is calibrated.
- You didn't use a scale - time to get one! Baking in cups isn't accurate, and cookies need accuracy!
- You used a silpat / silicone baking sheet - this causes cookies to spread a lot more than parchment paper due to how slippery they are.
Why did my cookies not spread?
This is a much less common issue, the main culprit is usually oven temperature. I bake my cookies straight from balls of dough - no need to flatten!
- Your oven temperature is off. If your oven is running cold, it will slow the spread of the cookies.
- You didn't use a scale - time to get one!
How to customise your chocolate chip cookies
I love to use this easy chocolate chip cookie recipe as a base, and mix things up when it comes to mix-ins.
Feel free to add in things such as candy, peanut butter cups, nuts, etc. I use this recipe as a base for my peanut butter cup cookies and my popcorn cookies, as well as my peanut butter stuffed chocolate chip cookies. I usually keep the weight of the mix-ins the same if I am swapping in things like candy or nuts, and replace some of the chocolate for whatever I am adding. You could also add things like salted caramel chunks like I did in my salted caramel cookies, or pieces of Nutella, piped out and frozen - I did this for my Nutella Cookies and it is amazing.
If you want to play around with the texture, ratio of sugars etc you are welcome to try, but please know I have not tested these so if you make changes, you are making your own recipe, not following mine. I am happy to help suggest other recipes if this one for my perfect chocolate chip cookies does not suit!
For more chocolate chip cookie recipes, check out:
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
How to make Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 28 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This post will teach you how to make perfect chocolate chip cookies from scratch. It is a detailed guide, full of tips and tricks to help you make amazing homemade chocolate chip cookies. This easy chocolate chip cookie recipe makes a great base, so you can customise your chocolate chip cookies as you like!
Ingredients
- 225g Unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 170g Dark Brown or Muscovado Sugar
- 100g Granulated / White Sugar
- 50g Raw / Turbinado Sugar
- 1 large egg (about 50g not including shell)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 300g All-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 3g salt (1 tsp kosher or ½ tsp table salt)
- 350 g good quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped, plus a little extra for chocolate puddles (see body of post)
- Flaky Sea Salt such as Maldon for finishing
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars on high speed for 5 minutes, until pale, and light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix to combine, scraping down the bowl when necessary.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the mixing bowl, and mix on low to just combine (you still want a few streaks of flour remaining that will get mixed in when you add the chocolate).
- Add the chopped chocolate and mix until just incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and give a few mixes by hand using a flexible spatula, to ensure even incorporation of the chocolate.
- Using a 2 Tbsp Cookie scoop, scoop out balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (you can place them close together). If you want big puddles on the top of your cookies, you flatten a ball of dough, press the chocolate onto the top side, then continue as usual and roll it into a ball, which then gives you even chocolate distribution as the cookie bakes.
- If you are not adding additional chocolate, there is no need to re-shape into a ball - you can bake right from the scooped shape. Cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and chill the dough balls for an hour in the fridge, or up to overnight.
- Toward the end of the chilling process, preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper (you can bake these in batches)
- Arrange 6 cookie dough balls on a baking sheet, leaving room for spreading. Leave the remainder of the dough balls in the fridge.
- Bake for 13-14 minutes, or until lightly golden and beginning to set. Baking time depends on personal preference - if you like them quite soft, bake for 13 mins, if you like them a tiny bit crispy then bake for 14. Remove from the oven, and if desired, use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie to scoot them into a perfectly round shape.
- Sprinkle liberally with flaky sea salt. Allow to cool on the pan - the cookies will deflate slightly as they cool. Repeat the baking process with the remaining cookies.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
If you cannot find raw / turbinado sugar, it can be substituted with 25g white and 25g brown sugar.
Comments
Jen Grayson says
I just made these cookies tonight and my teenage daughter told me they were the best cookies I’ve ever made. She does not bullshit or dole out compliments very easily so I take this as high praise!
Becca says
These are literally the best cookies ever. Anyone I've made them for always wants the recipe and requests for me to bake them again!
Sheena says
Hello! You said in the notes the cookie dough can be chilled for 3-5 days before baking. Would it make a difference if they are rolled into balls first and then chilled rather than chilling the whole batch of dough.?
Thank you!
Thomas says
Hi there. I followed all the instructions for your recipe, yet my chocolate chip cookie's burned in the oven. Can you give me advice on how to fix this issue.
Erin Clarkson says
Sounds like your oven isn't properly calibrated!
Ali says
This is the BEST chocolate chip cookie I have ever made. I have been baking for years and I’ve been on the hunt for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe and I’m so glad I found it! I always trust Erin’s recipes because I know they are tested and perfected!
Jayna says
This cookie recipe is hands down the BEST and DELICIOUS cookie recipe. However I noticed when using a 2 tbsp scooper, I was only able to get 17 cookies, not 28, a little confused about that.
gigi1956 says
did anyone convert to US measures? Having trouble finding how much chocolate to buy
Erin Clarkson says
Chocolate has the weight written on the label 🙂
Megan says
Best chocolate chip cookie recipe! I make up a batch, and keep the dough balls in the freezer, ready to bake whenever a craving strikes.
I also have family with dairy and gluten allergies, so I’ve subbed in df butter and a gf all-purpose flour, and they turned out fantastic!
Melyssa Laverty says
I have never had to deal with grams unless you don't have a food scale. If you don't there are lots of online calculators that change grams to cups/tablespoon/teaspoon. When you use a food scale make sure to put the bowl on first, then turn on the scale and then put the chocolate in or anything else you need to weigh.
Jacquelyn Hill says
This is my GOTO recipe. I am talking dough balls in the freezer at all times. My bf and I can’t live without a few of these tucked away.
Bárbara says
These cookies are superb and so easy to make! Brought them to the office and they were gone SO fast!!!
Olivia Wright says
I have made this recipe at least a dozen times. I receive compliments on them every time! It’s simply the best. No question.
Tamara says
I’ve been baking cookies for years and these are the BEST chocolate chip cookies!! The perfect balance of chewy and crunchy. The recipe is detailed but very easy to follow. I love that the measurements are all by weight in grams as that’s how the most consistent results are reached!
Tamara says
my first time making the cookies, and I was very impressed! I love that the measurements are all by weight, specifically metric, which leads to a predictable result I will definitely be making this will definitely be my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Krystel Mcpeake says
This is my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe and EVERYONE looooooves them.
Lucia says
They are my favorite chocolate chip cookies! Thank you for this recipe and all the testing you made. Love love love them and my friends love them too 😉
Emma Yates says
I’ve been making these cookies for my partner who is very particular about cookies and they are the best ones according to him, for dunking into milk!
I usually freeze half for those moments when warm cookies are required.
Melyssa Laverty says
It was a really good recipe but for me it was too much sugar so it all caramelized and turned into a hard sheet. I would suggest to add more flour to make it more like a dough if it is too sticky.
Emily says
This is my go-to choc chip cookie recipe. I love baking half and having an emergency cookie stash in the freezer ❤️
Elisa says
This is the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, works every time!
Zoe says
Love this recipe and always try to keep a supply in the freezer ready to bake.
Ridge Dupree says
Legitimately the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had! Erin being so precise with the recipe changes the game and the fact that she writes why certain parts of the recipe work makes understanding baking fun
Erin Clarkson says
Thank you so much for the lovely review - I appreciate it so much! So happy you love the recipe
Karen says
These have.become my go to recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I had some very happy coworkers when I surprised them with a batch! Thank you Erin for sharing your talents with us!
Alicia says
These are my family’s favorite chocolate chip cookies. Perfectly crispy and chewy, sweet with a hint of saltiness. Exceptional!
Emmerson says
My absolute go to for cookies, I never use any other recipe now. They freeze so well and are so good to whip out of the freezer and into the oven for guests, also amazing for cookie ice cream sandwiches. Can’t fault it!
Larry Louie says
This is a fantastic recipe! I have used Guittard dark chocolate, which was amazing (top ratings by professionals). I have also tried Costco Semi Sweet, which is still excellent. In other words, the actual cookie recipe is the star 🙂 Thanks so much!
Prof Foodie
Sunny says
Hi, would you have any suggestions on how I can make these eggless? Thank you
Erin Clarkson says
I don't sorry!
Tarhib says
Delicious post! Your recipe for perfect chocolate chip cookies is well-explained and looks absolutely irresistible. Thanks for sharing these sweet tips!
Elle says
Great cookies!
Katie says
Perfect every time!
martina says
Perfect recipe no notes - the detail is great. I often make these freeze them and bake at a later day its so convenient. The only thing i hate is chopping chocolate - any suggestions on making that easier ? food processer?
Anita says
Perfect cookies and so chocolatey! Easy recipe to follow and make. Will definitely be making these again.
Marian says
Not exaggerating - I will NEVER make another chocolate chip cookie recipe. The combination of multiple sugars is key, as is measuring by weight (I'll never go back to measuring cups!). I have made this recipe so, so many times. These are secret weapon cookies that will GUARANTEE everyone asks you for the recipe.
Hannah says
These are literally the best - thank you! I love putting them in the freezer and just baking what you need (they often end up being desert after dinner)
Bex says
Absolute go-to for stocking up the freezer with emergency cookies.
Izzie says
Great detailed instructions, super easy recipe to follow and a delicious result! Loved the extra information about freezing, now I have a stash for later too
Belinda says
These cookies were incredible, hands down the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made. Got all thumbs up and official Best Cookie Baker title from the kids too.
Mary Drury says
So delicious 😋 thanks Erin!
Easy recipe to follow
Jocelyn Doxsey says
I’ve been making double batches of this recipe for a few months now (I ball and freeze the dough) and my entire family just loves them. 11 year old tween daughter declares them “better than any you can buy”. High praise from a Williamsburg Brooklyn tween connoisseur. No notes and buying the bar and chopping is 100% worth the effort. We have one life to live why waste it on sub par cookies.
Aleesha says
The name says it all - this is the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Perfect as a gift for friends, as a dessert to take to a friends for dinner, and also to have a few extra in the freezer for emergency cookies that can be cooked in minutes!
I love that the recipes are in grams, they work perfectly every time!
Louise says
Oh no. Oh no. I just tasted these for the first time and this is going to be a problem. They’re the best cookies I’ve ever eaten and I can’t stop. Send help.
Seriously, these are god-tier. I am tempted to make a batch of less incredible cookies for my four year old so I don’t have to share these ones with him.
Thank you. May your pillow always be cold, may you always find a park exactly when you need one, and may your scales always be accurate. You deserve all the good karma for providing this recipe for us all.
Paul Steff says
Absolutely perfect recipe. I own a cafe and have been going through online recipes trying to find one that spreads perfectly & tastes amazing. This is just the most perfect choc chip cookie it’s insane. Thanks so much
Molly says
These really are the BEST choco chip cookies ever. By now I have made them at least a dozen times. My favorite way is to use freshly made brown sugar & i could never find turbinado sugar so I use coconut sugar instead and it adds a lovely caramel flavor! 10 🌟stars