Chewy chocolate chip cookies are my go-to recipe for a classic chocolate chip cookie. These cookies are chewy, perfectly sweetened, and filled to the brim with melty chocolate chips.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Chewy, buttery, and sweet chocolate chip cookies.
Key ingredients: Melted butter, brown sugar, and cornstarch make these cookies chewy (not cakey or crunchy).
Chilling time: This dough is best after a 24 hour chill.
Yield: 36 cookies
Similar to: Brown Butter M&M Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Wet ingredients - Melted, unsalted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract add moisture and flavor to your cookies. We're using more brown sugar than granulated sugar for a chewier, caramelized flavor.
- Dry ingredients - All-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt balance with the wet ingredients and add structure. Cornstarch creates a more tender and chewy cookie.
- Mix-ins - Semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks are a classic addition. Substitute some or all with other mix-ins like butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or pecans.
How to make chocolate chip cookies
- Add melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to a bowl and stir to combine. Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir to combine.
- Add chocolate chips and stir to incorporate. Cover dough and chill for 24 hours.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to portion your dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until lightly browned across the top.
Heather's Top Tip
For accurate results every time, use a kitchen scale to measure flour by weight. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method. Stir the flour (especially if it's been packed down in a bag/container), then gently spoon into the measuring cup, leveling off the top with a knife. Scooping with a measuring cup compacts flour into the cup and adds up to 25% extra to the recipe, resulting in dry, bland cookies that don't spread properly.
Tips and tricks
To bring eggs to room temperature quickly - Place whole eggs into a bowl and cover with very warm tap water. Eggs come to room temperature in about 10 minutes using this method.
Properly measure your flour - This is the most common issue in baking. If you have issues with your cookies not spreading, turning out extra thick, or having a bland flavor, you probably measured too much flour into your cookie dough.
Use parchment paper - This helps prevent your cookies from spreading too much while baking. A greased baking pan causes your cookies to spread more than they should and also creates crispy thin edges.
Chilling cookie dough
Why chill cookie dough? - Chilling is important for several reasons. This time allows the flavors to meld, creating a tastier cookie. The flour has time to hydrate, which creates a chewier, thicker cookie. Lastly, some of the moisture evaporates, which creates a concentrated flavor and helps the dough spread less in the oven.
Chill longer for better texture and flavor - I chill my dough for at least 24 hours when I bake cookies for myself. Dough can be chilled for up to 3 days in the refrigerator if you'd like to make it ahead of a holiday or event.
Don't have 24 hours? - Anywhere in the 3 to 6 hour range greatly improves the overall texture of your cookies (take a look at the 6 hour chill above). If time is an issue, chill dough for at least 1 hour minimum. I never recommend baking this dough straight after mixing.
Frequently asked questions
Cornstarch makes a wonderful addition to this cookie recipe for several reasons. First, cornstarch helps thicken the dough, resulting in a cookie that spreads less in the oven. This helps keep the cookies thick and chewy, rather than thin and crispy. Second, cornstarch helps soften the proteins in the flour, resulting in a chewier, softer cookie.
Your cookies will keep for up to 5-7 days in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. To help keep cookies fresh, place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread slice as needed.
Yes, baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply place on the counter top to thaw for about 30 minutes.
Dry baked goods can happen for several reasons. If any of the moisture-adding ingredients have been reduced, like sugar, butter, or eggs, this can cause baked goods to turn out dry. If too much flour was added (I recommend weighing your flour or using the spoon and level method), cookies can turn out dry or cakey. Lastly, baking too long in the oven can dry out baked goods.
Melted butter and a higher ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar creates a chewier texture. Cornstarch softens the proteins in the dough, resulting in a softer cookie. Resting the dough allows some of the water to evaporate, resulting in a chewier cookie that spreads less in the oven. Using parchment paper helps cookies spread less and prevents the bottoms from getting too crispy, which can happen when using a greased baking sheet.
Chilling cookie dough allows the flavors to meld and firms up the dough so it spreads less in the oven. Some of the moisture in the dough evaporates, which prevents excess spreading in the oven. If you don't rest your dough, it's very likely that your cookies will spread into thin blobs on the baking sheet. See my section above, "chilling cookie dough", to see my chill time test results.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (213 g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups (300 g) all purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Stir to combine. Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Gradually stir dry ingredients into butter mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips and stir until just combined.
- Cover bowl or wrap dough in wax paper. Chill for at least one hour (24 hours or more is ideal) in the refrigerator. Refrigerating allows flavors to meld, hydrates the flour, creates a chewier texture, and firms up the dough so it spreads less in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (do not grease your baking sheet, this causes the cookies to spread more). Set aside.
- Scoop dough using a medium cookie scoop or shape by hand into 1.5 inch balls.
- Place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 10-13 minutes, or until lightly browned around edges and across the tops. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Mix-in variations: Substitute some or all of the chocolate chips with butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or pecans.
- Cookie storage: Cookies will keep for 5-7 days in a sealed container. To help keep cookies fresh, place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread slice as needed.
- Dough storage: Raw cookie dough will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days.
- Freezing: Dough balls and baked cookies freeze well, up to 3 months in a sealed plastic container or freezer bag. Allow frozen balls to thaw for up to 10 minutes on the baking sheet before baking, or add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
- More tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cookies, based on reader comments and questions!
Have you tried making a cookie cake with this recipe?
I have not tested this particular recipe as a cookie cake. I suggest searching for a specific recipe for that purpose.