These rank at the top of our list when it comes to the Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. We recommend scooping them large so they have time to develop buttery crisp edges and retain their soft centers. We’ve found that everyone has their “perfect” chocolate chip cookie and since many factors (elevation, humidity, personal preference) influence what is “perfect” for YOU, we recommend trying a few to find your favorite! Our two other favorite recipes are these Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies and also the famed NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies. If you love this recipe below, it’s also the inspiration behind our beloved GIANT Chocolate Chip Cookie, and in bar form, these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars! If you want just a few cookies, try our little Small Batch Chocolate Cookie Recipe, which makes just 6-8 cookies.
Scroll past recipe card for step by step photos and instructions!
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Description
This cookie is a perfectly chewy, bakery style chocolate chip cookie– crisp on the outside and soft in the center.
Ingredients
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoon butter (1 1/2 sticks) melted and cooled until warm*
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
*You want your butter melted, but not hot. It’s best when it has a milky look, not clear yellow. Your dough will be quite loose if you use hot melted butter and you’ll need to wait for it to harden a bit before scooping your dough. I recommend melting slowly at half power until all the pieces are almost melted and let residual heat finish melting it. It should be just warm to the touch, not hot.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
Beat butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Scoop into balls* and bake until outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy. Baking time will depend on the size of your cookies. I think the texture of these cookies are best when scooped large, about 3 tablespoons of dough, each, which will bake for 9-12 minutes. Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Serve or store in airtight container.
*alternate scoop method: This recipe as written from ATK suggests rolling 1/4 cup dough into a ball and then breaking it in half, placing the broken side facing up on the cookie sheet. The craggly texture of the top creates a nice shape and texture to the baked cookie. That being said, I almost always just use an extra large cookie scoop and skip the breaking part because it’s quick and easy and they still turn out amazing.
How to make Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe relies heavily on brown sugar, which is something that helps give it a warm caramel flavor and chewy texture.
Another main component in achieving a good texture is the addition of an extra egg yolk.
You can use any chocolate chips you like. I personally am always a fan of semisweet chocolate chips in cookies, and most desserts. I love Ghirardelli brand, but use whatever you have and like!
Size Matters!
I prefer the texture of these cookies best when scooped large, in a ball of about 3 tablespoons dough. A scooper works great! Don’t flatten them down after placing them on the baking sheet.
Bake Your Cookies
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes to Explore!
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
GIANT Chocolate Chip Cookie
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars!
Small Batch Chocolate Cookie Recipe
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Questions & Reviews
Great recipe. These cookies kept their size and did not spread too much. I needed more like 15 mins baking time (at 5300 ft. elevation).
Okay these are seriously the best cookies I have ever made. We make them for all the neighborhood. One neighbor ate two cookies in front of me before she left the porch…she loves them so much. Thank you for sharing this with us. It is amazing how a simple great cookie recipe makes life better.
I loved this recipe it was so easy and fun to make.
These cookies are my go to recipe! Crispy outside and delicious chewy caramely inside. Definitely overdose on the chocolate chips and you’ll have a perfect cookie!
I make these all the time but one thing I do EVERY time is brown the butter before hand. Melt butter in a pan and just swirl in a circle as it cooks and when it starts turning golden brown I remove it and stir for a bit in a measuring cup or bowl and let it cool. Makes a warm butterscotch flavor that’s insane.
Can I just say how much I love these cookies! They have been my “go-to” cookies since they appeared on your blog many years ago. Thank you!
I’m back. 100% Imperial margarine worked. And I don’t have to separate the water. I much prefer this taste over butter. I like the texture better, too. I lessened the mini-chip portion from 1/2 a bag to a quarter or third of the bag. These are the best cookies ever. My son asks for them instead of the horrid store bought cookies. I’ve made them sooo many times since my first post (above) Oh, I use a full tsp of salt because it brings out the flavors. Today I’m looking for a oatmeal cookie recipe I can use with my remaining mini-chips. Thank you again. Forever grateful.
Glad you had success! If you’re still looking for an oatmeal cookie, we love these ones and these ones!
I’ve always had a strong preference for Imperial margarine for cooking. I just prefer the taste of it. But if margarine was the reason my cookies were coming out wrong, I was willing to try butter. My former cookies always came out puffy and cake-like (which I find horrible). I wanted more of a flat Pilsbury type of cookie (without the weird ingredients). This is now theeee recipe! 🙂
I still prefer the smell and taste of margarine. For the first batch I used one stick of butter and a half stick of margarine. Because margarine is part water, I poured off the margarine and dumped the excess water. Then I added more until I got a half stick.
Since these came out so well, next time I will try 100% Imperial! I’m sure they’ll be awesome (but I’ll report back when I make them). Also, since I don’t like nuts in my cookies, I used an extra half bag (probably 6-7oz) of mini chocolate chips along with the regular sized bag! I always use semi-sweet to contrast the amount of sugar that’s already in cookies! Perfect.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! After these are perfected for margarine, I would like to mess around with using part flour and part ground oatmeal!
Can I use milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet?
Of course 🙂
So these are seriously the best cookies. I’ve been making these cookies ever since I found the recipe. The other day I made some and doubled the batch and then of course ate a few when they were fresh out of the oven. I thought they were exceptionally good this time and even better than they usually are (which is weird, because they’re delicious). It wasn’t until today that I realized that I didn’t put all the eggs in. I doubled the batch, but still only put in one egg and one egg yolk. They were a touch crispy on the outside and nice and chewy on the inside. I even froze them and then will microwave them for about 15-20 seconds when I want one and they’re as good as the day I made them. I might be doubling this recipe from now on just so I can add fewer eggs, because they were super yummy!
Love this recipe, thanks for sharing!
I’ve been using this recipe for a while now. It is my “go to”! Thanks to you…. My nephew says “Sam makes the best cookies.” I grew up with a different recipe at home that everyone LOVED! But I will never go back. Hands down… My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe!
I tried the method to make the cookies pretty on top, but found I was kinda squishing them as I tried to put the pieces back together. I found it much easier to make a ball twice the size I needed, break it in half and place the jagged sides up. Half the work! 🙂
Oh my goodness. I made these to take to work, and everyone loved them!! I think I am a convert to this recipe.
I’ve made these a million times and love them! But the last couple of times I’ve made them they have decided to turn out cake-like instead of flatter and chewy. WHY?! I’m not anything different… I don’t mind fluffy cookies but my hubby prefers the chewy ones! Someone help. 🙂
Weird! Did you maybe change brands of anything? Butter, flour, baking soda, etc? That’s often the culprit, I don’t know what else it could be!
Didn’t change anything… but the only thing I can think is how hot my kitchen is. I live in AZ and now that it’s getting close to 100 degrees outside again the cookies are back to the way they were before! WEIRD.
Yay! I finally made chocolate chip cookies that weren’t flat and crispy! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I love finding hidden gems on your site.
About freezing…
I actually rolled the cookie dough into balls put them on a plate with parchment paper & put them in the freezer for about an hour. After that put them in a freezer bag & now you can pull out a few at a time!!! I take them straight from the freezer bag to the oven. With my oven I had to bake them at 375 for 12 minutes & they turn out perfect. You might need to experiment with your oven. This is probably one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes & it’s super simple.
For anyone that is wondering about freezing the cookie dough, it was my second time making these last week and when the dough was ready, I realized I was running late for something. So, I took a gallon-sized ziploc bag and stuffed it in, and tossed it in the freezer. I took them out yesterday, let the dough sit on the counter till it wasn’t as firm and baked as directed. They came out just like they did the first time.
Now I will be freezing the dough in advance so whenever I’m in the mood for cookies, I can just thaw and bake! Thanks for such a great recipe.
I made these last night with my gluten free all purpose flour and they are AMAZING!!!!!! I am so happy to have found a cookie recipe that I can convert to gluten free. I’ve been missing cookies so so so much since becoming a Celiac. They are chewy, rich and probably the best gluten free thing I’ve ever baked. Thanks!!!
I was looking for a good recipe for crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I will definitely have to try these!
Oh, and for those mentioned the eggs. I had a couple of hens that laid the green ones. The other hens just the old fashioned brown eggs. If you’re curious look up “easter eggers”. 🙂
Made these yesterday and they came out amazing! So soft and chewy, just how I love them. The size of the cookies was just right too. Definitely a recipe to save.