The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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This chocolate chip cookie recipe creates soft, thick and buttery cookies with perfectly crisp edges and soft chewy centers. With no chilling required, you will be enjoying a warm chocolate chip cookie in just 30 minutes. Get those glasses of milk ready!

Why You Will Love This Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

The hunt is officially over! These chocolate chip cookies are going to disappear quicker than you can make them! Here’s why you will love this recipe:

  • Simple Ingredients: Made with 100% butter and a few pantry staple ingredients, these cookies are a classic with the perfect chocolate chip to cookie ratio.
  • Soft & Chewy: A special stacked dough technique guarantees your cookies will be nice and thick with crispy edges and a soft chewy center.
  • Zero Chilling: No one wants to wait when you are craving cookies! Thankfully this chocolate chip cookie recipe does not require you to chill the dough.
  • Freezer Friendly: Make a double batch and freeze this cookie dough for freshly baked, warm chocolate chip cookies whenever the mood strikes!

Looking for something a little different? Try these variations of the classic: brown butter chocolate chip cookies, giant peanut butter chocolate chip cookies or these chocolate chip marshmallow cookies.

Ingredients for chocolate chip cookie recipe arranged in bowls, top to bottom: Baking soda, flour, egg, brown sugar, vanilla, butter, salt, chocolate chips, cornstarch and granulated sugar.

Ingredients Needed

Everything you need is a baking staple, so you may already have all the ingredients you need! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.

  • Flour: Regular, all-purpose flour.
  • Cornstarch: This helps to keep the cookies soft and chewy.
  • Butter: Use softened, unsalted butter. If using salted butter, only add 1/4 teaspoon more salt.
  • Sugar: A combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar. You can use all brown sugar if you prefer a deeper flavor.
  • Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract, not imitation, for best flavor.
  • Chocolate Chips: You’ll need semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips. Pick a good quality brand for best results. You can also use chocolate chunks for more chocolate flavor!
  • Egg
  • Baking Soda
  • Salt
Easy chocolate chip cookies arranged on a marble countertop with a bite taken out of one cookie showing how chewy they are.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

Besides a special stacked dough method, this easy chocolate chip cookie recipe is a simple and classic preparation. Stacking two balls of dough on top of each other creates extra thick cookies with crisp edges.

As the dough bakes, the bottom dough ball spreads faster and creates the cookie edges. The top dough ball becomes the soft and chewy center! Scroll down to the recipe card for full step by step instructions. 

  • Dough: Whisk to combine the dry ingredients, set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, until the dough is just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Roll: Roll two balls of dough and stack them vertically on top of each other. Continue with remaining dough, ensuring you leave enough space between for spreading.
  • Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake until the edges are set and cookies are lightly golden brown. Cookies will look slightly underdone in the middle, but will finish setting up as they cool.
  • Cool: Let cookies rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Enjoy them warm, or transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Four large chocolate chip cookies with crisp edges and chewy centers arranged on a cooling rack lined with parchment paper after baking.

Bakers’ Tips

A few tips to ensure your homemade chocolate chip cookies turn out perfectly!

  • Measure Flour: Do not scoop from a packed bag of flour, it will create overly dense cookies. Instead, fluff the flour with a fork. Then spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
  • Don’t Over-Bake: To ensure your cookies have a soft and chewy center, you want to remove them from the oven as soon as the edges are set and they are a nice light brown color. The center will continue to set up as they cool on the baking sheet. Leaving the cookies in longer, can lead to crunchy, crumbly cookies.
  • Picture-Perfect: If looks matter to you, form the dough as shown and press a few chocolate chips directly on top. Immediately after baking, use a large biscuit cutter to swirl around the cookies edges. This will give them perfectly round and even edges.
  • Flaky Sea Salt: I love to sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top of the cookies right as they come out of the oven. It gives them the perfect sweet and salty balance!
  • Chill The Dough: If you have the extra time, you can chill the chocolate chip cookie dough for up 48 hours before baking. This helps the flour to absorb and will create an even thicker cookie!

Variations to Try

Now that you’ve laid the groundwork for the best chocolate chip cookies, you can make them your own! Here are some ideas: 

  • Add Crunch: Go nuts! Try peanuts, almonds, macadamias, pecans or hazelnuts to add texture.
  • Candy: Mix in mini peanut butter cups, Reese’s pieces, M&M’s, toffee pieces, etc.
  • Chip Trifecta: Try white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or even peanut butter chips mixed in with your chocolate chips!
  • Dried Fruit: Mix in 1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries or cherries, chopped dried apricots or crystallized ginger.
  • Brown Butter: One of my personal favorites! Follow my how to brown butter tutorial and let it cool completely and continue with the recipe as written.
  • Shortening: If you want your cookies to stay extra soft like bakery-style cookies from the grocery store, swap half of the butter for butter flavored shortening.
Chocolate chip cookies arranged on a cooling rack with a bite taken out of one of the cookies to show the soft center.

Storage & Freezing

Bake them fresh or freeze them for later, here are your options:

  • Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Store with a slice of bread to keep soft, replacing the slice as it becomes stale.
  • Freeze Cookies: For extra protection, wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or at room temperature for 30 minutes. 
  • Freeze Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls on a sheet pan for 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, place frozen dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Bake as directed, but add about 2 extra minutes to the bake time.
A thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie resting on a cooling rack lined with parchment paper.
4.6 from 26 votes
Print Pin Recipe
Yield: 24 cookies

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Who doesn't love a warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie, just out of the oven? This chocolate chip cookie recipe creates thick and buttery cookies with crispy edges and soft, chewy centers. With no chilling required, you will be enjoying a warm cookie in just 30 minutes!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Additional Time5 minutes
Total Time30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 heaping cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract.
  • Add dry ingredients, mixing until completely combined. Stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
  • Roll two balls of dough (each ball consisting of 1 heaping tablespoon of dough) and stack them vertically on top of each other. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about two inches for spreading. Continue with remaining dough.
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are just set and cookies are a light golden brown. The cookies will not look set in the center, but they will finish cooking while cooling on cookie sheet!
  • Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes, for the centers to set. Serve warm, or transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before storing.

Notes

Store: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Store with a slice of bread to keep soft, replacing the slice as it becomes stale.
Freeze Cookies: For extra protection, wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or at room temperature for 30 minutes. 
Freeze Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls on a sheet pan for 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, place frozen dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Bake as directed, but add about 2 extra minutes to the bake time.
Measure Flour: Do not scoop from a packed bag of flour, it will create overly dense cookies. Instead, fluff the flour with a fork. Then spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
Don’t Over-Bake: To ensure your cookies have a soft and chewy center, you want to remove them from the oven as soon as the edges are set and they are a nice light brown color. The center will continue to set up as they cool on the baking sheet. Leaving the cookies in longer, can lead to crunchy, crumbly cookies.
Picture-Perfect: If looks matter to you, form the dough as shown and press a few chocolate chips directly on top. Immediately after baking, use a large biscuit cutter to swirl around the cookies edges. This will give them perfectly round and even edges.
Flaky Sea Salt: I love to sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top of the cookies right as they come out of the oven. It gives them the perfect sweet and salty balance!
Chill The Dough: If you have the extra time, you can chill the chocolate chip cookie dough for up 48 hours before baking. This helps the flour to absorb and will create an even thicker cookie!
Brown Butter: One of my personal favorites! Follow my how to brown butter tutorial and let it cool completely and continue with the recipe as written.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie, Calories: 179kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 101mg, Potassium: 68mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 219IU, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 1mg

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Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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Jessica
For the past 15 years, Jorge & Jessica have loved getting to share their families' favorite recipes with all of you. They live in Florida with their 3 kids.