The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe for chocolate chip cookies, posted by The New York Times in 2009, has taken many food blogs by storm. Not a traditional chocolate chip cookie at all, the recipe uses a combination of bread and cake flours to achieve a chewy, yet delicate texture. The dough is packed full of dark chocolate (no semisweet chips here!) and then is left to chill in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours (talk about a practice in patience!). Once you’re ready to bake these babies, a whopping 3½ ounces of dough is rolled into a ball for each cookie, and then sprinkled with sea salt. These huge, gorgeous cookies look like they walked straight out of a high-end bakery, and taste even better!
The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8½ ounces) cake flour
- 1 & 2/3 cups (8½ ounces) bread flour
- 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1¼ cups (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1¼ cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 & 1/3 cups (20 ounces) dark chocolate chips, at least 60% cacao content
- Sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions:
- 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 eggs 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 24 hours, up to 72 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- Scoop 3 1/2-ounces of dough, roll into a rough ball (it should be the size of a large golf ball) and place on the baking sheet. Repeat until you have six mounds of dough on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the parchment or silicone sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies onto another cooling rack to cool a bit more, until just warm or at room temperature. Repeat with remaining dough (or keep some of the dough refrigerated for up to 3 days, and bake cookies at a later time). Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Did you make this recipe?
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Can’t wait to try the winner of your “throwdown”!
That’s it, I just HAVE to try this thing now! I normally chill my dough at least overnight anyway for any cookies I make so this really isn’t a biggie to me. Interesting about bread & cake flour – two opposite ends of the spectrum, rolled into one! You have me sold with the pics!
I noticed a big difference in the taste by refrigerating 48 hours!
What was the difference?
They sure look good! :)
My go to chocolate chip cookie recipe is Southern Living’s “All Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie”. I have yet to find a better one. But I will have to try this. They look perfect!
The combination of flours and chilling at least 24 hours makes these cookies absolutely delicious! I bring them with me whenever I meet up with friends or go to a party and everyone always asks for the recipe. Definitely worth making!!
I don’t typically like homemade chocolate chip cookies, they just never tasted as awesome as I thought they should. That is, until I found this recipe. These are AMAZING, especially fresh out of the oven. I brown one stick of the butter and let it cool some before mixing it in, making them even more fabulous.
I, too, have an old stand-by recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I just LOVE, but the blend of flours in these cookies intrigues me. I’ll be making these the next time I bake. Thanks!!
Thank you times a million for posting the throwdown! I’m a HUGE Cook’s Illustrated fan and that’s the recipe I’ve been relying on. I’ve always meant to try the NYT recipe but, like you, I never wanted to wait a day! This settles it though, I’m gonna give it a shot.
Thanks!
So, the sea salt scares me. How does it effect the flavor of the cookie? It can’t be salty, right?
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m dying to try it.
I saw someone mention Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Chip Cookies on one of these cookie posts (might have been the actual throwdown page) and I just watched the video segment from when they had him on the Chew. His recipe is exactly the same as this NYT cookie but he makes sure to use the huge chips. And now that I go to the NYT page, it does say that their recipe is “adapted from Jacques Torres” although I can’t tell what is different. So you actually made Jacques’ cookies, I guess! Will have to try these for sure. I have everything except the chips…must buy soon!
My husband is a huge chocolate chip cookie fan and I’ve been making the Cook’s Illustrated recipe for years. I want to try this one — but have one question. I like to weigh my flour to get the most accurate amount and I’m wondering why the measurements are different when it comes to the flour, but the weight is the same? Is that correct? Thanks!!
Hi Dee, The volume is different from the weight because the two flours (cake and bread) have different properties. Bread flour has a higher protein and gluten content, therefore weighing more. Which is why you don’t need as much of it to reach the same weight as the cake flour. Hope this makes sense! If you have a scale, definitely use the weights, it’s the best way to bake!
Thanks for taking the time to reply. After I thought about it I figured that must be it. I’m definitely trying this recipe this weekend and I’ll let you know what I think. I have been dedicated to my Cooks Illustrated recipe so I’m excited to see how they turn out! By the way, I love your blog and thanks for the Halloween ideas!
Okay .. so these are my new favorite. Fantastic recipe. I was worried the kids wouldn’t like the dark chocolate chips but they loved them. One thing I noticed, I was using the scale and when I weighed the sugar, one cup read 9 oz. Wasn’t sure why, but I just went with one cup. Came out great.
These truly are the best chocolate chip cookies! My husband was in love and so was I! My 3 year old really liked helping me make these but she wasn’t a big fan on the sea salt sprinkle. I made a few without it, just for her. :) The salt adds a different element that really makes these cookies so good. I believe this is my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe from now on.. well, at least until I get another inclination to look for a better one!
I thought the New York Times recipe was Jacques Torres recipe?
Hi Diane, Yes, on the New York Times page they indicate that the recipe that they have published has been adapted from a Jacques Torres recipe.
I’ve made these and they are delicious and by the way this is the recipe that Jacque Torres uses in his store in NYC, I believe that is where the paper got the recipe, but anyhow I would highly suggest going to Jacque Torres website to buy his chocolate it’s pretty amazing in these cookies.
LOVE this recipe. I’ve made two of the other recipes, but never the Alton Brown. I guess I’ll have to try that one soon.
Hi Michelle!
What is the purpose of mixing cake and bread flours? Why not just use AP flour?
Hi Marie, I responded to this comment over on the throwdown post, but I’ll copy and paste it for you here:
My guess would be to get the benefits from each type of flour, which you can’t necessarily get by just using all-purpose flour. The bread flour gives the cookies a chewy texture and structure, while the cake flour ensures that the interior crumb is tender and not necessarily crispy.
I have a home based baking business and several year’s ago I bought a Jacques Torres cookie. It was the best and I was determined to find out how they were made. After a little searching, I found it and called them “my secret recipe” cookies. Lately I have seen the recipe posted on a lot of blogs so I guess I will have to drop the “secret” part…the secret is out! I find them best using high quality chips that you can get at Whole Foods and other more specialized stores.
Michelle, I just finished making the dough and setting about the difficult task of sitting on my hands and waiting until late tomorrow morning to bake/taste test them. One question, though. The dough was a little more on the crumbly side of any other chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve ever made. I’m presuming this is because of the relatively low ratio of fat to flour(s). Perhaps this is why the dough needs to ripen for 24 hours, to allow for even moisture absorption/distribution? (Just ruminating out loud…) Did you notice that the dough was pretty stiff when you made this recipe? I used Ghirardelli bittersweet double chocolate chips, which are extra large. I noticed a very high proportion of chocolate-to-dough, as well. Is that right? I’m doubting myself, although I weighed the ingredients to ensure precision. Just hoping for a little reassurance – can you tell?!
OK. Mystery solved!! I was watching TV tonight, when it popped into my head that I had to log on here and recheck the recipe for the amount of butter. All of a sudden, I had misgivings. Not sure why. Well, sure enough. I had misread the butter amount, thinking it was 10 TABLESPOONS, not 10 ounces! So I immediately took the dough from the fridge, broke it up (no easy task!) and put it back in the mixer bowl with another softened stick of butter. Good thing I have the heavy duty KitchenAid (the 6 qt manual lift bowl) Even so, it had a rough go getting started up in the midst of that thick dough. But I got it going, and it slowly worked in the extra butter.
It’s back in the fridge now, and I guess I’m going to have to give it some extra resting time before I bake. BTW, my dough is no longer crumbly. It’s just about the consistency of what you’d expect a chocolate chip cookie dough to be. Amazing what the right proportions will do…
I don’t know what kitchen god it was who put this thought into my brain some 9+ hours after the fact, but that’s one of the many things I love about baking/cooking. It’s one of those great metaphysical mysteries that can be pondered but not explained.
Good thing no explanations are ever needed – I bake, therefore I am. Life is good.
OMG I DID THE SAME THING!! I even weighed out all the other ingredients, but I guess I’ve just never seen anyone list butter as a weight instead of by the tbsp. and I just looked right over it. I came straight here after I was done though cause something said to me, “This just ain’t right.” I’ve been making chocolate chip cookies for so long that I could do it in my sleep and even though this is a new recipe, I didn’t think the dough should be that consistency. Luckily, it’s only about 1/2 stick difference or so and I put it in within minutes. It was still hard to work in, my poor Kitchenaid was struggling, but I know I’ll have to make this recipe at least one more time before I know for sure how it turns out.
Love this recipe.
Did anyone else find that their dough was very stiff, almost crumbly, before refrigeration? When baking, did you flatten the dough balls, or did they flatten themselves pretty much during baking? Thanks.
Good question. Has anyone flattened the doughballs before baking? Inquiring mind wants to know! Sorry, age and knowledge of yellow journalism is showing.
No need to flatten- the balls flatten on their own while baking into the prefect thickness.
This is the HOLY GRAIL of chocolate chip cookies! I have been searching and baking. Baking and searching. THIS. IS. IT!
I absolutely love your website, and all your recipes. They are absolutely dead on, I have never made one of your recipes and been dissapointed. Thank you so much for the C.C. cookie throw down!
These are the biggity bomb.
xoxoxoxo
Just got done baking up a dozen.
HELL, to the yes. Yes, YES, YESSSSSSSSSSS! (Thinking here of the deli scene in “When Harry Met Sally.”)
As much as I loved the Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and thought it was “the one,” this one edges it out, even with my dough-making screw up (see my earlier posts.)
The Holy Grail, indeed!! Think the ne plus ultra, mostest-of-the-most, brass ring, died-and-went-to-heaven chocolate chip cookies. Poetry in all its melty, oozy, gooey, chewy glory.
Now, Michelle, please don’t tell me you don’t have another recipe that can top these; my head will explode! You’ve already made me rethink the humble chocolate chip cookie to the point of blowing my mind.
I made these and everyone raved about them. Thanks.
Eager to try these, would you mind to share if you mail ordered your chocolate chips or did you have luck finding them in a local store? Thanks,
Emily, don’t know if you’re a member of BJ’s. If so, or if you have a friend who is, they carry bags of excellent Ghirardelli double chocolate bittersweet chips. They’re jumbo sized chips, which are just perfect for this recipe. They’re sold in a 3 pound bag. If you’re not near a BJ’s, maybe Costco or Sam’s has them. Hope that helps.
Hi Emily, I purchased Ghiradelli Bittersweet 60% cacao chocolate chips at my local grocery store. They are larger size than traditional chocolate chips.
hi! i tried this before and it is really awesome! but I am out of cake flour now, can I use cake flour substitute (7/8cup AP flour + 2tbsp cornstarch)—weighing the same as 8 1/2 oz? Do you think it will cause some difference in the texture? thanks!!
Hi Chel, Yes you could use the substitution. It might affect the texture a little bit, but I don’t think it would do so enough to not be worth it!
Hi Michelle! I did this using the cake flour substitute, and it did not affect the texture at all… and I tried 24hrs and 48hrs chill time, and I have to say, the 48 hrs is the best for these cookies.
Yesterday, I baked the Thick and Chewy CCC (from CI), which was the favorite cookie recipe of my husband, and guess what.. he did not even eat the entire cookie.. He wants this recipe now, NYT CCC, and he said this is the best chocolate chip cookie he ever tasted.. Now I have to eat all the cookies here… too bad!
Definitely not a bad problem to have! :)
These were indeed fantastic! We used good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips because we are not big fans of dark chocolate. I made some of the cookies with the sea salt and some without. I don’t think there was a consensus as to which were better- both ways were awesome. The recipe made 23 HUGE cookies for us.
Given my choice of chocolates, dark chocolate definitely is my preference, so I could not wait to try this recipe. These cookies are absolutely fantastic, no question. I baked mine for 19 minutes (choosing the in between number), but I probably would back this off to 18 minutes in the future since the edges got a little crispier than I would have liked. Loved the sea salt with the dark chocolate; this was a very nice flavor combination.
One thing I will say is that the size of these cookies (“small baseball” is probably more appropriate than “large golf ball”) is completely unrealistic. They are very much a bakery type of cookie, and they come in at about 440 calories per cookie! This cookie is not something that I would consider just grabbing as a snack; it is truly a dessert. I will make these again in the future, but it probably will be for an occasion and not just to have around the house as a snack. I ended up keeping four of them at home and taking the rest in to work–where they were met with rave reviews, of course!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Loved the sea salt and chocolate combo. Made big beautiful cookies. Going to make all three recipes from the throw-down and let my son decide at Thanksgiving!
THANK YOU for sharing. This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve ever tried. My husband and I LOVE THEM! This will be our new “go to” cookie and I don’t think I’ll share this recipe. ; ) The sea salt is the perfect topping for a salty/sweet mix which is one of my favorite combos.
Just an afternote: I baked these in two separate batches. The one I baked after the dough was refrigerated 4 days was just as wonderful as the ones I baked after the dough chilled for 24 hours. No discernible difference at all. I got 24 monster-size cookies, with one dozen baked at 24 hours, the next dozen at 4 days. That gentle soupcon of saltiness seems to appeal to men. Drives ’em wild.
Best choc chip cookie recipe EVER! YUM YUM
This is the third time I’ve made these (another batch is sitting in the fridge now!) and I’m reading everyone’s comments and just want to say that–I KNOW it’s a lot of dough– but seriously, weigh it and do the 3.5 oz per cookie. The first time I made 24 “large golf balls” and the second and third times I’ve done/will be doing “small baseballs.” Considering the cooking time, my “large golf balls” were chocolatey hockey pucks after 18 minutes. With the larger ball of dough, the cooking time is more realistic. However, the second time I did this recipe, I made the dough Friday and baked one half on Saturday and the second half of the dough Sunday. On Saturday I baked them for 18 minutes and on Sunday for 15 minutes. My family is a bunch of soft cookie fanatics so the 15 minutes was perfect for the 3.5 oz of dough. They were tan, but not overcooked. I got mixed reviews about the sea salt on top (I do have the correct kind, fancy fleur de sel from williams-sonoma) and my brother-in-law and my mom were picking it off the top of the cookies. Oh well, can’t please everyone! My husband liked the salt and so did I. I’m the same way that you are and didn’t like the idea of waiting for the dough to sit for 24 hours, but honestly I don’t think I’ll ever use my old cookie recipe again. As much as I and everyone else loved my old cookies, there is simply no comparison to these… they’re huge and gorgeous and so incredibly good. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and the throw-down! I believe I have my “forever cookie” now, finally! :)
Mine were way too flaky and crumbly:(. I made them smaller and adjusted the cooking time, but I don’t think that was the problem. So bummed.
Laurie, looks like you might have added 10 tbs. of butter instead of 10 Oz. That may be why they were crumbly.
These cookies are amazziiinnnggg! I made a batch for the school staff room and half were fine before the first bell went. They are better than Subway cookies!
WOW!
I made these with white whole wheat flour, adding gluten to make bread flour and a drop of cornstarch to make cake flour, then weighing each according to the recipe. I also used margarine as these cookies needed to be dairy-free.
I made my cookies slightly smaller and baked them for 12-14 minutes.
These. Are. Amazing.
I think I may make a double batch on Sunday and just freeze them! (Or do you think I can freeze the dough in 2-4-serving packages?)
I think you could save the dough. You could always scoop out the portioned dough and then freeze the dough balls, that way you can make only as many as you want at one time.
Would it be okay if I used semisweet chocolate chips? I am not a fan of dark chocolate…Just wondering if it would compromise the taste if I made this substitution.
Hi Mariam, You could use semisweet chocolate chips. I like dark chocolate, so I think it goes wonderfully with the sea salt, but I think you would still be okay with the semisweet.
I agree the dark chocolate and salt set each other off perfect.
hey! this looks super extra delicious! I have a question though… what kind of bread flour do I need to get?? Does it have to have yiest on it? or why is it different than regular flour? thanks!!!
Hi Daniela, A lot of flour brands sell bread flour, including Pillsbury, Gold Medal and King Arthur Flour, all of which are available at local grocery stores. It’s different than all-purpose because it has a higher protein content, which makes the cookie chewier and gives it a sturdier texture.
This is by far the best cookie I’ve ever cooked my husband is a Cookie Monster and he loves this one the most! I also wanted to say I use a lot of the recipes that you post and most come out great for me I want to send you my greatest appreciation for all the help you’ve given me in the kitchen!
I used this recipe, but instead of 2 tsp vanilla – used 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp almond extract. Talk about delicious!
I just took the dough out of the refrigerator after 48 hrs. I followed the recipe to a T. I stored dough in a plastic container with an airight lid. The dough is a brick. Is that usual?
Hi Gail, Yes, it’s very hard when it comes out of the refrigerator. I usually use a knife to chop off sections to weigh, then squish together into a ball with my hands.
Everyone loved these! I personally thought they were too chocolatey but I’m weird! Loved the salt and the fact that they were huge cookies. I will definitely make these again.
Thank you for weighing all the ingredients. When you are used to using a scale when cooking, it is so much faster, easier and more accurate. Excellent cookies!
Quick Question: Would it be okay if I stuck the dough in the freezer for a lesser amount of time than in the refrigerator for 24+ hours?
Hi Amrita, I would not freeze the dough – you don’t want it frozen, just chilled.
I made the dough yesterday. Then this afternoon I scooped and weighed out 6 cookies, 3.5 ounces each and baked them 18 minutes @ 350 degrees. My, my, my! My wife and I each sat down with a tall glass of ice cold milk and now we only have 3 cookies left. Yes, I’m really good at math word problems. These are, without a doubt, everything I have pictured in my little mind that a perfect cookie should be. Bold statement I know but that’s just the way it is. Buttery, carameley, chocolatey, salty symphony of flavors; ever so slight crisp edge with a soft chewy center; and a nice ‘handful’ of cookie goodness.
Made the recipe as-is, no changes! I weighed my ingredients. Sifted all dry ingredients. Used Plugra butter….oh my yes! Used Ghiardelli 60% Cacao Chocolate Chips — huge chips! Allowed the dough to rest 24 hours. I can see this becoming one of my most popular baked goodies! Make these, you won’t regret it!
Love your blog!!!
Hello, I was wondering if these absolutely have to be refridgerated for 24 hours. I have a fairly full fridge and a family that loves to grab something simple at all times and it would be a bit troublesome to leave them in for such a prlonged amount of time. Will they be okay of we don’t refridgerate them at all of even simply for just a few hours?
Hi Anna, These really are best if you refrigerate them to allow the flavors to develop. If you can’t do 24 hours, I would do at least a few hours, or as long as you can.
Thanks! I left them in for 12 hours and cooked a dozen and tried cooking a dozen more after they had been in the fridge for a full 24 hours. Personally, I couldn’t tell much difference in taste (I’m not much of a cook or flavor connoisseur) , both ways are absolutely scrumptious! Wonderful recipe! Thank you for posting them on your website.
Hi! This is my favorite cookie recipe of all time! I shared this post on my blog. You can check it out here: http://littlebitsofeverythingqce.blogspot.com/2013/05/pinned-it-friday-rachel-edition.html
Thank you and have a great weekend!
~Rachel at Little Bits of Everything
amazing recipe ,, the best i’ve tried so far .. Thanks for sharing !!
Hello. I have tried this recipe and came out perfectly.
Second time, I divided recipe in to 1/3.
Cookies were all spread to flat & burnt.
I thought this recipe is one of those recipe that doesn’t do well when you divide it to smaller.
And today.I made dough yesterday, full amount.
I follow the recipe, nothing changed.
Cookies came out as same flat spread mess !
Last time was perfect. Today big mess again.
I have never experienced any recipe that gives different result every time.
Have I missed something ? Too much or too less of something ?
Its big amount of dough to have, it’s such a waste.
Do you have any idea what have I done wrong ?
And is this unbaked dough savabke of adding something ?
Help me please. Thank you.
Hi Toco, If they turned out fine the first time, but you had an issue the second couple of times but didn’t change any ingredients or methods, your oven might be running a little hot. I would recommend an oven thermometer to be sure it’s the correct temperature.
Hello. Thank you for your response.
This is not an oven issue.
I “think” I followed recipe as directed and measured propery.
For some reason cookies sometimes doesn’t come out right.
It’s always to Anxicious to open the oven when cookies are done.
Because dough it self looks,feel, taste always same.
I noticed that cookies comes out differentry after 24 h resting, 48 h resting.
More it sit longer cookies are flatter.
I like thick look, so I dont really want to keep them in fridge longer.
But sometimes just don’t have enough time to prepare dough when I want to.
What if I freeze the dough after 24h. Then when I bake them,
Do I just need to bring them to fridge & bake as usual?
Are they going to come out same as 24 rested stage ?
Thank you.
If you freeze them, I would shape the dough into balls before you freeze them. You can bake them straight from the freezer, but will need to add a few minutes to the baking time. I am not sure if they will taste the same, as I have not frozen this dough before.
I have exactly the same problem. My cookies flattened out all the way and totally burned and I have no idea why. I already did the “Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies” two days before and they came out great but these, gosh, they just won’t work out. :-( I’d say I followed the receipt to a capital T, measuring all ingredients with a scale. I did one thing different. I substituted the cake flour by Michelle’s advice with “1 cup cake flour = ¾ cup sifted all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons cornstarch”. We don’t have cake flour on my continent so that’s the only way to follow the receipt at least to the small t. :-) Any advice? I also tried it with 275°F. At first it looked good but then it also totally flattened out. :-( Any advice than doing it over again? As we don’t have chocolate chips it took me 1,5h to crack down chocolate bars into small pieces. What a pity to throw it away as the raw dough tastes so wonderful.
I don’t have Kosher salt, but sea salt. Should I use a different measurement? Thanks!!
If it’s coarse sea salt, then yes.
During the last month I’ve been trying to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Thankfully, about two weeks ago, I discovered your fantastic blog and I fell in love with your recipes and your photos (and trust me I’ve tested many blogs the last 2 years). As it turns out this cookie recipe was exactly what I was looking for. The combination of flours gives the cookies an amazing texture, and a professional-like taste. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe! Me and my family are looking forward to trying more of your amazing recipes :)
can i use self rising cake flour? or will it affect the consistency of the cookies?
Hi Nikki, No, you should never use self rising flour unless a recipe specifically calls for it because it contains leavening agents. Most recipes use an all-purpose flour and baking powder and/or soda for leavening.
Hi, can i use Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (Minis) for this recipe?
Hi Dianne, I definitely would not use mini chocolate chips for this recipe. Use regular size chips (and dark if you can!)
Thanks for your reply Michelle. I only have mini chocolate chips right now. Also, I couldn’t find the kind you used for this recipe in the stores over here. Would it be alright if I make it into normal-sized cookies and use the mini choc chips?
Hi Dianne, Sure, just realize that the flavor and texture may not be exactly the same.
I measured out the flour using measuring cups and then weighed it on my OXO scale. There was a huge discrepancy because the cake flour, for example, came to only 7 oz. What’s up with that? I’d appreciate your comment on this. I did make the cookies using the measuring cups, and they are delicious. I just wondered if they would have been chewier with all that extra flour!
Hi Marianne, You should always go by weight if you have a scale available to you. A lot of measuring cups vary in size, and the way ingredients are scooped and measured can make a difference in how a cup is filled.
Thanks for getting back to me. I will be trying these again with different measurements of flour to see what the differences are. On the Internet there are varying weights for 1 cup of bread flour and 1 cup of cake flour. I’ll let you know what I think. I appreciate very much your input!
These turned out so delicious and well worth the wait. I am going to be making this recipe my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Hi, I just realized I too misread the butter. I have already mixed all the ingredients and put it in the fridge. It will be in the fridge for about 18 hours when I get home…is it too late to add the other stick? Basically, I added 1 stick and a half instead of two sticks and a half. I really hope I don’t need to start all over again! Help!
Hmm, you would probably need to let the dough come to room temperature before incorporated the rest of the butter, but since all of the other ingredients have already been added, I’m not sure how the final cookies will come out.
Thank you so much for responding. That’s exactly what I did….I let the dough come back to room temperature (couple hours) and then incorporated the butter. The dough looked a littl greasy. I put it back in the fridge and will attempt to bake them tonight. Let’s see!
Well they came out pretty good, a little tough and greasy but overall this pretty amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe and the advice!
Thanks for sharing. I tried this recipe out and the cookies were fantastic! :) I also put my own twist on them (stuffed cookies, anyone?).
Hi, if I use margarine or salted butter, should I minimize the salt (or not use it at all)? it’s hard to find unsalted butter here and our margarine is quite salty. Please help :)
Hi Yena, I would recommend using the salted butter and omitting the kosher salt in the recipe (still sprinkle them with the sea salt).
Thank you, Michelle. Will try that! :D
um, one more… what can I use to substitute the brown sugar? is palm sugar okay?
Hi Yena, That’s a tough one, as I’m not sure what you have available to you. The brown sugar is important, as it gives the cookies the soft and chewy texture. Substitute whatever sugar you use that has some sort of molasses content.
I substituted the brown sugar with white sugar and add some honey because… I live in a village where brown sugars are not known. when I asked for molasses, they tought I speak alien, lol. it turned out soooo delicious. maybe next time if I have a chance to find that brown sugar (or molasses), I will use it. thank you for sharing this recipe :D
Try this. Scoop the dough into the balls then refrigerate.
OMG!!!!!! These cookies are to die for! Good thing I have lots of friends to share with, or I would eat up the whole double batch that I just made! I didn’t notice a difference though between cooking them right away or waiting the 24 hours.
This recipe is going in my forever cook book for sure!
I have totally messed up this dough and now don’t know how to fix it. I substituted flour – 2T and added cornstarch and used the bread flour. I used 1C shortening bar and 1/2 cup butter. It’s dry and crumbly. I first thought I added too much butter so I added another 1/2 c flour. It’s been in refrig overnight. it’s Gulf Sand Dry. II don’t know what to do. I can’t get it to stay in a ball at all to cook. Any suggestions? More butter? A little milk? Please?
Unfortunately, it sounds like you put in too much of the shortening/butter, and the fact that you used mostly shortening could have had an affect, but it’s sandy because you added too much flour. Unfortunately, I would probably start over, I’m not sure how salvageable your dough is at this point.
The volume to weight conversions for my King Arthur cake and bread flours are different than what the recipe lists (1 c KAF cake flour is 4 oz so 2 c minus 2 Tbsp = 7.5 oz and 1 c KAF bread flour is 4.25 oz so 1 2/3 c = about 7.1 oz). Any thoughts on whether I should go with the weights listed in the recipe or with the weight measurements KAF lists for their flours? I know the amount of flour can significantly affect a recipe, so I wanted to make sure I was using the correct amounts.
Hi Carol, I would go with the known weights for the flours that you are using. Enjoy the cookies!
DELICIOUS! A Must try! Everyone loves it! Kids and grown ups. And it’s so easy to make!
You’re an angel for posting this! This is the best recipe I’ve ever experimented with. I tried it last year when you first posted it but with a few modifications — in addition to the chocolate chips, my 4 year old kid dumped in some rainbow sprinkles (Wilton’s), M&Ms and Reese’s pieces for a riot of color. Left in the refrigerator for 48 hours and it was still incredible. I love you! Thank you so much and Merry Christmas from our tropical island paradise. :-) XOXO, Vida
ME LOVE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TY SOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR THIS RECEPIE!!
COOKIEE!!!!!!!! :D
Love the recipe , it’s the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted but mine turned out to be very crunchy , I followed everything so not what went wrong .. Thanks for sharing
My TNT recipe for chocolate chip cookies has more complexity and depth of flavor in the dough. I use 1 cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar for a total of 1.5 cups. For my own recipe’s 2&1/3 cups of flour I use 1 cup bread flour, 2/3 cup whole wheat flour and 2/3 cup cake flour] and add 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ besides. I add 2 tablespoons of sour cream and even sometimes substitute 2 teaspoons soy sauce for the 1 teaspoon salt in the dough, all to make a complex deep flavor in the cookie dough. I use 2 eggs and 2 sticks of butter or margarine for the batch of dough.
But my recipe is not consistent enough – sometimes too crunchy instead of soft and tender. Yet I also have a problem with the NYT-channeling-Jacques Torres recipe – the texture was great and more consistently reliable than my own recipe BUT the dough flavor was too bland and did not have the nice depth of flavor of my old favorite recipe. Do you think I can just sub the WWFlour for some of each of the cake flour and bread flour? And add the wheat germ as an add-in or sub some of the flour with the wheat germ? And what about my sugar mixture which may well be moister due to the difference between the dark vs light brown sugars not to mention the larger % of the dark sugar? I guess I want the best of both recipes!
Hi there, I was wondering if you can recommend one of your cookie recipes for a cookie cake? would like to make a chocolate chip version. Thanks alot. Melissa
P.S. love all your recipes your my number 1 go to!
Hi Melissa, I have actually never made a cookie cake, so I can’t give a definitive recommend :( This is the second question I’ve gotten about this in a week, so I might need to start testing recipes! :)
This is the chocolate chip cookie recipe I have been searching for my entire life!!! Seriously, until someone has eaten one of these cookies, their life cannot be complete. The boyfriend was skeptical that the dough needed 24 hours of fridge time (likely he wanted a warm cookie that night), so we baked a couple after only 1 hour the night I mixed up the dough – really quite good. We made up another few 24 hours later, and yes, they were noticeably better even though I oversalted them (note – do not roll the cookie dough ball top in the salt, a sprinkle is plenty). But the batch we made 48 hours later were the winners! We topped them with vanilla bean ice cream and ate about 10 minutes out of the oven. He said, “If I were to die right now after eating this, I’d be ok with that. I could eat these until I got sick, and it would be worth it.” We let the other cookie sit for about an hour and killed it off with a glass of milk. I brought some in to co-workers today, and a measley 3 made it safely into the freezer for a future treat. These are everything a cookie should be. Made the recipe exactly as written, but 17 minutes was the perfect cooking time in my oven. I used Ghirardelli 62% chips which I found at my Kroger Marketplace store. I would like to try this recipe with a combo of PB chips & dark chocolate next time…maybe butterscotch.
Do you have a brand of bread flour you like? I have used different ones with different results.
Hi Dina, I use King Arthur Flour bread flour, which I’m able to find at my local grocery store.
Hi there, I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for awhile. I too have been a regular cooks illustrated ccc believer, but so many people say this recipe is the best of the best. How do you think this recipe would work as a skillet cookie? I was thinking of placing it in the skillet as soon as it’s done mixing and letting it cool and rest there. Then, pop it right in the oven 24 hours later and keep my fingers crossed for one ginormous cookie. I suspect it may need a few minutes extra cooking time… What do you think knowing how this cookie bakes?
Hi Heather, I have actually never made a skillet cookie, believe it or not! That said, I can’t really say for sure how this recipe would work in a skillet, but it’s so good, it’s certainly worth a shot :)
HI! I would like to bake these cookies as gifts to friends. My question is: can they be baked in advance? I am looking for a cookie that tastes great a few days later – not only straight out of the oven or ON baking day? Would that work with this recipe? Or is the NYT cookie a “baking day cookie” only? If it could work, would you suggest airtight storage or freezing? Thanks!!
Hi Yael, This are definitely still good after two or three days. I would recommend wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap once they are cool and storing in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for optimum freshness.
Hi!!! Can u tell me if you’ve doubled this recipe with success. Need to make 100 cookie for a wedding today! Thank you so much if u respond right away. <3
I’ve never actually doubled this recipe, but I tend to think it would be okay.
Sorry in advance, but baking noob here.
After the 24 hr refrigeration, do I then wait for the dough to get back to room temperature before baking or straight from fridge to oven?
The cold dough is rock solid!
Hi Haroon, Bake them straight from the fridge, do not wait for the dough come to room temperature. It is hard; I use a spoon to dig it out, but you want it cold.
Thanks! I ended up doing just that and the cookies were absolutely amazing. 20oz of Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate is ALOT. It was almost like eating a chocolate bar held together by thin layers of cookie dough. To. Die. For.
Have you made these as cookie pops? If so, any tips?
I have not, sorry!
The recipe says to make balls using 3 1/2 ounces of dough and form in the size of a LARGE golf ball. As far as I know, all golf balls are the same size!!!!!
Is it vital that you refrigerate the dough?? Or can you just continue the recipe without refrigerating it?!
Hi Sophie, Refrigerating the dough really helps the flavor develop and intensify. I know folks have made it immediately, or only refrigerated for 1 hour, but generally find that using the full refrigeration time is best.
I am going to scoop the correct size and then allow them to refrigerate for 24 hours. I can’t imagine that it would make a difference in the final product?
I had the same thought after reading about how hard the dough is after chilling. How did they turn out with chilling the balls of dough?
Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe! I usually make the Nestle recipe, but my cookies always turn out flat as a pancake. So I started searching for chocolate chip cookie recipes and luckily found this one. After reading the recipe I decided to just double it, since it sounded pretty labor intensive to begin with. I’m really glad I doubled the recipe, I froze a few containers to give to friends and family. Thanks again, and to anyone that is looking for a great cookie recipe, I highly recommend this recipe!
So i attempted to make this to other day and it turned out to be one giant blob by the time i opened the oven to pull it out. i’m not too sure what happened. i’m thinking it might be one of two (or both) reasons:
1. i used margarine instead of butter
2. i may have over mixed the dough when mixing the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. i don’t have a professional mixer so i used an egg beater but the low speed isn’t very slow.
i’d like to make these again, the right way, but i need advice before i attempt it again
thanks
Hi Kathleen, Margarine could definitely be the culprit, you should use butter. Overbeating could also contribute to a compromised texture.
Thanx Michelle for sharing this great recipe:)
Excited to try these! Would you suggest any changes for high altitude baking? Thanks!!
Hi Kelly, I don’t bake at high altitude, but if you routinely do, I would go ahead and make any adjustments you normally need to make for baking cookies at high altitude.
I’ve made these several times, they are wonderful. I am wondering if anyone has had success doubling the recipe? I always get nervous about doubling :)
I may be the only one, but I didn’t love these. I think I prefer CI’s Thick and Chewy version.
Hey, just wondering if I could add chopped walnuts to these without changing the texture too much and if I should alter any of the other ratios if I’m going to do so? Thanks!
Hi Nicole, You can! I would replace some of the chocolate chips with walnuts.
I mixed these cookies up, but the ‘dough’ is so stiff & crumbly, I can’t even scoop it out of the bowl. What is the trick? I managed to get the first 3 cookies out, & bake, but very crumbly & dry.
Hi Michelle, I’ve made one of your other chocolate chip favorite recipes (the one where you pull them apart and smash them back together), which is really good, and just tried the Levain copycat. Do you prefer these NY times ones to the Levain? Why or why not?
I have made these cookies, and they are fantastic. I go light on the salt when I’m making them for kids, since they don’t usually appreciate it, but never leave it off.
I have done this recipe with Bread/cake flour combo, and also done it with pastry flour for the combined measurements. Both turned out great. Wondering about freezing the cookie dough… any input as to whether it effects the texture?
I have frozen the cookie dough (in individual balls, not all together), and it hasn’t affected the final product at all. You just need to add a couple more minutes to the bake time.
Anyone have any luck making these cookies mini? I need a good recipe for a two bit cookie. Why would making a small compromise the cookie? I realize the cooking time would need to be adjusted. Also, anyone made them with mini chips?
My question is similar to the last comment…
If I make these closer to “normal” size cookies, will they bake up differently or less evenly? I haven’t changed anything about the dough (it’s currently resting in the fridge).
Thank you!
Hi Kelsey, They will be just fine, I do this all the time! You’ll just need to reduce the baking time a bit, but otherwise they will be perfect.
can i possibly adjust the size of cookies to about 2oz?
Yes, definitely, I have done that. Just be sure to reduce the baking time.
Hands down my favorite Chocolate Chip cookie recipe and everyone loves them! I was having problems for a while with the cookies just not turning out right and then I switched to weighing my ingredients and it has made all the difference. Also, try using half chocolate chips and half white chocolate chips, we love it!
After my entire kitchen was coated in flour (1st time sifter combined with a doubled recipe and some mixer mishaps), I was seriously skeptical that these would be worth the effort (and mess). But they were amazing and worth it, and everyone raved and raved about them! Thank you so much for taking the original recipe, rewording it, and explaining some things for the more novice bakers out there! Also, I think it’s worth noting that the 3.5 ounce dough balls just seemed way too big to me, so I made 2.5 ounce dough balls (still huge!), and kept an eye on them in the oven. The 2.5 ounce dough balls also took 18-20 minutes in older oven, and I was really happy that I chose to make them smaller.
Thanks again! We love all of your stuff (especially the corn dip, chocolate butter cream, and magic cookie bars)!
Just made these while tornado sirens were going off and the risk was totally worth it! Great recipe with the perfect texture, chewiness, and softness. everyone in my family loved them and it was a plus that the recipe was easy!
sorry but what kind of sea salt did you use for sprinkling? fine, course, fleur del sel? thanks in advance
Hi Jose, I use fleur de sel.
I just took out the second batch from the oven. These are sinfully rich and very very good. My partner does not like dark chocolate so substitution semi and milk and they are great. I could not find cake flour in the grocery store so I went online and make pseudo cake flour. I guess it worked. :) They are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. So very very good!
Would there do okay making ahead and freezing until ready to bake?
Would these do okay making ahead and freezing until ready to bake?
If so, would you freeze after refridgerating 24hrs?
Yes, you could do that. You don’t need to refrigerate if you’re going to freeze them.
I have made these a few times and have found the perfect chocolate for them. I use 1 1/2 cups of Jacues Torres dark chocolate disks. I give them a rough chop as they will melt completely into the cookie. I then add 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips. I like to use Scharffen Berger baking chunks. These will hold their shape when baked. Lots if yummyness in one bite!!!
I accidentally used salted butter and salt. What can I do to mend the dough?
Hi Renee, It will be fine. These are meant to be a little sweet/salty anyway.
Hi, Michelle.
I have made these cookies so many times I’ve lost count. I just love the flavors that come together, the salty and the sweet all at once, yum!! I tend to make mine smaller…3.5 oz is just too big, more like a meal than a single cookie. I generally use a medium cookie scoop, but the trouble is that they’re kind of hard once they cool, even though I have reduced the baking time. I’m wondering if there is something I can add to the dough to give it more of a chewy texture, or maybe even lower the baking temp slightly. Any advice you can offer is greatly appreciated :)
Hi Mel, I would try knocking back the baking time even more, if they’re turning out hard after cooling. If that doesn’t work, then yes you could reduce the temperature a tad. As far as adjusting the recipe, you could swap more brown sugar for the granulated sugar.
Thanks so much, Michelle…I will give all of those tips a shot :)
can these cookies be made in a brownie bite pan? If so, how long should they be baked?
Thank you
Hi Laurie, I’m not sure what a brownie bites pan is? Like a mini muffin tin? I’ve never baked a cookie in a pan like that, so I’m not sure how they would turn out or exactly how long they would need to be baked.
These are, without a doubt, the absolute best chocolate chip cookies ever! I didn’t have dark chocolate chips, so used semisweet with no problem. I severely under-baked these cookies, and they are crisp on the outside and chewy-tender on the inside. Just perfection!
These cookies are awesome. Follow the instructions exactly (except I did use slightly less salt on top) and super yum. Like a professional. Easy and yum.
I found this recipe probably 3-4 years ago and it’s The only chocolate chip recipe I use. Hands down the best.
HI HI how do i make double chocolate chip cookies using this recipe?
Hi Erya, Do you mean you want a chocolate cookie with chocolate chips? If so, I’ve never attempted to alter this into a chocolate cookie, but I’ll add it to my bucket list!
I just baked 6 cookies as I wait for my dough to chill for next 24 hours and it cant come soon enough-lol and oh my goodness. Even unchilled, they are the bomb, meaning delish and unique. Thank you for posting this recipe on your blog. The salt is such a great finishing touch too. these cookies are soft and crispy. I made my own cake flour too, so so good.
These cookies are AMAZING. I thought I had a tried-and-true recipe for chocolate chip cookies from allrecipes.com but these are just kind of next-level cookies. My husband made them and didn’t bother with the 2 different flours. He just used AP flour. I made them and used the 2 different flours. I honestly could not tell a difference. Maybe someone can if you had both cookies and tasted them in a taste test within a few minutes. Who knows. I also sifted the flours and i know my husband didn’t bother. I don’t think it matters. I also used 60% ghiradelli large chocolate chips because I couldn’t find the chocolate discs. (and they conveniently came in a 20 oz bag-so perfect!) Yes, they take a little patience and planning because you refrigerate the dough. It’s worth it. Be warned: you will not go back to other chocolate chip cookies after this!!!
I just baked the first batch of these cookies and without a doubt they are PERFECT. I left them in the fridge for 48 hours and the taste and texture is exactly what you want in a cookie. I did everything to the letter except the additional sea salt on top as I’m making these with a slightly fussy child in mind. Thank you very much. What a recipe!!
The perfect giant bakery-style cookie!