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 made these tonight and added Macadamia nuts to them. I weighed all of the ingredients and wow does it ever make a difference. I don’t know if my measuring cups are wrong or if my scale is off, but I was shocked by the difference, especially with the brown sugar. I’m glad I went with weight because the cookies turned out perfectly. My mother in law even complimented my cookies :) thank you for posting. Now to try some of your cupcake recipes
hey dis is a wonderful recipe..but cud u pls demonstrate dat pulling in2 half,rollin it 90` n den joinin,facing jagged surface sumthn lol cud u mayb post a video of dat :)
i’d very much appreciate it thanku :)
Hello!
I just found your blog recently and made these when my husband was craving some homemade cookies. THESE ARE AMAZING!!! The best I have ever made…and I have made some recipes! I also have your sweet and sour chicken in the oven for tonight and I am making your stuffed peppers and squash soup tomorrow! I am really excited to try all these recipes because it all looks so yummy!! Thanks for making this blog!
Amy
I just made these and ohmygoodness are they the best cookies ever! Thick, soft, and chewy, which everything I’ve been looking for in a good cc cookie recipe!
I was a little nervous how these would turn out when I noticed that the batter wasn’t sticking to the chocolate chips, but after rolling the dough into balls the problem was solved. In addition to adding dark chocolate chips, I also added some shredded coconut and toffee bits to the dough for a little variation — Yum!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! My search for the perfect cc recipe is finally over!
oh my these are so yummy i dont even know where to begin…maybe just a huge thank you…my tummy is very satisfied….my hips not so much. I used a 1 1/2″ cookie scooper and baked for 9 min and they came out beautiful
Ok, I am stupid and don’t understand the “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”…..when you rotate the halves 90 deg, you basically join at the sides? If so, then how do you get a “ball” again? You have 2 round halves butted together isn’t going to form another ball….this step is confusing the way it is written….I think I will just do it as “Kaitlin March 27, 2010” did and “rolled 1/2 cup dough balls and pulled them into halves, which resulted in the same crinkly texture on top”.
Hi Rick, Yes, you join at the sides, exactly. You just push them together. You don’t really want another “ball” – the resulting shape will be flatter than a ball, but still round when pushed together and jagged on top.
Wow, these are AMAZING!! This was my first time to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I found the recipe to be very clear and these were so simple to make. And they are absolutely perfect. Mine were crispy on the edges, gooey in the center, little salty with the sweet (I may have used too much salt, but it actually worked!), and I love that there are just a TON of chips in there. Perfect!
Michelle, I made these last night and they were soooo melt-in-your mouth delicious! Plus very easy and quick to make. This is the new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe in my house now! By any chance, do you have a “healthy” (or “healthier”) version of these? Love the cookie but am a little scared of ALL that butter & sugar…! :)
Hi Rashmi, So glad you loved these! I don’t have any “healthier” versions of this cookie, I just enjoy them in moderation :)
Hands down the BEST recipe for CCCs.
I just made these, and they are amazing! Simple and quick to make, and finally I’ve managed to make a light, chewy, crisp-on-the-edge choc chip cookie! Thanks for the recipe!
WOW! I’ve been planning on trying these for a long time and they exceeded my expectations! Absolutely the best ccc I’ve ever had. I brought a bunch to an event at work and several people said the exact same thing. No need to try any others, this is the one. Thanks, Michelle!
I’m always looking for the best chocolate chip recipe. I tried Alton Brown’s off Food Network and I’ve been pretty pleased with those. When I saw your recipe while browsing your site (a wonderful way to waste some time by the way!) I just had to try these cookies. I just pulled them out of the oven and I know already they are going to be a huge success. I can’t thank you enough for posting this recipe, seriously. You’re a life saver. Now, if I can bake some more cookies before eating the rest of the dough then other people can enjoy them too! I’ll be posting my pictures on my blog later this week :) Hooray!!
**CAN BE REFRIGERATED!** I was sent over here by my friend who says this is the best cookie recipe she has ever made so I decided to go ahead and try it out. Well, these really ARE the BEST cookies! When I melted the butter I actually let it cool for about 15-20 mins and our house was about 70 degrees all day. After I made the dough, I put it in the fridge, crossed my fingers and hoped that it will still be puffy. And they were! I also just used a TBLSP cookie scoop and just made them look kinda uneven so they get that crinkly look to them. I baked them for 10 mins like that and they were perfect! Thanks so much for sharing this. Toll House needs to scratch the recipe off their bags and replace it with this one!
These sound fantastic! I’ll definitely try them!
Finally! I have been searching, as you have, for the perfect CCC recipe, and this one is wonderful… massive, crunchy outside, chewy inside. My husband and I like more cookie than chocolate chip, so I stayed toward the 1 cup, and it is perfect. Thanks for the post!
Also, I tried sprinkling sea salt over the cookies, and we agreed that it would be better inside the cookies. I’ll be adding probably 3/4 or 1 Tsp. next time, instead of the proposed 1/2 Tsp. To form the cookies, I used 2 cookie-scoopers of dough mashed together. They can’t help themselves but crinkle and split on top, it’s the nature of the cookie. My husband said that if he has me and these cookies, he’s in good shape ;)
Just came over here from your pancake recipe and I have to agree with you on this one. I’ve been making this recipe for several years…probably close to 7…and I still love them the most.
Wow, they look delicious! I’m gonna try those for myself.. Thanks for the recipe!
Made these last night, so good! My husband had one before I went to bed, and when I talked to him the next day the first thing he said was “omfg those cookies are good!” LOL. Thank you for sharing, this will replace my old recipe!
I have made these cookies previously but am just now getting around to leaving a comment. They are so delicious and chewy. I love these cookies and will be making them again today. They are really tasty. Followed the directions exactly and came out with a perfect cookie. Thanks this is a keeper.
I made these today (to bring to a Super Bowl party tomorrow) and I have to say I love the consistency and texture. Mine kind of have a flour-y taste to them, which I can’t figure out. But, oh well, they’re still delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe around! I used my baking scale for the first time with this recipe and it came out perfect. I added some toffee bits for a little extra treat.
Followed the recipe exactly, did not refrigerate. Came out perfect. Best cookies ever!
Perfect.
I thought I posted here already but don’t see that I did- these are THE CCC for me. Perfect and easy. I refrigerated the dough overnight because I ran out of time to bake that day and they were awesome so I will continue to refrigerate first if I can! Ghiradelli 60% cocoa chips are hands down the best (in my opinion :) and really add the extra goodness to this cookie. Might try adding nuts next time. Thanks for posting this family fav!
i make these cookies all the time and they are absolutely delicious. They are so buttery and chewy. I baked them at 330F for 13-15 minutes.
These were so great!! I added a few spoonfuls of peanut better per someones recommendation–YUM!!! I can’t wait to try them without the peanut butter as well. Oh, and, we sprinkled the last batch with some sea salt–so delicious! :) Can’t wait to try even more of your recipes!
I am ADDICTED!!! I want to make these everyday!! My only change/addition is I used sea salt in the batter and sprinkled the tops with sea salt when they came out of the oven…yummo!!
What does the sea salt do to the cookie?
“This is the best chocolate chip cookie EVER. And I’m not just saying that because you’re my wife” – says my husband who is a die hard CCC fan. Thank you for an amazing recipe that made me the super wife! =) I substituted regular salt for sea salt and it was amazing! Every now and then you would get a bite of chucky salt and it balanced out the chocolate really well! I also used a mix dark chocolate chips and regular semi-sweet ones. MMMMMMMMMMM!
Best cookies ever! I just made a batch for my boyfriend, and…wow. That’s all there is, just wow. Of course, he’s allergic to chocolate (I know, I don’t know how he survives either, poor thing) so I substituted butterscotch chips for chocolate chips. It didn’t seem to affect the results, except for the fact that I failed to take into account how much sweeter butterscotch chips are than the regular semi-sweet chips. So now I have a batch of incredibly lovely, and ridiculously sweet blondies. Oh, well. They still taste great though, and I’ll just have to remember to reduce the sugars a bit if I make them with butterscotch again. Definitely plan on making a batch of regular chocolate chip for myself sometime soon. This recipe’s too good not to! :) Thanks for such a great (and versatile) recipe!
YUM. i just made these and they are divine. your site is one of my go-to places for never-fail recipes like this! thanks!!