The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever
Posted Feb 11, 2018, Updated Mar 17, 2024
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This is the best chocolate chip cookies recipe ever! No funny ingredients, no chilling time, etc. Just a simple, straightforward, amazingly delicious, doughy yet still fully cooked, chocolate chip cookie that turns out perfectly every single time!
Everyone needs a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe in their repertoire, and this is mine. It is seriously the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever! I have been making these for many, many years and everyone who tries them agrees they’re out-of-this-world delicious!
Plus, there’s no funny ingredients, no chilling, etc. Just a simple, straightforward, amazingly delicious, doughy yet still fully cooked, chocolate chip cookie that turns out perfectly every single time!
These are everything a chocolate chip cookie should be. Crispy and chewy. Doughy yet fully baked. Perfectly buttery and sweet.
How to make Chocolate Chip Cookies
Let’s walk through how to make chocolate chip cookies step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Make the chocolate chip cookie dough
The first step in making these easy chocolate chip cookies to to combine the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.
When doing this, make sure to Measure the flour correctly. Be sure to use a measuring cup made for dry ingredients (NOT a pyrex liquid measuring cup). Then, measure flour by scooping it into a measuring cup and leveling it with a knife.
Next, cream together butter and sugars, make sure to soften the butter early by taking it out of the fridge at least two hours before baking so it’s ready to go when you need it. You can also warm it in the microwave for about 7 seconds, but be very careful not to melt it.
Once butter/sugar mixture is beaten well, add the eggs & vanilla and beat to combine.
Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Then add the chocolate chips and beat until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Use LOTS of chocolate chips. You want at least two gooey chocolate chips in every bite.
The chocolate chip cookie dough should be easy to roll and not sticky. It should not be dry or crumbly. See photo below for the optimal texture.
Portion & roll dough
Once the cookie dough is finished, it’s time to portion and roll the dough. I know many people eyeball it when making cookies, however I highly recommend using a cookie scoop.
Using a cooking scoop ensures that all the cookies are uniform in size so that they bake evenly. I love this stainless steel cookie scoop and use it every time I make cookies.
At this point you can either bake your dough or freeze it.
To freeze cookie dough:
Since this chocolate chip cookie recipe makes so many cookies, I always make a full batch and freeze some. That way I have dough on hand for unexpected guests or whenever the cookie craving strikes.
I prefer to flash-freeze the cookie dough before putting it in an airtight container. To do this, roll the cookie dough into balls and space them out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Then put the baking sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until the dough slightly freezes.
Once the dough is slightly frozen, transfer the cookie dough balls to an airtight container or plastic bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
How to bake frozen dough
There are two ways to bake frozen dough:
- Thaw it first: I love having dough ready to go in the freezer for impromptu guests. When you want to bake them, remove the dough balls from the freezer, set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with a light cloth towel or napkin to let them thaw. Then, once they reach room temperature (after about 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen) bake as directed in the recipe (at 375 degrees F). SO easy!
- Bake from frozen: Place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (ONLY if you are baking the frozen dough) and put the cookies in the oven in the beginning of the preheating time. (So put the cookies in the oven as you preheat it). Set the timer for 15 minutes and remove the cookies after 15 minutes. The top will look a little more brown than usual, but they will still taste amazing.
Bake until they just barely look done
If you are baking the cookies immediately simply roll them into balls, place them evenly apart on a baking sheet (about 1.5 to 2 inches apart) and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
The most important piece of advice I can give you is – DO NOT over-bake these chocolate chip cookies! They will not look done when you pull them out of the oven, and that is GOOD.
At the end of the baking time, these chocolate chip cookies won’t look done but they are. They will look a little doughy when you remove them from the oven, and thats good. They may be lightly browned in a few places, which is exactly how you want them.
They will set up as they sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes. I never bake them for more than 9 minutes
Cool
Cool the chocolate chip cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely (or just eat them warm while the chocolate chips are melty)!
Store
Store these chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
FAQs about Chocolate Chip Cookies
The trick to making this best chocolate chip cookie recipe gooey is to not over-bake them.
There are a few main reasons for this that I have found in my experience:
1) Expired leavening agents. If your baking soda or baking powder are past their prime, your chocolate chip cookies will likely flatten and spread. Even if the date on the container checks out, it still might not be good. That would be the first place I would start.
How to test if your baking soda is active: Combine 1/2 cup of hot water, 1/4 teaspoon vinegar and 1/4 tsp of baking soda. When you add the baking soda a reaction should take place immediately. If not, then you need new baking soda.
How to test if your baking powder is active: Add 1/2 tsp of baking powder to 1/2 cup of hot water. It should bubble immediately. A reaction should take place immediately. If not, then you need new baking powder.
2) Over-mixing. If you over-mix the ingredients in this best chocolate chip cookie recipe you may end up with flat cookies.
3) Ingredients are too warm. Sometimes over-mixing can also lead to your ingredients becoming too warm. If you notice this happening, you can chill the dough before baking to return the batter to room temperature.
4) Incorrect oven temperature. I recommend baking with an electric convection oven. If your cookies and other baked goods are not turning out properly, invest in a cheap oven thermometer to check the temperature. If your oven is baking too hot or too cold, then the cookies will not turn out well.
If your cookies didn’t flatten, here are a few things that could’ve been the problem. I have never had this happen to me in 10 years, so here are my educated guesses…
1) The ingredients/cookie dough was too cold. Cold dough doesn’t spread as well as room temperature dough.
2) You accidentally used too much flour. Be sure to use a measuring cup made for dry ingredients (not a pyrex liquid measuring cup), and measure the flour correctly by scooping and leveling.
3) The oven temperature is incorrect. I recommend using an oven thermometer to check the temperature of your oven (it’s only $7), because it can often be different than the reading it gives on the display or what the dial is set at.
4) The butter/sugar mixture wasn’t fully creamed. Try creaming the butter and sugar together for longer.
I have tested baking this recipe from frozen more times than I can even count. I have gotten the best results when I place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (ONLY if you are baking the frozen dough) and put the cookies in the oven in the beginning of the preheating time. Set the timer for 15 minutes and remove the cookies after 15 minutes. The top will look a little more brown than usual, but they will still taste amazing.
Yes, this recipe halves easily. Simply decrease the ingredients by half and the recipe will make 18 cookies. Or, try this recipe for small batch chocolate chip cookies that makes 8 cookies.
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
The only ingredient I feel confident that can be changed up is the mix-ins. Chocolate chips, sprinkles, peanut butter chips, etc. DO NOT change anything else in this recipe. If you do I cannot guarantee they will turn out. However, here are some tested substitutions.
- Butter. I use salted butter, but unsalted butter would also be great. I just recommend tasting the dough to ensure that it’s salted to your liking.
- White Sugar. You can use granulated white sugar or organic cane sugar.
- Brown sugar. I use light brown sugar in this recipe for the best results.
- Flour. I recommend using an unbleached, all-purpose flour to make these chocolate chip cookies. Many readers have used gluten-free all-purpose flour with excellent results. Or, try these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.
- Sea Salt. I exclusively bake and cook with pure, fine sea salt. Sea salt is different than table salt (that is iodized), so if you use salt other than sea salt I recommend testing the recipe first with 1/2 tsp and then adjusting to your taste.
- Chocolate Chips. As you can see from the photos, sometimes I use chocolate chunks, chopped chocolate, or chocolate chips. It doesn’t matter what you use, as long as you use 2 cups.
More of our favorite cookie recipes!
- The BEST Cut Out Sugar Cookies – Perfect for Christmas (or any holiday really)!
- Make this giant chocolate chip chocolate chip cookie cake – better than store-bought and perfect for any occasion!
- For an easy and irresistible dessert, try this Skillet Cookie (Pizookie) recipe! It’s like eating warm cookie dough and it comes together in 20 minutes flat!
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies have three different forms of chocolate!
- You have to try our Oatmeal Cookie Recipe – it’s seriously the BEST!
- Classic Soft Peanut Butter Cookies – My personal favorite kind of cookie!
- Classic snickerdoodles! This is my grandma’s recipe, you will love them!
- Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
- The BEST Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies (EVER)! My favorite Christmas cookie!
- Flourless peanut butter blossoms
- Candy Stuffed Cookie Bars
- No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars
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The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips (14 oz)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Cream together butter and sugars until combined.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla until light (about 1 minute).
- Mix in the dry ingredients until combined.
- Add chocolate chips and mix well.
- Roll 2-3 Tablespoons (depending on how large you like your cookies) of dough at a time into balls and place them evenly spaced on your prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake in preheated oven for approximately 8-10Â minutes. Take them out when they are just barely starting to turn brown.
- Let them sit on the baking pan for 2 minutes before removing to cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- Butter. unsalted butter, coconut oil and vegan butter are all good substitutes. Or, use browned butter.
- Granulated Sugar. organic cane sugar works well too.
- Light Brown sugar. Dark brown sugar works well, but imparts a stronger molasses taste.
- Flour. I recommend using an unbleached, all-purpose flour to make these chocolate chip cookies. All-purpose gluten free flour works very well too.
- Sea Salt. I exclusively bake and cook with pure, fine sea salt. Sea salt is different than table salt (that is iodized), so if you use salt other than sea salt I recommend testing the recipe first with ½ tsp and then adjusting to your taste.
- Chocolate Chips. As you can see from the photos, sometimes I use chocolate chunks, chopped chocolate, or chocolate chips. It doesn’t matter what you use, as long as you use 2 cups. Choose your favorite variety: milk, semisweet, dark, etc.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These cookies hold a special place in my heart. My friend brought me a meal after my first miscarriage (more on that below) and brought these cookies for dessert. They were so perfect I was convinced they were slice and bake, so I slyly said to her, “the cookies you brought are SO delicious, how did you make them?” Lo and behold they were from scratch and she shared the recipe with me!
Her sweet gesture (literally) took a very dark season in my life and made it a little brighter. You see, after our daughter Bethany turned one-year-old we were ready to have another baby! We found out I was pregnant with twins, but things didn’t look great. There were no heartbeats, and although it was early (7 weeks) we were fairly certain that it wasn’t a viable pregnancy. We waited two weeks just to be sure, and then I was scheduled to have a D&C and say goodbye to our babies.
This began one of the most difficult, trying times in my life. I was in a cloud of postpartum depression with no sweet baby to snuggle the blues away. My friends and family came alongside of me and I began to heal. I experienced another miscarriage and then got pregnant with my son, Gabe.
Losing three babies in such a short time changed me forever. I haven’t taken one single day of my kids’ lives for granted. They were chosen to be mine. I have some babies I never got to hold, so I cherish holding the ones I do. These cookies remind me of the sweetness and importance of friendship. I wouldn’t have made it through without a handful of close friends who I cherish. So make these cookies and share them with people you love.
Life is too uncertain to take a minute for granted. Spread love, make cookies. That’s my motto!
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I rarely review recipes unless they just blow me away. My daughter (6) and I shared some bonding time yesterday making these cookies as a way to get through the loss of our cat. (RIP Taco) I pulled out the Kitchenaid mixer that I rarely use and everything. These are the best cookies I have ever made and maybe the best cookie I’ve ever eaten. Kids and husband agree. I didn’t have baking powder so I added slightly more baking soda and a few drops of vinegar as Google said that was a suitable replacement (per 1 tsp so I had to just add a tiny bit for the 1/2 tsp it calls for). Thank you for sharing this recipe and your story. Quarantine cookies for the win!
Hey Jennifer! I’m so sorry for your loss, and Taco is a great name for a cat! 🙂 I’m so grateful these brought a little joy to this difficult time!
After freezing – do you then put then in the oven while still frozen (if yes then how long would you bake them) or wait until they are in room temperature and then bake them? Thanks 🙂
Hey Paulina! I give instructions on how to bake from frozen in the post. However, my preferred method is to remove the dough balls from the freezer, set them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a dry tea towel, then let them thaw to room temperature (it doesn’t take too long) before baking according to the recipe instructions.
Me and my dad are going to make these tomorrow because they look scrumptious
I am only 98 and made these all by myself… my great granddaughter is so very proud. So much better than what we had in the great depression.
I’m so grateful you loved them and got to make memories with your great granddaughter!
OMG. Seriously, you weren’t kidding when you titled this the BEST RECIPE. I have NEVER made cookies from scratch before, so this was my first try and I (along with the rest of my family) can easily say I nailed it. I will only ever make this recipe! Only different thing I did was substitute the vanilla extract for maple syrup, simply because I had run out. THANK YOU THANK YOU.
I am on round #2 of making these during quarantine. I think they are the only thing keeping me sane, haha!
Way to go Caroline! I hope they make this trying time a little sweeter for you and your family!
These Cookies are absolutely delicious! They brought some warmth to our tummy’s and joy to our souls on this rainy day/quarantined day! Thank you for sharing this recipe we are absolutely enjoying!!
I’m so glad they were a morale booster during this time of global uncertainty!
OMG!!!! These are the best cookies I have ever made. Everyone said they were great and they wanted the recipe.
Thank you Erica! I’m so glad you got to spread some cookie cheer!
I’ve never felt compelled to rate a recipe before, but it’s rainy, we’re quarantined, and this recipe was that good. I’ve made my fair share of chocolate chip cookies, but I’ve always been in search of the perfect recipe. This is it! They are soft, chewy, and delicious. My entire family loved them. Even better, they are simple to make. This is the recipe I will use from now on and probably pass it down to my kids. I also love your message about the importance of friendship. I can’t wait to share these cookies with the friends I’ve been missing so much while social distancing.
Thank you so much Erin! That means so much to me!
YUM! These cookies are great. Google autocorrected my “YUM” to “YUK” and I absolutely had to change it back!! These are great. I wish they had got a bit crispier but that may be because I modified the recipe a bit. (I know, one of THOSE people). There’s so much information out there and “best of” recipes that over the years I’ve collected things I think get me closer to that esteemed “perfect” cookie. Next time I will try using melted butter. I think that might give the cookies a bit more crisp and make them spread a bit more which is closer to my favorite style of cookie. I also think an additional batch (never want to change 2 variables at once of course!) I will try adding some more butter as the dough was a bit “dry” and hard to work with which may have led to the texture difference. Most other doughs are a bit “slimier”. I might also try using more white sugar. But overall this cookie was GREAT – it WAS the best I’ve ever made. With all this quarantine time on our hands I’ll have a lot of time to perfect this recipe to my own taste.
I followed measurements exactly, but I did 3 differences (which may have altered it).
1. I added 1 tsp. of cornstarch additionally (didn’t change amounts of any other ingredients to compensate),
2. I sifted all the dry ingredients as I added them to the dough.
3. I saw the warnings about overbaking but mine were definitely under at 10 minutes. Bottoms weren’t even browned. I had to cook them for 12 minutes on the nose. They really don’t brown on top at all.
4. I also added a little cocoa powder to the dough something I always do.
Hey Chris. Yes all the changes you made would affect the final outcome of the cookies. Especially the addition of more dry ingredients (cornstarch and cocoa powder). I always recommend making a recipe as it’s written first, then tinkering with it later. These are crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle, just like a great cookie should be! 😉 For anyone else reading this I absolutely do not recommend using melted butter in this recipe. If you melt butter you would have to chill the dough before baking. And I just do not recommend making that change, as I cannot guarantee results.
What kind of chocolate chips do you use?
My favorite chocolate chips are these Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Chips! But I’ve used just about every kind of chip out there and they all work great!