The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies! They are soft, chewy, and loaded with chocolate chips. You will never need another chocolate chip cookie recipe!
These cookies have been my absolute, hands-down favorite chocolate chip cookie for the last five years or so.
If you’ve been following along for any length of time, you know that I lived and died by the thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies from Cook’s Illustrated for ages. They were, indeed, thick and chewy, which is my favorite type of cookie. Unless it’s a pizzelle or biscotti, I feel like crunchy cookies are a waste of perfectly good calories.
I was riding the thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie train until I found the NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies which are even thicker and chewier! Those are absolutely enormous cookies that are loaded with dark chocolate chunks and topped with flaked sea salt. To say they are good, or even great, is a massive understatement. However, they definitely fall into the “special occasion” category of cookie given their jumbo size and insane amount of chocolate.
I took that recipe and threw in a few tweaks to make them more of an everyday chocolate chip cookie, and I’ve been using it exclusively ever since.
How Do You Make Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies?
I kept with the unique combination of bread flour and cake flour for these cookies, which gives the cookies a sturdy, yet soft texture. (A quick note here – I realize not everyone keeps both bread and cake flour on hand, so if you need to substitute all-purpose flour, you can do so without totally compromising the texture of the cookies. Check the recipe notes for the amount.) To amp up the soft and chewy factor, instead of two whole eggs, I use one whole egg and one egg yolk.
Then, instead of using over three cups(!!) of dark chocolate chunks, I scaled back to 2½ cups of regular semisweet chocolate chips. I think this is a perfect amount, but I will say that my husband falls into the “less is more” faction of chocolate chip cookie eaters and prefers more cookie, less chocolate chips (my brain just can’t compute that), and he thinks there are too many chocolate chips. If you are in his camp, then you may want to dial the chips back to two cups or a little less.
Next, I omitted the sprinkle of sea salt entirely – it’s great paired with the dark chocolate, but I don’t find it necessary for an everyday chocolate chip cookie.
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I also cut the refrigeration time down from the recommended 72 hours to overnight, maximum. The long refrigeration really intensifies the flavors and creates almost a caramelized or browned butter taste, which, again, is great with dark chocolate and sea salt, but I really didn’t care for it in a plain chocolate chip cookie with semisweet chocolate chips.
Finally, I decreased the size of the cookies from 3½ ounces of dough to 2 ounces (or about 2 tablespoons of dough). They’re still a significant cookie and not at all “bite size”, but definitely more manageable than the super sized original.
Freezing Chocolate Chip Cookies
Many of you may already be aware of how amazingly well chocolate chip cookies freeze. You can do so in one of two ways:
- Freeze Before Baking – You can shape the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet until they are frozen. Then store in a ziploc freezer bag for up to 4 months. Bake them from frozen, adding an additional couple of minutes to the bake time.
- Freeze After Baking – Once the cookies are baked and cooled, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then place in a ziploc freezer bag for up to 3 months.
I’ve done both, and they freeze remarkably well either way!
I really adore these cookies; I made batches of them a couple of weeks before Joseph, Dominic and Isabelle were born and stashed them in the freezer, then brought a handful to the hospital with me… best decision, ever. I’ve tried to keep some in the freezer ever since; they’re my favorite sweet treat at the end of the day and don’t take long at all to thaw.
What are your favorite kind of chocolate chip cookies?
If You Like The BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Try These:
- Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cook’s Illustrated Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
One year ago: Jewish Apple Cake
Six years ago: Oatmeal-Raisin Ice Cream
The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 8½ ounces (240.97 g) cake flour, 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
- 8½ ounces (240.97 g) bread flour, 1⅔ cups
- 1¼ teaspoons (1.25 teaspoons) baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) kosher salt
- 10 ounces (283.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, 1¼ cups
- 10 ounces (283.5 g) light brown sugar, 1¼ cups
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) granulated sugar, 1 cup + 2 tablespoons
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (450 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Sift together the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed until very light, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and the egg yolk one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then add the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low, gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Press plastic wrap against the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- Scoop 2 ounces of dough, roll into a rough ball (it should be a little larger than a golf ball) and place on the baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches of space between balls of dough. Bake until the edges of the cookies are light brown and set, but the centers still look pale, about 13 to 16 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or wrapped in plastic wrap, placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- You can substitute all-purpose flour for the bread flour and cake flour; if you do so, use 3⅓ cups of all-purpose flour.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in October 2015. It was updated in September 2018 with new photos and extensive recipe tips.
Three cheers for this cookie. It got rave reviews. My cookies were thinner than yours but I got them a little thicker when I backed them directly on the sheet pan without the parchment paper.
I just made your cookies and my family and I are in LOVE! I didn’t have any bread flour so I just used all purpose. Is there a significant difference if I use bread flour? Secondly, I found that it was difficult to scoop after it has been in the refrigerator. Would it turn out the same if I made it into a log form and cut it? Or is the round shape necessary?
Hi Ruth Lee, So glad these were a hit! Bread flour has more protein so it makes the cookies a little sturdier and chewier than all-purpose. That dough does get hard, doesn’t it?! The cookies will probably taste the same but may not have that same craggy, bakery-style look if you shape into a log and slice.
NYT recipe is the best! although I made some changes myself… but we all have different taste buds right? You can check out my changes on my blog http://www.onefoolpie.com/en/chocolate-chip-cookies-en/
I changed the brown/white sugar proportions and reduced the amount of chocolate like you did!
I really love your “everyday” version and I’m definitely gonna try this! Thanks for sharing! :D
This is my “go to” chocolate chip cookie recipe. I have had a really hard time finding any chocolate chip cookie recipe that works at my altitude in Utah … they would never turn out right — too thin — spreading to where they would fall apart. I would end up throwing out more than I would eat or give away. These are amazing!! Thick, chewy chocolate chip cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Beat into the butter mixture until well incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans, if using.
Drop dough in 2-tablespoon portions, 2 inches apart, onto baking pans.
Bake until the cookies are lightly browned and no longer wet in the center, 6 to 8 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.
Let cookies cool for 2 minutes before transferring cookies to racks to cool completely.
Makes • About 28 cookies
Source: Adapted from Sunset, November 2003
I have been trying different chocolate chip cookie recipes forever…..but NO MORE! I made these yesterday with all purpose and bread flour, no cake flour in the house and they are the best flavor, chewiness everything! I rolled 1 and 1/8 ounce balls and got 51 cookies. Baked them all and froze more than half but they aren’t going to last very long. Hands down my favorite after years of chocolate chip cookie making!!! Thank you!
I made these to bring as an easy cookie for a Halloween party – they were a hit! I only had 2.5 hours to chill them before it was time to bake. They were a perfect texture, thick and chewy. I saved about 1/3 of the dough to freeze, to bring to my parents house this coming weekend for fresh baked cookies. I got a bit busy and so the dough has been in my fridge for 48 hours. Can’t wait to try out these ones! Without a doubt I will be making these again and again.
Always game to try a new one. They are in refrig right now. I’ll report back tomorrow. Thanks.
I made these and followed the directions exactly, being sure to weigh the ingredients. The result was too sweet and greasy for our taste. Even my kids didn’t like them. Back to the (kitchen) laboratory for more experimenting with cookie recipes.
I made these tonight. They turned out great. I think next time I may experiment by adding a couple tablespoons of vanilla pudding mix. My mom’s recipe uses a couple tablespoons, and I think I missed it a bit. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Hi, I ve been making these cookies ever since the recipe was published in the NYT – an absolute favorite of mine!
I’ve tried many, many chocolate chip cookie recipes over the years. I do love them thick and chewy versus thin and crispy, too! I’d pretty much landed on just the basic Toll House recipe with half semi-sweet, half milk chocolate chips (or m & ms) with double the (real) vanilla extract. Until…the very much trusted King Arthur Company awarded their recipe of the year for 2015 to a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie…..I thought, REALLY? Recipe of the year? So, of course, I HAD to try it because I didn’t really believe it could live up to it’s reputation. Well, I must report that it IS the best cookie I’ve ever tried and have served them to several others who agree! I do, however, use “off brand” chocolate chips as I’ve read recently that they won national taste tests over the more expensive chocolate chips.
Hi Lauralli, I’ll have to check out their recipe… I have made an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe (my husband’s favorite), but haven’t tried KAF’s. Thanks!
My husbands favorite desserts are chocolate chip cookies and brownies so I’ve made several recipes of each to try to change things up. We decided after dozens of recipes, our fav one is the McCormicks Vanilla Rich Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. This is a simple recipe and that extra vanilla makes a difference!
http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Dessert/Vanilla-Rich-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies
Hi Patricia, Thanks so much for sharing, I’ll have to give them a try!
This may be a baking noob question, but, do you pack the brown sugar?
You should always pack brown sugar into the measuring cup.
Hi Brittany, If you use a measuring cup (and not a scale), then yes, pack the brown sugar.
Yum! I do love the NYT cookie, but sometimes just can’t wait. I love Smitten Kitchen’s Sea Salt Dark Chocolate chunk. Either way, can’t go wrong with the CCC.
I’ve tried the NYT cookie recipe in a blind cookie taste test but my friends and family prefer the ones found at http://hostthetoast.com/best-chewy-cafe-style-chocolate-chip-cookies/. Maybe I didn’t do the NYT recipe justice but I am wondering if you have tried a recipe similar to the one in the link that incorporates cornstarch?
Hi Patricia, I have not – I’ll definitely give those a try!
I love these cookies and I’m definitely going to make them this weekend! Thank you!
http://lbsabotage.blogspot.com
so you use ghirrardelli’s semi sweet choc? i was hesitant to try it because it landed near the bottom of cook’s illustrated taste test. they said it tasted too sweet and didn’t have enough chocolate flavor. i’ve been using their top rated ghirrardelli bittersweet and i like it but i’m not sure the kids like it. were you using their bittersweet choc chips before switching to semisweet?
Hi Jose, Yes, I use Ghiradelli semisweet chocolate chips… I’ve tried tons of other (and more expensive) brands, and I keep going back to them. It may just be personal taste/preference, but they’re my favorite! And yes, I used their bittersweet chocolate chips for the original NY Times cookie recipe.
Hi there! I haven’t tried these yet, but my fave chocolate chip cookie recipe is Alton Brown’s The Chewy! It’s so chewy and full of chocolate and great with ice cold milk or iced coffee.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/the-chewy-recipe.html
I’ve tried that one, but just didn’t love it as much as this one!
Hello, they look delicious! I can’t find cake flour in my country, what should i use instead?
Thanks!
Nevermind, I just googled it :) It’s easy, now I’m ready to prepare some cookies
1 cup AP flour – 2 Tablespoons AP flour + 2 Tablespoons cornstarch = 1 cup cake flour
What I do with a lot of my cookie recipes, but especially with this recipe, is, I portion them out (I use a #30 disher) onto a parchment lined tray and stick them in the freezer. Once frozen, I put them into a ziploc bag and pop them back in the freezer. I play a little fast and loose with how long I let the dough refrigerate before portioning and freezing. When I get a hankering, I take out however many cookies I want to bake off, let them thaw, and then pop them into the oven or toaster oven. This way, I can always have fresh baked cookies, and aren’t those the best! I have done this with oatmeal and peanut butter cookie dough. Nice to have a stash in the freezer and to give away as a wee food gift!
Hi Gale, I’ve done this too, but I’m way too impatient to preheat an oven and wait for the cookie to bake and then cool a little bit. So, I started freezing already-baked cookies :)
I do that too and it’s great! It’s always nice to have a stash in the freezer to pull out for company or unexpected guests. I just thaw mine while the oven preheats and they bake off perfectly.
This is my go-to recipe also and I’ve made many of the same changes to make them more “every day”. I usually add walnuts (I heart nuts). I’ve also used AP flour when I haven’t had the other flours on hand. The cookies were still awesome.
this is a recipe you posted within the last few years right? love this recipe
Hi Joan, I shared the original NY Times recipe, this one is modified a little bit. But yes, it is so awesome!
This recipe was created by my friend & blogger David Leite @Leite’s Culinaria. It is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe too.
Here is my go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies which I think you must try: Carolyn’s Chocolate Chip Cookies from Martha Stewart. I have been making this recipe for the past decade+. They are soft in the middle and slightly crisp on the edges. Semi-sweet chips are a must in this recipe; milk chocolate chips are just too sweet. They do have a chill time, but just several hours. And like you, I am always up for trying a new chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I have to say that since I found this recipe in Martha Stewart Living years ago, this has been the only one for me. However, I think you may have just changed that with your recipe :) *Maybe* I can fit a batch of these into my week ;) Have a good one, Michelle!
Hi Michelle, Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to give them a try!
This is perfectly timed! I am making chocolate chip cookies for my daughter to take to school for her birthday next week. I’ve used a few different recipes over the years. Last week I tried a new recipe but was less than pleased with the outcome. Thank you for your impeccable timing!
These are the ones I’ve been making for for years-they are the best!
Thank you!
I was just thinking about those NY Times cookies too, looking forward to trying your spin on it. We decided to make cookies today to reward ourselves for helping my Aunt move. Lifting fridges and stoves is crazy business, heavy and burns lots of calories so I think an extra cookie is in order!
they look nice,but can you please chance ounces to grams to bake them right
Hi Anneli, 1 ounce = 28.3495 grams.
These are such classic chocolate chip cookies! I am loving the tweaks you’ve made, especially the one where you’ve slashed the chill time! I really find it hard to wait that long and usually, half the cookie dough is over even before they reach the oven! Besides, I am the type of person who loves a little cookie in her chocolate chips, haha! I almost always overload my cookies with chocolate chips! These are absolutely perfect!
I’ve made the NYT cookies years ago and seeing your rendition of them makes me just want to make your version! They are perfect in every way!! I’m with you with chocolate, more is always better :)