Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These large, bakery-style thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies stay soft for days and are a huge family favorite. Made with melted butter, a high brown sugar to white sugar ratio, and an extra egg yolk to ensure super soft cookies, they require NO chilling time and are the perfect after-school snack.
These cookies have been around for a LONG time! I first made them nearly 12 years ago when I fell in love with America’s Test Kitchen and my new Baking Illustrated cookbook. I had long been on the hunt for a fabulous thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie and I had finally hit pay dirt! This was my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe for years upon years, until I stumbled upon The New York Times chocolate chip cookie, which I modified a bit to become my NEW favorite thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe.
However, these cookies made a resurgence in my kitchen last weekend and were due for a revival here on the site, especially since they’re one of my all-time most popular recipes!
How to Make Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Start with Butter: We use melted butter to keep the cookies super soft and moist.
- High Brown Sugar to Granulated Sugar Ratio: Brown sugar ensures soft cookies and the white sugar helps the cookies spread out. For cookies that are chewier and have a more robust flavor, we use double the amount of brown sugar to white sugar.
- Egg & Vanilla Extract: Eggs provide structure and an extra egg yolk gives the cookies a boost of softness. Vanilla is our flavor enhancer!
- Dry Ingredients: You’ll need all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt for structure, rise and flavor balance.
- Chocolate Chips: Of course! One and a half cups give you chocolate in every single bite without being overwhelming.
Ahhhh that dough!
There’s a little shaping technique that makes these cookies have that gorgeous bumpy texture on top that looks like they came straight out of the bakery.
All of that combined to make these my oldest, most favorite chocolate chip cookie that needs absolutely no chill time whatsoever.
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While the NY Times cookies that I love require some refrigeration before they’re baked, these can be mixed up and baked right away, so you’ll have warm cookies fresh from the oven and ready to devour in about 45 minutes. Can’t beat it!
What’s your favorite type of chocolate chip cookie?
Watch the Recipe Video Below:
One year ago: The Best Chocolate Frosting
Five years ago: Overnight Chilled Plum-Oatmeal Pudding
Seven years ago: Peach Coffee Cake
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup (220 g) light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (270 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Roll a scant ¼ cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2½ inches apart.
- Bake until the cookies are light golden brown and the outer edges start to set, yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets. Once cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. These can also be wrapped in plastic wrap, placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 2 months.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on June 21, 2008, updated in July 2016 with new photos, and then refreshed in August 2019 with updated photos and more recipe tips.
[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]
I just made these cookies and I must say that although mine aren’t as beautiful as the one’s posted on you site (I did follow your directions for rolling and pulling apart the dough), they are still beautiful in their own way. This is now my go-to site for baking recipes…I rave about this site to my co-workers!
So glad you loved these Tykisha, and thank you for giving me a shout out to your coworkers! :)
Have you ever tried sea salt in these cookies? I’ve made some chocolate chip cookies with sea salt before and they’re wonderful in terms of the salty-sweet flavor, and added texture. I’ve notice you’re pretty into salty-sweet, so maybe just a suggestion?
Hi Reanna, I haven’t made these with sea salt but I’m definitely a fan of sweet/salty so I will give it a try next time. Thank you!
I make these using a 1/2 tsp of sea salt instead of regular salt. They are fantastic.
Oh my God!
If you think that you don’t have the time to make these cookies, then let me say something, sweetie – you are crazy. I made these cookies for September 1st, and I don’t need to say that people threatened to kill me if I didn’t give them the recipe :D.The cookies had the PERFECT concistency – they were chewy and thick. I added a handful of pecans and they added a nutty and superdelicious taste to the cookies. Definitely a keeper!
I have tried MANY chocolate chip cookie recipies, but, WOW. this one was DEFINITLY the best. its the chocoalte chip cookie we always try to make but never can-finally!!!! you are the best :)
I’ve made this recipe several times and this last time I did the lazy way and dumped the whole batch on a 1/2 sheet pan with silpat lining it. Baked it for 30 minutes and they turned out great although I think the next time I’ll go for 25 mins instead as they weren’t quite as chewy as I like. Took them to a family get together and they disappeared.
Oooh great tip, Kathy! Thanks for sharing! Great to know that these make great cookie bars too!
I printed out this recipe a year ago, jiminy cricket! LOL And just made them tonight.. Sooo disappointed– they taste great but they came out paper thin.. just like a Nestle Tollhouse cookie.. Guess my search for that thick CCC will continue :(
Melody, after reading your comment I thought I would share what happened to me. I probably used the butter when it was still too warm so when I mixed everything together it was too buttery and shiny. I added about 1/4 flour and it reached the proper cookie dough consistency. I formed the cookies and baked them and voila, they turned out perfectly.
These were exactly right! Chocolate cookies to die for. Will make them again and again! Thanks so much!
These are THE BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies! I am throwing out my Tollhouse recipe…no more flat Chocolate Chip Cookies! Thank you so much!
I made these today… well, I actually made the dough Saturday afternoon and baked them today (Monday). The dough was loose when I finished mixing (by hand, mind you) – much too loose to be shaped into anything resembling a ball. So I put it in the refrigerator until today. It was sticky but somewhat workable. I couldn’t get the “pull-apart” method to work though, the dough just wouldn’t hold its shape well enough. After baking, the cookies are delicious – but look NOTHING like the pictures. They more closely resemble the kind of cookie I get with the Nestle recipe – spread and thin. I was really hoping for a thick, chewy, craggly cookie like the one pictured. Any ideas where I could have gone wrong or what I could try next time? Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Katy,
I’m sorry you had a less-than-stellar experience with this recipe! The most important step in this recipe is to make sure the melted butter has been cooled to the touch before you mix it with the sugars and proceed with the recipe. If you add it when it is too warm, the dough will be much wetter and less manageable than intended. I’ve had this happen to me before and it seems to be the one variable that can keep the cookies from being perfect. They definitely should not be thin. The other thing too is to make sure you don’t overbake them (or yes, they will spread). You should take them out of the oven when the edges look set but the middles are still a very pale brown and puffy. They won’t look done, but they will finish baking on the warm baking sheet when your remove them from the oven. I’m not sure if refrigerating the dough could have had an impact on the outcome, as I’ve never refrigerated this dough. Oh, one other thing – did you butter the cookie sheet or line with parchment or a silpat? Sometimes buttering a cookie sheet can cause too much extra butter to get into the dough once in the hot oven and can cause spreading too.
I hope you’ll give them another try, they are hands down the best cookie recipe I think I’ve ever made!! Let me know if you have any more questions and how the next batch turns out!
Hmm… let’s see. I might not have let the butter cool enough, I get impatient. :-) I’m pretty sure I didn’t overbake them, they were still a little gooey when I took them out (I’m really not a fan of overdone cookies, so I tend to err on the side of underdone since they continue to bake a little after coming out.) And I don’t grease cookie sheets when making cookies, nor use parchment or Silpat liners. So the only variable I see that might be the problem is the melted butter. Just very strange that they came out so differently from the picture… I’ve been baking (sweets) for a long time and nothing has baffled me more than the basic chocolate chip cookie. Thanks for all the ideas! I guess I’ll just have to give this another shot… darn, more cookies!
Hi, I just want to mention again that so many ovens loose their calibration quickly. I suggest that everyone buys a oven thermometer just to see what the oven is actually at. They are not too expensive and will stop a lot of frustration on either conventional or convection ovens, not to mention food waste.
Ditto this!
I keep my flour in the fridge because of the little worms that are in flour, just natural, but, I keep it in there. After I melt my butter I just mix and the cool flour does the rest. Nut, if I did’t I would just stick to the recipe. It is the best!
Hi there!
I’m a long time follower on and off. I avoid following a sweet blog until I really have to make something because I LACK SELF CONTROL.
I tried this CCC with only one variation. I omited the 1/2 cup white sugar. And I don’t know its because the dark brown sugar I use is quiet sweet or what but I think it is of perfect sweetness without the white sugar. And its now my most requested cookies and loved recipe. What do you think ?
Ofcourse, using the brown sugar kind of makes a much darker looking cookie but its yummy! I was planning to switch things up and try using white sugar next time. What do you think should be the ratio considering I use both the sugars ( assuming my dark brown sugar is way sweeter??). I was planning to start of with 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and 3/4 cup white sugar.
http://journeykitchen.blogspot.com/2010/06/perfect-chocolate-chip-cookie.html
I hope I made sense. :)
Hi Kulsum,
So glad you enjoyed these cookies with the variation you created! If you add back in white sugar, I would encourage you to keep the ratio the same (2:1 brown sugar to white sugar), otherwise if you use more white sugar than brown sugar, you will end up with a much crisper (not as thick or chewy) cookie. It might still be good, but just know that switching up the ratio will result in a very different texture.
Let me know how they turn out!
These cookies were really good! I am taking half to my friend and her family to get them out of the house so we don’t eat them all! Curious to see how they taste after sitting a day. One recipe I have for choc chip cookies taste better after a day (uses pudding)… wow three BEB recipe in two days :p
OMG!! These cookies are so fantastic!! I have my own chocolate chip cookie recipe that my husband loves, but I will never use it again. These are crunchy and chewy and perfectly cooked. I also love the way you form them before cooking – very cool. I love your website as well. A great find!
Well, I must say this is a pretty tasty cookie recipe you have there.
When still warm they were perfect, but unfortunately they don´t seem to “age” as well as I hoped. (I would give them an 8/10 one day after baking them)
I used a natural vanilla bean instead of the vanilla extract though, since you can´t buy the latter over here.
Greetings from Germany !
I was really looking forward to making these and seeing if they would be chewy. I added maybe 3/4 cup of crunchy peanut butter. Unfortunately they didn’t come out very chewy. I’ll admit I didn’t let them cool on the pan, which was supposed to make them chewier (I only have 1 small baking sheet to use), and I made these smaller than the recipe asked for—does that last factor help make them chewy? I’m thinking about trying it again but I want to get other opinions as to what I should tweak? Thanks for sharing the recipe! :)
I’ve used this exact recipe for the last 10 years! i love it!!! I’m known for my chocolate chip cookies!!!
Oh my goodness, I just made these cookies and they are my new favorite by far! Thank you SO much for the recipe! I was wondering what makes them so fat? I feel like in other cc cookies I’ve made I have to chill the dough and be very careful not to let the butter get too soft so I don’t end up with flat cookies. The dough for these was so soft I was worried they would flatten in the oven. But, miracle of miracles, they didn’t at all! Any insight you may have would be greatly appreciated =)
Hi! I want to thank you for this recipe:-) I tried this cookie recipe last weekend! :-) I was really amazed by the results! In the philippines, i used muscovado sugar and it has a very distinct flavor. :-) I made a half a dozen pieces for my great love.. weee!! i’m sure he will love it :-) Thanks for the recipe. I can’t wait to try the others. :-) Salamat! It means Thank you in Filipino :-) I am now your avid fan :-)
Me and my Boyfriend made these last night cause he has been craving chocolate chip cookies, We added some peanut butter chips to them as well, the dough was really gooey and messy ( but tasted fantastic!!) and the cookies turned out great…but my tops didnt turn out good like yours which means i better practice and make some more ;)
Hi Angela,
I actually just made a Triple-Chocolate Chip version (from the same cookbook), and am planning on posting it this coming week, so be sure to check it out! I hope you’ll enjoy!
I’m eating one of these now – they’re delicious. :] I formed the first nine dough balls according to the instructions (“pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface”) but for the next nine I used a bit of a shortcut; I just rolled 1/2 cup dough balls and pulled them into halves, which resulted in the same crinkly texture on top.
wow, so you do really use 1/4 cup of cookie dough per cookie??? just wanted to make sure before i try them out…..
Hi Irene, Yep, 1/4 cup! They are awesome!
Hey Michelle,
I was just wondering if maybe I could add in some cocoa to make these cookies double chocolate cookies? And if yes, about how much would you recommend me to add in?
THANKS.
I just made these and they are delicious. The texture is perfect! I’m printing the recipe out and putting it in my favorite recipe binder :) Thanks for the great post.
one word-INCREDIBLE! loved these! yummy and the salt really makes them,thanks has gone in my recipe book! x
i made these cookies today and everyone loved them.
they are so good!
thanks for the recipe, it’s the first chocolate chip recipe that i’ll DEFINITELY be making again :)
I made these yesterday! Beautiful and delicious! This is a perfect chocolate chip cookie :)
Wow, these turned out amazing! I just baked them as part of Christmas gifts (I’m doing chocolate chunk cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies in cute little boxes) and they turned out perfect!
That comment was meant for Sarah. Oops!
Cindy – in the list of ingredients it notes that the butter must be melted and cooled until warm.
Hi! I just wanted to say that I tried out your recipe, but I added cinnamon and used mini M&M’s instead. They came out awesome. They will be a go to cookie recipe for me from now on! Thanks for the inspiration. Your site is pretty awesome. I am a huge lover of cookies (when I was younger whenever anyone asked me what my favorite food group was, I promptly answered: cookies!). Thanks again!
Stephanie – I’m thrilled you’ve found your new go-to chocolate chip cookie dough! Thanks so much for stopping back to share your thoughts on the recipe.