BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES – This ‘best chocolate chip cookie recipe’ makes the most perfect homemade chocolate chip cookies! Loaded with chocolate chips, I’ve spent years perfecting how to make cookies that are chewy, soft, and slightly crispy with a slightly crackled top. You’re going to love these award-winning, easy BEST EVER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!
WHAT MAKES A BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE?
Perfect chocolate chip cookies that are soft on the inside, chewy on the outside, with a slight crispy bottom. Easy to make, you’re going to love biting into these best chocolate chip cookies that are loaded with chocolate chips! They really are the best ever, and the only chocolate chip cookie you’ll ever need!
My chocolate chip cookies are ‘The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, Ever’ after being challenged into a Twitter Bake-Off in 2009. Loaded with chocolate chips, what sets this chocolate chip cookie recipe apart is the fact they are perfectly soft and gooey on the inside, chewy on the outside, with a slight thin layer of crispiness to the cookies.
Not many people can claim their chocolate chip cookies are award-winning, but I can! So can several other people who’ve used this Best Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe to enter and win blue-ribbon baking contests – that is the ultimate compliment!
The story of the ‘best chocolate chip cookies ever’ all started when I started blogging. I’d always wanted to share what only my friends and family had only known, “Alice’s best chocolate chip cookie recipe” but up until this point hadn’t shared it with the world.
You see, my chocolate chip cookies are insanely good. The problem is, EVERYONE and their grandma thinks their chocolate chip cookies recipe is the best, too. So, I decided I wouldn’t do a post on my ultimate cookies because it seemed overplayed (putting it mildly). I didn’t have it in me to enter the “I have the best chocolate chip cookies” rat race.
Back in 2009 on Twitter I asked why people believed their homemade chocolate chip cookies were the best. After some friendly trash-talking, Ashley Rodriguez and I would engage in the ” Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever Twitter War,” and the following week we engaged in the ultimate chocolate chip cookie bake-off.
I asked her to post her recipe, and she kindly obliged. I made her chocolate chip cookie recipe that same evening, and I must say they were incredibly good. I reported back my results to her and said, “They’re really good, almost as good as mine.” Her next tweet went something like this, “Almost?” – a.k.a “Say what?!?”
We weren’t the only ones baking our chocolate chip cookies. People who followed our chocolate chip cookie battle on Twitter also baked them sharing their findings on their food blogs. Depending if you like a more sophisticated cookie or the BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES, the verdict was clear. This perfectly easy cookie recipe was the crowd favorite!
I can tell you she does have a fabulous recipe. But I can also tell you with bold confidence; my homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe is fierce.
Who doesn’t love chewy caramel edges and soft centers loaded with gooey chocolate chips with hints of sea salt? I mean, c’mon. How much more perfect of a cookie can there be?
THE ROLE OF BROWN SUGAR IN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
The reason why I love this chocolate chip cookie recipe so much is the balance of flavor and texture. Not overly sweet, the brown sugar gives the cookie a deeper flavor that only the molasses in the brown sugar brings. It gives it a caramel type chewiness around the edges.
As a result, you get a nice paper-thin crisp bottom, but the rest of the cookie is soft and chewy.
Using coarse sea salt or kosher salt (over table salt) enhances and intensifies the flavor of the chocolate chips bringing a nice balance to the cookie. I will sometimes sprinkle 3 or 4 flecks of sea salt over each ball of uncooked dough before baking just to get a tiny hit of salt amplifying the chocolate flavor to another level.
These are the chocolate chip cookies my Army sister who lives in Germany requests of 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 chocolate chip cookies I will be sending to her in Afghanistan. I once sent her a batch of a new recipe and trusted me, she noticed. I was told not to deceive her again and send this version only.
Moral of the story… Do not trash-talk-tweet if you can’t back it up. And for the record, I can back it up. Enough said.
I hope you enjoy the most best ever chocolate chip cookies in the world!
NOTES ABOUT THE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE AND TROUBLE SHOOTING
*PLEASE do not use table salt, the course 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.
-WHY ARE MY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES FLAT?-
If you’re cookies are coming out flat and not like the pictures there are probably 4 reasons for this.
#1) Your 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 properties and isn’t reacting properly.
#2) Creaming. It’s 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. This step is crucial as it whips air into the mixture to help the cookies rise properly. This also helps with the crackled top.
If you own a Kitchenaid stand mixer and bake regularly, I HIGHLY recommend purchasing the beater attachment with the silicon edge scraper. I’ve own two of these beaters because it saves me a step from having to stop the mixer to scrape the bowl down. I haven’t used the medal attachment for years since discovering the scraper attachment. I hate having to scrape the bowl down when baking and this attachment makes for a better workflow for me. I recommend this KitchenAid KFE5T Flex Edge Beater for Tilt-Head Stand Mixers.
#3) Too little or too much 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. Because all measuring cups are not manufactured exactly the same, weighing the flour is the only real way to measure correctly. If too little flour is used, the fat content in the butter will cause the cookies to spread more than usual. A good inexpensive digital scale (like this one Ozeri ZK14-S Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen Scale) pays for itself in joy and peace. Don’t let too much or too little flour ruin your baked goods you’ve worked so hard on. I own an older version of this scale and I use it nearly daily for weighing ingredients.
#4) Parchment paper vs. silicon mat – I’ve literally baked these cookies a gazillion times and I’ve noticed when I bake the cookies on parchment paper they hold their shape much better than the silicon mat. I get inconsistent results with the mat because of the natural wear and tear on them. A NEW mat will prevent the cookies from spreading a lot better than a really worn one. But parchment paper always yields the the most consistent results! I’ve used Reynolds Kitchens Cookie Baking Sheets Parchment Paper (Non-Stick, 22 Sheets) with very good results!
-Other Notes and Helpful Tips-
* I know most bags of chocolate chips are 12 oz but this recipe requires a lot of chocolate chips to help bulk the cookie up. You’ll need approximately 1.5 bags. I’ve found towards the last of the dough I sometimes add a small handful of extra chips because when we scoop cookies we tend to scrape just dough off the scoop and the last of the dough has a lot less chocolate.
*If you like your cookies to look uniform and the same size, please use a cookie scoop. It makes all the difference and works a lot better than the spoon method. I own this OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop. I’ve had it for 10 years strong and it is my go to tool from scooping cookies to scooping mini-scoops of ice cream.
*For those of you interested in freezing your dough for future use, here’s a great article on HOW TO FREEZE COOKIE DOUGH. Having pre-frozen balls of dough is great when you need to bake a batch for future use.
I PRESENT TO YOU, THE AWARD-WINNING BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE, EVER!
ALICE RECOMMENDS THESE COOKIE RECIPES FOR YOU TO CONSIDER!
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1.5 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp smallish-medium coarse sea salt or kosher
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour (12 ounces) If at all possible, please weigh the flour
- 2¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 360 degrees. This is not a typo.. three hundred and sixty.
- Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until it is nice and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes on medium-high speed on a Kitchenaid)
- Add both eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes on medium.
- 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 golden brown. Remove from the 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!
Updated: May 7, 2018
Rebecca Clark says
The flavor of these cookies is excellent, however, the recipe needs more flour. I weighed out 12 oz. and could see that the batter was too thin but baked it anyway, and they spread like crazy. More like crisps than cookies, (and the baking soda & powder were both new). After adding a quarter cup of flour they were more cookie like.
Kate says
Toll House cookie is average. Can’t compare to that. This recipe is good but too much work involved. Does anyone know of that chocolate chip cookie recipe with cinnamon in it? Tried it once – the best cookies EVER. Now I can’t find it anywhere.
Dana says
I stumbled across this recipe several years ago and it has been my go to recipe since. This is by far the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve ever made or eaten. I can’t go to a party without someone asking where my chocolate chip cookies are! Since discovering this recipe, I’ve made a couple tweaks. I use half semisweet chocolate chunks and half milk chocolate chips. After scooping, I also freeze them (usually overnight) before baking. I think this makes them more dense while keeping the inside soft. I’ve also used unsalted butter on accident a couple times and didn’t notice a difference. Overall, thank you for an outstanding recipe!!
Louann says
I thought you were pretty brave to insist that these cookies were the best EVER, but you were right. From now on this is my only chocolate chip cookie recipe. Your best ever oatmeal raisin cookies are also our new best oatmeal cookie recipe. Outstanding!
Michele says
Yesterday I made these cookies for the third time. My husband who considers himself a connoisseur of chocolate chip cookies thinks these are the best. Weighing the flour is a key step in producing great cookies. Thank you again for sharing your detailed recipe and making so many people happy.
Shannon Brooker says
OMG!! I just made this recipe and it is truly the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever made! I had to make one last minute substitution.. I only had 1 cup of regular choc chips left in the house.. oops.. So I subbed 1 cup of mini choc chips for a total of 2 cups. Because they were mini, they measure densely so I cut the extra 1/4 cup.. They came of really awesome.. The crisp crust on the edges is beyond fantastic. 13 minutes was ideal for me and my scale broke so I had to use 2 3/4 cups flour as a back up to weight.
Jenn Hill says
I must admit I was very skeptical of yet another chocolate chip cookie recipe. I just pulled these out of the oven and oh my goodness, they are amazing!
Kristen says
This has quickly become my favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I’ve tried many. The dough is always silky smooth, and ingredients make for a perfect taste.
Thank you!
Cindy says
Just made these cookies and they are fantastic!! I made them with dark chocolate and pecans and even though I’ve never liked cookies with nuts in (was making these by request) this cookie was perfect in every way. Soft in the middle, crunch edges – just can’t say enough about it.
Kellie says
My husband is a cookie-holic! I made these cookies about two months ago and am now making a batch about every 2-3 weeks! My husband LOVES them. To keep them fresh, I put them in a ziplock bag and froze them. To my surprise, the cookies are just as good frozen. They don’t get hard….as soon as you take a bite, they get chewy. This truly is the best choco-chip cookie recipe I’ve ever had. Thanks for the recipe!
kristen t says
i LOVE making this receipe! The cookies come out sooo great! I did only add chocolate chip chunks AND chocolate chips because well…you can never go wrong adding chunks of chocolate to cookies!!!
i also refrigerate my dough for a lil before baking. gives the dough a better consistency in case anyone has issues with their cookies being too runny.
Jeri says
Since we’re weighing, could you give a ballpark figure on the weight of the pre- baked cookies? My 2 T. cookies would have never made 4 dz., so I’m thinking about 30 gr.(?) Don’t mean to be trifling, I just couldn’t tell the size of the scoop….
Jeri says
Since we’re weighing and I (a cook who just got into baking) don’t have the scoop , could you give an idea on the wt. of each cookie pre-baked. My 2 T. cookies were a whopping 40 gr., and I would have never gotten 4 dz. cookies. I’m thinking 30 gr. a piece. Don’t mean to be trifling, just couldn’t tell by the pic the size of the scoop or cookies…
Asyraf says
I think I’ve done everything correctly, but the consistency of my dough is too wet and I cant form it with an ice cream scoop. Can anybody help?
Michele says
Made these cookies on a snowy, Sunday afternoon…they are best! I have used another recipe over the past 7 years and wanted to see if there was a better one out there…well, there is! Perfect. I love your confidence in this recipe, you did not disappoint!
Kellie says
Wow these cookies were incredible! I added some walnuts and subbed 1.5 cups oat flour. Seriously some of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten and I bake a lot!
Michele says
This is the best chocolate chip recipe I’ve ever made. Would it affect the recipe using less sugar? I’d like to make them again with less sugar.
Tara says
Mine liquefied in the oven. New powder and soda, measured the flour and creamed butter and sugars to proper fluffiness. At 9 mins @ 360 the edges were brown and the middles were raw. At 12mins they were a very pretty golden but completely flat and crispy all the way through. Tried second batch at 350 with the exact same results. Turned off the oven added 1/4c more flour to dough. Reheated oven to 350, at 6 mins my cookies had a puddle of liquid dough under them. At 10 mins they were puffed nicely. At 12 mins, crispy brown edges, raw middles. At 14 mins…..success!
Gywen says
One word….fabulous! This is a great cookie just as you described!!
I’m baking & eating them right now! : ) Thank you for sharing!
Kim Honeycutt says
Love Chocolate Chip Cookies! Pinning it!!
Kate says
Best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. My niece has taken an interest in baking so we made them while she was staying with me and we loooove them! This recipe is perfect. All I changed was the butter; I used unsalted, only because I was a little low on salted. I’m sure they would come out excellent either way.
Susan A says
These are fantastic. I have made them several times. I even made one batch of these and did a head to head against the Tollhouse recipe. This was vastly superior. Love them! Thank you.
For others: It’s the 2 and 3/4 C unless you have a scale.
Doug Schmidt says
You can’t take volume measure and transfer it directly to weight. Even though you measure may have ounces that pertains more for liquids 1 cup of sugar or salt is going to weigh different than one cup of flour. That is why he recommends to weigh. Bakers weigh things for consistent results. flour is also notorious for absorbing moisture from the air. On average 3 cups of flour is 1 pound or 16 ounces. I hope that helps.
Karen says
I’m confuse 12 oz = 1 1/2 cups not 2 3/4 please clarify. I am making this for the first time and want it to come out right
Thanks!
Angel says
I am that oddball that Loves chocolate chip cookies but not so much the actual chocolate chips so I always halve (at least) the amount of chips, (if it wasn’t for the kiddos I wouldn’t use any) and this is by far the best recipe I have ever tasted. I also prefer a flat, gooey cookie which is fortunate cause I’m a haphazard Baker at best and they never look like the ones on here. Still Sooo good!