Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 37 min
Ingredients: 1½ cups all purpose flour; 1 tsp baking soda; ½ tsp baking powder; ½ tsp salt; ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature); ½ cup light brown sugar (firmly packed); ½ cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1½ cups semi sweet chocolate chips

These classic chocolate chip cookies are made with a simple cookie dough and filled with delicious chocolate chips! You can modify these cookies in so many ways from adding chopped nuts, dried fruit and seeds to keep things exciting. The texture of these cookies are crispy on the outside with a soft chewy inside - so good you'll keep coming back for more.

Close up of chocolate chip cookies on a counter.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone loves cookies from cinnamon applesauce cookies to our double chocolate chip cookies. If you are looking for a simple classic chocolate chip cookie recipe without a lot of effort, these cookies are an easy addition to your cookie recipes.

This cookie is a more classic style - a little crispy, a little chewy. It's what we remember growing up as kids. This recipe uses extra chocolate chips for more sweetness. These are so perfectly warm and fresh out of the oven. Serve with a glass of milk and it'll bring you right back to your childhood!

Recipe Ingredients

This cookie classic requires simple baking staples from your pantry and refrigerator. You can scroll down to the recipe card to see the full measurements. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

FLOUR - This recipe uses all-purpose flour.

SUGAR - This recipe uses two types of sugar, light brown sugar and white granulated sugar. If using dark brown sugar, it will change the color of the cookies slightly.

BUTTER - Soften unsalted butter to room temperature for a few hours before making these cookies.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS - Semi-sweet chocolate chips will work great. You'll need almost a full bag, 1 ½ cups worth.

ETC. - You'll also need baking soda, baking powder, a bit of salt, eggs and vanilla extract.

Pro Tip: Soften the butter in advance by leaving it on the counter for an hour or so. Some people swear by the glass bowl method - boil water and pour it into a glass bowl. Pour out the water then place the bowl on top of the unwrapped butter let it sit for a few minutes and it should soften the butter.

Variations

It's easy to change things up with this recipe. If using one of these below, use fewer chocolate chips. Here are a few ideas:

CHOPPED NUTS - Chopped walnuts, pecans or slivered almonds can be added to the batter. Add fewer chocolate chips and use nuts in replacement.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS - Use white chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet.

SEEDS - Add unshelled pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds with fewer chocolate chips.

SPRINKLES - A favorite with kids! I prefer to sprinkle a few on top of each cookie just before baking.

Four images showing steps to make the recipe. First is a white bowl with creamed butter and sugar and flour dumped on top. Second is cookie dough batter in bowl, third is raw cookies on baking sheet, fourth is baked cookies on baking sheet.

How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are quick to assemble. It's recommended that you chill them for 15 minutes before dropping the dough onto the baking sheet. Here's a quick overview with the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post:

DRY INGREDIENTS - Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
WET INGREDIENTS - Cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar with an electric mixer.
TOGETHER - Add half of the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and blend with electric mixer. Repeat with the other half until everything is just combined. Do not overmix in this step. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, just enough to mix together.
CHILL - Place the cookie dough in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
BAKE - Use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop the dough onto a baking sheet, leaving 2" between each cookie for room to spread. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350°F. Remove and let sit on the baking sheet for 5 more minutes. Then add to a rack to cool completely.

Pro Tip: Do not overmix the batter. This will overmix the gluten in the flour creating a chewier cookie. These cookies are meant to be soft inside with a crunchy outside.

Best Way To Store These Cookies

This recipe will make about 30 cookies, give or take. They can be stored at room temperature, chilled or frozen:

COUNTER - Store the cookies in an airtight container, or plastic bag for up to 5 days on the counter at room temperature.

REFRIGERATE - Cookies can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

FREEZE - Leftover cookies can be frozen for maximum freshness. This is my favorite method for storing as it keeps the cookies lasting longer. It's easy to grab one from the freezer and let it thaw for 10 minutes before enjoying.

Close up of a bowl of chocolate chip cookies.

Tips For Perfect Cookies

Use softened butter - This is an important step in baking cookies. Softened butter mixed with sugar creates small air pockets and won't melt immediately in the oven which would result in flatter cookies.
Chill the dough 15 minutes - This also helps to prevent the butter from melting too quickly. This helps cookies to hold their shape and flavor.
Do not overmix the dough - Overmixing the dough can cause gluten to produce dense cookies. Just mix enough for the cookies to be combined.
Bake one batch at a time - It's easier to get evenly baked cookies, otherwise you have to rotate pans halfway through. Cookies only take 8-10 minutes to bake so I prefer to do one batch at a time.
Use a cookie scoop - If you like the shape of my cookies, it's because I used a cookie scoop! This will create a shape similar to an ice cream scoop that gets dropped onto the baking sheet. As it bakes, the cookies flatten with a little mound on top.

Common Questions

My cookies were too chewy, what did I do wrong?

This is probably from overmixing the batter. When the gluten from flour gets overmixed it can create a dense texture.

My cookies went really flat, what did I do wrong?

The butter was probably too soft or melted. Use room-temperature butter and be sure to chill the dough before baking to help keep the consistency. You can also try using a cookie scoop to get that perfect cookie shape.

Can I use less sugar?

Using less sugar can result in less spreading while the cookie bakes. The cookies can also be drier and more crumbly.

Can I use melted butter?

Nope. This will cause the cookies to spread too thin. If you did accidentally use melted butter, be sure to refrigerate the cookie dough before adding cookies to your baking sheet.

Can I skip chilling the dough?

I don't recommend it. This chills the fat in the cookies (eggs, butter and milk) which helps to produce the best shape, texture and taste of these cookies.

Four cookies stacked on top of eachother.

Nothing beats a classic chocolate chip cookie with a side of cold milk! These cookies use simple ingredients from your pantry and refrigerator to create a cookie that everyone will love.