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!
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) minus 2 tablespoons cake flour, (8½ ounces)
- 1 ⅔ cups (208.33 g) bread flour, (8½ ounces)
- 1¼ teaspoons (1.25 teaspoons) baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) kosher salt
- 1¼ cups (283.75 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, (10 ounces )
- 1¼ cups (275 g) light brown sugar, (10 ounces )
- 1 cup (200 g) plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, (8 ounces)
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 ⅓ cups (600 g) dark chocolate chips, at least 60% cacao content, (20 ounces)
- Sea salt, for sprinkling
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 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.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
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?
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.
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 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.
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 may be the only one, but I didn’t love these. I think I prefer CI’s Thick and Chewy version.
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 :)
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.
Thanx Michelle for sharing this great 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.
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!
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?
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.
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!!!!!
Have you made these as cookie pops? If so, any tips?
I have not, sorry!
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.
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.
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 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 :)
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.
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.
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! :)
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!
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
ME LOVE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TY SOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR THIS RECEPIE!!
COOKIEE!!!!!!!! :D
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
DELICIOUS! A Must try! Everyone loves it! Kids and grown ups. And it’s so easy to make!
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!
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.
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!