Since I started blogging I’ve always wanted to do a post on my chocolate chip cookies. You see.. my chocolate chips are all that and a bag of pretzels. But the problem is, EVERYONE and their grandma think their chocolate chip cookies are the best. So I decided I wouldn’t do a post because it seemed overplayed (putting it mildly). I just didn’t have it in me to enter the “I have the best chocolate chip cookie recipe” rat race.
But months ago I had asked the question on Twitter on why people believed their recipe was really the best. And from that moment on, Ashley Rodriguezand I would engage in the “Chocolate chip cookie Tweet wars”. I asked her to post her recipe and she kindly pointed me to her beautiful site. I made her recipe that same evening and I must say they were incredibly good. I reported back my results to her and said this.. “They were really good, almost as good as mine.” Her next tweet went something like this, “Almost?” – a.k.a “Say what?!?” Because we’re good friends and lovingly joke around a lot with each other, I can tell you that she really does have a fabulous recipe. But I can also tell you with bold confidence, my recipe is pretty fierce – if I do say so myself. The reason why I love this recipe is because it is not overly sweet and primarily uses brown sugar. The brown sugar gives it a more caramel type chewiness and more depth than the traditional Toll House type of recipe. As a result, you get a nice crisp bottom, but the rest of the cookie is soft and chewy.
These are the cookies my sister who lives in Germany asks me to send her because they are all she can think about when she thinks of home. They are the same cookies she shared with her platoon in Iraq and the same cookies I will be sending to her in Afghanistan. I once sent her a batch of a new recipe and trust me, she noticed. I was told not to deceive her again and send my version only.
But last night it happened again. It all started out so innocently. A typical night of tweeting and before I knew it, somehow I had trash tweeted my way into a chocolate chip cookie bake off with my good friends Lorna Yee and Ashley Rodriguez. If I recall correctly, the conversation went something like this.
Me to Ashley: Bring It!
Ashley to Me: Oh I’ll Bring It!
And before I knew it, other people were arranging a bake off. Moral of the story.. do not tweet and trash if you can’t back it up. And for the record, I can back it up. Enough said.
I present to you my favorite and original Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Enjoy!
| The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe EVER! |
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- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups (12 oz) all-purpose flour *If at all possible, please weigh the flour
- 3/4 tsp. smallish-medium coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until it is nice and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes on medium-high speed on a K-5). Add both eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour until cookie batter is fully incorporated. Finally add chocolate chips until well distributed. The cookie batter should be somewhat thick. Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough or use a medium cookie scoop and plop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are nice and golden brown. Remove from heat and allow the cookies to stay on the cookie sheet for an additional 2 minutes. Pick up the parchment paper with the cookies still on top and transfer to a cool non-porous surface. Allow the cookies to cool on the paper for at least 3 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
*please do not use table salt, the sea salt gives the cookies a nice flavor and hints of texture. If you only have table salt, use 1/2 tsp. *When using sea salt, you will get small crunchy flecks of salt when you bite into the cookie. If you do not like this taste, go with 1/2 teaspoon of table salt.
*I realized grocery stores sell bags of chocolate chips in 12 oz bags but this recipe really needs every last chip. Otherwise you’ll get cookies with only a few chips in each one and this recipe requires lots of chocolate to bulk the cookie up. You’ll need about 1 1/2 bags.
*Troubleshooting*
-If you’re cookies are coming out flat and not like the pictures there are probably 3 reasons for this.
#1) Baking powder and Baking soda is old. If your baking powder and soda is older than 1 year and has not been in a sealed (preferably air tight) container, it has lost some of it rising qualities.
#2) Creaming. It is not enough to just cream the butter and sugars until it has come together. This recipe requires you to beat it with a mixer for 3 minutes until the texture of the butter and sugar turns to light and fluffy-just like the picture.
#3) Flour. Flour should be weighed. This can make or break the recipe because just scooping flour into a measuring cup will never yield ideal or consistent results.
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Amazing…and thank you
Thank you, Alice. I made these this afternoon, even though I only had half the butter and had to substitute the rest with a lo-cal margarine, and you know, I couldn’t IMAGINE these tasting any better. I’ve made some pretty decent choc chip cookies in my time, but these are a slam dunk. Thank you for sharing and adding a new family classic to our menu!
WOW. These are incredible!!! I have been looking everywhere for a recipe that would not fall flat. We have been a Nestle cookie recipe family… but I am a changed woman!! This is the only recipe I will ever use from now on. And chocolate chip cookies are my favorite. I really think the salt does it for me!!!!! That salty/sweet combo is the best!!! Thanks!!!
Best. Cookies. Ever! Thank you so much! I’m so excited, I’ve been searching forever for a great choco chip recipe, and now I have found my staple recipe. There’s still another batch in the over right now, but they’re going quick! Oh, and I only had unsalted butter, but it worked perfect, I just added a tiny bit more sea salt.
Alice, have you used GF flour for these and/or your Chocoalte Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe? I have been eating GF for only a year and it has been dietary h… I can’t figure out the bake time–it is never what the recipe says or the oven temp, again not what the recipe says, except for a fab carrot cake recipe I have. Thanks.
I’m about to teach my daughter how to make cookies for the first time and this is the reciepe we’re going to use. They just look too good
Hi
I just wanted to say that I am really happy with this recipe. Kudos!
Very nice. The sea salt is brilliant. Texture is perfect. I used 8oz semi sweet, 4 oz milk and 4oz dark chocolate. Thanks for sharing.
This is a great recipe and I make loads of cookies, my family loves cookies. I ran out of brown sugar a serious sin to the cookie maker so I used molasses with organic sugar and they were even better!
hi,
i have made this recipe many times and have never had problems with it. when i made them before though, i did all the mixing by hand because i was living in a place where i had no access to an electric mixer. well, yesterday i attempted to make them again only i actually used a mixer this time to cream the butter and sugar and it turned out AWFUL. i’m not sure what went wrong and how to fix the batch that i have remaining. suggestions???
thanks.
I made these yesterday. Very good!
I just made these cookies and while I used unsalted butter I followed everything else exactly. I don’t normally make chocolate chip cookies due to the total lack of nutrition, but I figured this would be a special treat. They’re great and my husband said I deserve a gold star for them!
Hi Alice,
Just made these cookies for my mom as a mother day’s present. I taste tested them today and i’m giving them to her tomorrow. They came out very delicious, but also very flat. I just bought the baking powder and soda today so they can’t be expired and the mixture was light and fluffy. So I’m thinking since I didn’t have a scale to measure the flour, that that was the problem. I measured 2 1/2 cups. Do you think I should add more flour, or make the cookies more than 2 tablespoons in order to make them more chewy?
thanks
Hi Jasmine,
I think you didn’t have enough flour in the batter. Also another reason they might not have risen is because they were under creamed. With that said, I can never be exactly sure why it didn’t rise but my suggestions are based on my own experience. Hope this helps.
Hi, I just made these, and the flavor is delish, but the consistency is not nice and airy like yours. Mine is more smooth and looks like a biscuit or cake…not what I wanted. What did I do wrong?
Hi Angela,
Its hard to know what happened without being there. With that said, did you measure your flour? I’m guessing the biscuit/cake like texture is based on too much flour which is why its always best to weigh it. Also, if the cookies are hard, than reduce the cookie baking time by 3-4 minutes. They should be chewy. Hope this helps.
Hi Alice,
I added more flour and a little more baking soda and they came out great, very similar to your picture. My mom enjoyed them. They were delicious!!! The sea salt makes a great difference.
O.M.G.
‘Nuff said.
Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful cookies! I too have gone through tons of recipes like many readers here and just kept trying to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. I had used Barefoot Contessa’s choc chip cookie recipe for years and decided to do a A/B test with my family. Everyone, hands down, picked these cookies! This is now the only thing that my family members ask for, on their birthdays! Thank you Alice for sharing, and having the choc chip cookie throw down to warrant this post!
***Hey so I am about to make these cookies right now, got all the ingredients out, when I noticed I only have ‘Dark Brown Sugar’ and ‘Light Brown Sugar’ which should I use? HELPPP! PLease Reply!! (: thanks!
WOW….in the last month, i have made over a dozen CCC recipes. I am on a mission to find the BEST CCC. THIS ONE is it for me. I immediately sent my sister your recipe and she agrees with me. my search ends. Your recipe is wonderful. thank you……i think…hahahahhha. going to make another batch right now.
I just made these, and my cookies came out almost cakey. I was hoping for a more crispy cookie. I followed the directions to a tee, don’t know what happened.
Hi Lucy,
I’ve never ever had these cookies come out cakey. It’s hard to know what happened. Are you baking at a higher elevation? Also you may want to try this again but with less baking powder. Let me know if I can help you anymore.
I followed the recipe to the letter….and even tho these are okay I was a little disappointed. I guess I thought they would be different than Toll House – but they’re pretty much the same. I think I’ll just stick to the old tried and true delilcious Toll House chocolate chipper.
I made these cookies for my husband today and he told me they were the best cookies he’s ever had. Even better than his moms which is saying a lot! The sea salt addition is brilliant. I’m going to bake them again for a co-workers birthday next week. Thanks Alice!
These were absolutely amazing! My favorite cookies to date–and I’ve made many. In spirit of fairness I googled your friend’s cookies and made both, and I have to say you win
Thanks for the recipe!
I just wanted to say your web site is one of the nicely laid out, most inspirational I have come across in quite a while. Thx!
Allice, I just finished baking your cookies; oh my! they are so good girl. Now this will be the recipe we will use in our house. My kids loved them. thanks a lot!!!
I was really excited to make these tonight. I tried to follow the recipe exactly but they didn’t turn out. They were really flat and super cakey. I think my baking soda may have been too old but I have no idea how or why they turned out so cakey. I guess I’ll have to invest in a scale and some new baking soda and try again.
I made these and had to hide them from my husband so he won’t eat them all at once! So delicious, nom, nom, nom!
Question for you, Alice: I bought a box of Maldon sea salt for a salted caramel ice cream recipe that I still need to try (wanted to become more familiar with my ice cream maker attachment on my Kitchenaid mixer first). The question is whether I can use this Maldon sea salt in this cookie recipe? It is pretty coarse! Delicate flavor, though, so maybe it would work? Your thoughts on this would be much appreciated! Happy Friday! -KR
Hi Kiyomi,
I’m sure you could use the Maldon sea salt. I think the added bits of larger salt would really compliment the sweetness of the cookie perfectly!
Thanks, Alice! Just what I was thinking. I’ll report back with results!
I would love to send these to my son and nephew serving in Afganistan. I’ve been afraid to send chocolate chip cookies in my packages because of the heat there.
Did the arrive ok when you send to iraq or did they become a melty chocolate mess?
Hi Mary,
I typically vacuum pack my cookies and than put them in a shirt box. I fill the box with newspaper before packing it in the shipping box. They usually arrive intact. As for the concern about heat.. yes, they will melt during this time of year. But if you vacuum pack them in a single row, the chocolate has no where to go. Hope this helps. Let me know if I can answer any more questions!
Wow! I’m blown away by how perfect these cookies are. I must admit, I was a bit leery of the 3 cups/12 oz flour, but I weighed it and went with the weight as opposed to the cup size. I’m not one to comment on blogs, especially if I don’t know the person, but I had to thank you. I have a website and the content varies, but I’d like your permission to put a link to your page in an upcoming blog. My site is denehopkins.com if you want to check it out before you give me permission. Again, UH MA ZING cookies!
Hi Dene: Sure, feel free to post the link on your site- thanks for asking. Glad you liked the cookies!
For years I have tried to make a chocolate chip cookie that wasn’t flat. I have tried everything…and finally your recipe has produced the PERFECT cookie!! I did try some of your trouble shooting suggestions and something did the trick. THANK YOU ALICE!
Thank you for the recipe and the instructions. The timing on whipping the butter and sugar was perfect. 5 minutes and “poof” the consistency had indeed changed. The finished cookies actually “look” like your cookies, i.e. they didn’t deflate. I cut the recipe in half and added 2 T flour for high altitude and it worked great. The cookies almost had a hint of malt… maybe the kosher salt or milk-choc chips I used? Thanks again!
I just made these and they are fabulous. You’re right, the sea salt really brings out a different flavor, and I love the crispiness and chewiness from all the brown sugar. Delish!
Intimately, the post is actually the best on this laudable topic. I harmonize with your conclusions and will eagerly look forward to your future updates. Saying thanks will not just be adequate, for the fantastic lucidity in your writing.
This is my go-to recipe, chocolate chip is my boyfriend’s favorite cookie and this is what I ALWAYS use! The sea-salt is amazing, the cookies come out perfectly and your tips changed the way I bake. Thanks!
Used the coarser sea salt (the granules are bigger and chunkier, but also flakier) and the cookies turned out perfectly. Gave it just the right amount of savory and sweet, delicious taste. I keep a batch of these babies in the freezer for instant dessert now. Thanks again for another gem!
This is the only cookie recipe I use now. It’s stupid how good they are. I even made a vegan version of them for a friend (with egg replacer and fake butter and carob chips) and even they turned out awesome. Thanks for the recipe!
I was wondering where Ashley’s recipe is? I’d love to test both recipes. Is it possible to get her’s?
Response: Hi Ashley, the link for Ashley’s recipe is in the post.
I am always on the hunt for the best chocolate cookie recipe, and these are amazing! Thanks for the recipe! Even though mine did come out pretty flat, I haven’t been able to stay out of the cookie container….
Try to taste the mini choco chips cookies of Sofitel’s Spiral. It’s truly yummy. I bake choco chips too but i don’t put baking powder, just baking soda and the iodized salt. Is it really very necessary to put baking powder? I will try yours.
Thanks
I tried these cookies and they are indeed spectacular. One thing I would like to add: I don’t have a hand-mixer. I generally like to use elbow grease and find that once the butter is at room temp, and you really put some sweat into it, they come out terrific. Thanks for a fantastic recipe. I also froze half of the batch to make fresh for my boyfriend when we have tea in the evening and that worked out amazingly well!
Hi Bodhi,
Sometimes I let my kids make a batch of these cookies just using wooden spoons and their hands.. they love it!
Alice, thanks so much for sharing your recipee. I am just trying it for the first time in Mexico City…however I got confused with the amount of flour. 3 cups here mean 24 onz or 8 oz per cup…but your recipee indicate to measure 12 onz…
I just added 12 onz which for me is about a cup and a half…however the dough is not think at all…so I will go for 3 cups. I will tell you how it goes, but please if you can help me with the cups/onzes conversion I will really appreciate it.
Thank you for your help with this…. Luz
Hi Luz,
In the US, 1 cup of AP flour is approx. 4-4.5 oz. The recipe calls for 12 ounces total. Eight ounces per cup would be way too much! Make sure your scale is calibrated for “ounces” and also do not count the weight of your measuring bowl into the amount either. You should reset your scale to zero with the mixing bowl on the scale before adding flour. Hope this helps!
Hi Alice!
This recipe looks amazing and I’m going to bake them tomorrow. Problem – I don’t have a full size oven, I have to bake in a small Cuisinart convection oven and the tempreature settings only allow me to bake at 325, 350 etc. It says to bake at 360. What temp do you reccomend I bake them at and will it have any affect on the cooking time?
Thank you so much
Hi Jenny,
The reason the temperature is abnormally set to 360 degrees is because of the loss of heat which occurs when the oven door opens. You can bake these at 350 degrees. Just bake for an additional minute. Hope this helps.
Does this recipe still work if it is halved?
Hi Kristen,
Yes, the recipe can be halved but be sure to keep the baking soda and powder measurements the same.
I am going to make these in just a few minutes (assuming I have enough chocolate chips – I may just have to halve the recipe since I’m so eager to try…). I’ll let you know how it goes!
These are absolutely amazing and oh-so simple! Thanks for the troubleshooting too. My brother in law was visiting and tried some, he insisted that I ship some to him. Any pointers on shipping them safely?
These are in the oven now and I can’t wait to taste them, they smell delicious :]
Does this recipe call for light brown sugar or dark brown sugar? What brand of chocolate do you use? Thank you.
Hi Thao,
Either one works fine. I use golden brown sugar because this is the only one Sam’s Club sells.
Great cookies, Alice! They’re not too sweet and the texture is perfect. I followed your recipe to the letter, including weighing the flour. I will look no further for a chocolate chip cookie recipe because to me these are the best. Thank you!
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