Chocolate Chip Tea Cookies
These little tea cookies have been a holiday staple for the last 10 years or so. I still don’t recall where the recipe came from, but the first time I made them and had my mom and grandma give them a taste test, they declared that these were a must-make going forward. The cookies are a fantastic buttery shortbread loaded with miniature chocolate chips. They’re more soft and tender, less crisp and crumbly, than traditional shortbread, which I love.
I adore these little cookies for multiple reasons, the first of which is that they are extremely easy to make. I typically use my hand mixer for them and give my KitchenAid a break, which is a nice change of pace if you’re churning out tons of cookies and candy during the holidays. They are mixed together in less than 10 minutes and spend less than 15 minutes in the oven. I like to balance my Christmas baking list with things that are simple and less time consuming to compensate for the more labor-intensive recipes.
The second reason I love these cookies? They’re truly tea cookies, which means that they are itty-bitty and that I feel no guilt downing multiple cookies in one sitting the way I would with my favorite ginormous chocolate chip cookies. Their size also makes them perfect for a cookie tray, when people like to take a sampling of different cookies. Again, for some reason, eating numerous small cookies just does not seem to consume people with guilt. Win!
Do you have a favorite super-simple go-to holiday recipe?
Chocolate Chip Tea Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (180 g) miniature chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Beat the butter, sugar and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix well. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the miniature chocolate chips.
- Shape into 1-inch balls (a small cookie scoop is perfect for this) and place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until set but still pale in color. Allow to cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
These were delicious! My sister makes a similar tea cookie like this and I’m pretty sure these are the same! They are a shortbread cookie so they aren’t supposed to be flat and sweet like a regular chocolate chip! Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea! Thanks for the recipe! its a keeper!
I was so excited to try these, but so disappointed. Extremely crumbly and have a flour taste. Such a waste of ingredients and $$. 😣
Love these! Such a nice treat that is the perfect amount of sweet without being overbearing. A great pair for tea or coffee.
I made 1/2 of the recipe to “taste test”.
I found them to be very dry & not sweet enough. As soon as I bit into one it totally crumbled. I’ve made other shortbread recipes that didn’t crumble like this one.
I was disappointed. But there are many other recipes I want to try from your website like the PB fudge.
Stay safe.
This is nasty🤢🤮
Just made these for afternoon coffee break – perfect! Truth be told I opted for a 50/50 mix of finely chopped dark chocolate and pecans in place of the chocolate chips, and grated in plenty of orange zest.
They didn’t spread at all, so they look more like little balls than your cookies, which seem domed but flatter – wonder if something went wrong? At any rate they were delightful warm, but due to the dark chocolate I chose needed a little bit more sweetness, so I rolled them warm in powdered sugar and gently shook them off in a fine sieve. YUM! I’m looking forward to sharing these with a friend tomorrow, and to creating more variations with my cookie baking granddaughter. Thanks for a great recipe!
I cut this recipe from a magazine years ago (90’s.)
Can I freeze the chocolate chip tea cookies?
Thanks,
Alice
Yes, they freeze wonderfully!
I had some cream cheese left from another recipe and decided to use it for half the butter. Once I added the flour, the dough got really thick and wouldn’t even incorporate the chocolate chips. I’m so sad as they are heavy with not a great flavor. Will follow the real recipe next time. ☹️
Just made these for a Christmas party and they were super easy, quick, and delicious! Next time I would reduce the chocolate chips to 2/3 C as the ratio of dough to chips seemed a bit disproportionate.
My first batch of Christmas cookies:) I totally agree with you that the size is perfect. I love that I don’t feel any guilt when I grab one. Super easy to make!
Hi Michelle! I just tried to pin this and pinterest blocked it because it may be spam… just letting you know!
Hi Ally, Thank you! I spoke with Pinterest yesterday and they said it was an error on their end and it has been resolved. You should be able to Pin without an issue now!
Is it okay if I use salted butter and cut out the salt?
Hi Dee, Yes you can do that.
I’ve been looking forever for a cookie like this. A local deli makes one and it’s delicious!! One of my favorites ever. I’ll let you know how it compares.
Ohhh I have been trying to recreate a similar cookie from a 1970’s coworker!
This is VERY close. Her’s were taller and crisp like a Brown Edge wafer but I’m excited to make these, they look delish! Then I can adapt perhaps to try and crisp them up! Thanks!
Not to be missed! Made these little gems exactly by the recipe. They turned out great and stored well too. This recipe is going into my ‘tried & true’ binder!
I made these as a last minute addition to my Christmas baking. They are absolutely a new favorite! So easy and not too sweet. Next time I want to try half chocolate chips half toffee bits. They are great with coffee or tea.
Yum, yum, yum!!
I have been making a similar recipe from Hershey’s since 2002… but the ones I make have a Hershey’s kiss in the center. I wonder if you saw that recipe and adapted it?
Hi Alley, Not the same one, but my mom has made that one in the past!
Made this into snowballs, great classic recipe that is fast, easy and I had all the ingredients on hand. Used a small cookie scoop that made fast work of shaping cookies.
the cookies are looking yummy!
I hope I try these chocolate cookies for Christmas. Merry Christmas
My mom used to make Kookie Brittle. They had similar ingredients to these cookies. They didn’t have eggs and were pressed in a jelly roll pan. They are super simple to make. They come out thin and crisp. LOVE THEM!
These sound amazing! Do you think I could change it up and do different variations? Maybe with peppermint and chocolate? Or orange? (I made orange and chocolate cookies a couple years ago and they were surprisingly good!)
Hi Kaycee, Absolutely!
Thanks for the response! I made it with the orange and everyone loved them. Also, I made your dark chocolate chunk eggnog cookies last night and they are amazing! Definitely a new favorite. Merry Christmas!
divided chips?
hey! i love your cookie recipes and many others. i just think i’m done baking and then you come out with another cookie recipe and away i go to the store to buy ingredients! your chunky chocolate pecan pie squares were a HIT at thanksgiving! thanks for all your wonderful recipes and good luck with your baby. love your posts!
Why are we dividing the chocolate chips?
Yummy! I am going to use Earth Balance Vegan Sticks to make these vegan so that I can enjoy them too- hopefully the substitution works!
Teacakes were my granny’s favorite and always make me think of her. I love that these have chocolate chips!
Love a buttery, chocolate chippy cookie…this one looks like a breeze to make!
Wow, Awesome! Sugar cookies and chocolate chippers are my favorite…. how ingenious to combine them together. Can’t wait to try! Thanks so much for sharing, Michelle! (Keeping you and your upcoming delivery in prayer.)
Hi Michelle, I’ve made three separate batches of these this past month. They are my new favorite! Sooo easy and delicious… Thanks again!
Just wondering why the chocolate chips need to be divided as mentioned under list of ingredients. Sounds great otherwise!
This is almost my recipe! I used to bake for the local farmer’s market, and these were one of my specialities. I use 1-1/2 cups regular chocolate chips, though. And also, I melt chocolate chips and apply a design to them. For my bakery, I used to make smiley faces, but for the holidays, I make an artsy Christmas tree shape. It makes them look special. They are an absolute favorite with everyone I give Christmas cookies to.
Yum! These look great – perfect for Christmas! I can’t wait to try them out myself. Have a very Merry Christmas!
I will have to make these for my 3 wonderful grandkids, Allison -Carissa-and Luke When I go to see them in Illinois. They look soooooooooooooo good.
Wow these look amazing! I can’t wait to try them. Unfortunately my entire family has the flu and i’m just getting over it. but as soon as i’m better, Back To Baking!
Could you possibly make these older recipes printable before presenting them again?
Hi Lorr, I am working on getting all of them formatted appropriately. It is time-consuming as there are over 1,000 recipes on the site, but I’m getting there. I have updated this one; I apologize for any inconvenience, but appreciate your patience!
Thank you so much! Sure was nice of you to do that right away. I really, really appreciate it. (I should be apologizing for MY impatience) Absolutely love your site. Happy New Year!
hi! i tried this recipe for christmas and wanted to give them away as gifts but they came out FLAT and really really crumbly, not a ball shape at all! can you tell me what went wrong?
I’m not sure what would have caused that. Did you make any substitutions or do anything differently? Do you have an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is at the correct temperature?
hmm i was in a rush so i microwaved my butter that i had just taken out of the fridge for a minute or so so that it would have creamed more easily. could it be the reason?
thanks so much :)
Hi Bee, Definitely! Microwaving butter can make it much too soft for creaming, which would definitely cause the cookies to spread.
oh wow okay haha totally a case of more haste less speed here. thanks for the reply! so can i just check: was the butter supposed to be at room temperature (softened) or just out of the fridge?
is the standard for any other recipe that calls for butter to be creamed with sugar?
Hi Bee, You are welcome! The butter should have been at room temperature, I have updated the recipe so that is clear. 99% of the recipes that call for creaming together butter and sugar should have the butter at room temperature, but always check the recipe just in case.
I added about 1/8 tsp of allspice, nutmeg, and cloves, and 1/4tsp cinnamon to the cookies, and a bit of cayenne pepper to the chocolate on top. They taste wonderful with Earl Grey tea!!
Hi Michelle,
I didn’t have powered sugar, so I used granulated sugar and the cookies turned out great! Please clarify this on your recipe. Is powered sugar like icing sugar? I use icing sugar on top of desserts once they are baked. Is powered, confectioner’s, and granulated sugar the same? This recipe will definitely be a family favourite! My nephew is allergic to eggs, so these cookies are perfect for him. Thanks!
Hi Sandra, From the information I’ve been able to find, powdered sugar, confectioners’ sugar and icing sugar are all the same and interchangeable. Granulated sugar is different from powdered sugar.
Do I use icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar?
Hi Sandra, Confectioner’s is closer to powdered sugar, I believe.
They’re the same thing. “Icing” sugar, confectioner’s sugar, and powdered sugar are ALL THE SAME.
made these today for holiday gift tins. for some reason they did not turn out so well :( they are pretty dry, almost chalky in texture, and have a strong powdered sugar taste, instead of buttery. i know i followed the recipe correctly, so i’m not sure why they didn’t work for me. i was so looking forward to these too.
These are in the oven right now! The dough tastes great, and I’m sure the baked cookies will to! As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I was going to make them. They looked so yummy and cute! Thanks for sharing all of your great recipes! I love your site, and eagerly await each new email! Thanks again!
These are in the oven right now! The dough tastes great, and I’m sure the baked cookies will to! As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I was going to make them. They looked so yummy and cute! Thanks for sharing all of your great recipes! I love your site, and eagerly await every new email!
Just tasted one of these! They are sooooooooo good! You’re right, they do taste like shortbread with chocolate chips in them! Yummy! Thanks for another great recipe.
the recipe asks for 1 cup divided, so if you add 1/2 cup when do you add the other 1/2 cup?
How many does this recipe yield? I’m thinking of making these for a tea party. :)
Hi Angela, Depending on the size, it will make about 2 to 3 dozen.
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
Hi Abby, Unsalted butter. You can add a pinch of salt to the recipe if you’d like.
I made these to go in gift tins this year and they were a hit! Thanks!
Making them right now, just put them in the oven, the batter is delicious! lol
Hi Kristin – so glad you enjoyed these, and great to hear that the Heath chips worked out so well! :) Thanks for visiting!
Stumbled Upon this recipe and promptly got up to make these delicious little cookies! Thanks for sharing!!
P.S. I added Heath chips (because I had some leftover from another project) and I couldn’t be any happier with how the cookies turned out! :)
Mmmmm these look so good. Thank you for sharing.
These look so good!
these are almost identical to the chocolate chip shortbread sticks i made this year! your recipe includes a little vanilla and lots more chocolate chips though :) i like the idea of making them into little bite sized balls
these sound so easy and so delicious! and they look fantastic.
Therse are definitely easy and are quite tasty. I already just this am make a double batch and they came out beautifully. Altho I have an electric oven and baked them at 325 for 11 minutes. Couldn’t ask for an easier recipe that also tasted great!
Those sound perfect! I am adding to my list to bake for my sister’s goodie box