With 30 million page views and counting since 2013, these super soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are the most popular cookie recipe on my website. Melted butter, more brown sugar than white sugar, cornstarch, and an extra egg yolk guarantee the absolute chewiest chocolate chip cookie texture. And you donโt even need a mixer!
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips. This recipe is such a fan (and personal) favorite that I included it in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
One reader, Adrienne, commented: “These are the best cookies Iโve ever had. Incredible. Donโt cut corners or youโll miss out. Do everything she says and youโre in for the best cookies of your life. โ โ โ โ โ “
There are thousands of chocolate chip cookies recipes out there. Everyone has their favorite and this one is mine. Just a glance at the hundreds of reviews in the comments section tells me that this recipe is a favorite for many others too! In fact, if you asked me which recipe to keep in your apron pocket, my answer would be this one. (In addition to a classic cut-out sugar cookies and flaky pie crust, of course!) Just read the comments on a post in our Facebook group. These cookies are beloved… and, a warning: they disappear FAST.
Why Are These My BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies?
- The chewiest of chewy and the softest of soft.
- Extra thick just like my favorite peanut butter cookies!
- Bakery-style BIG.
- Exploding with chocolate.
I’ve tested this cookie recipe over and over again to make sure they’re absolutely perfect. I still have a big space in my heart (and stomach) for these soft chocolate chip cookies. Today’s recipe is similar, but I increased the chewiness factor.
One reader, A.Phillips, commented: “Look no further. This is it. This is the perfect cookie recipe. Follow her instructions exactly and the cookies will be chewy and amazing. โฆ These are the most perfect cookies Iโve made and Iโve tried at least 20 different recipes. โ โ โ โ โ “
You can make them with chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
Key Ingredients for Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
The cookie dough is made from your standard cookie ingredients: flour, leavener, salt, sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. It’s the ratios and temperature of those ingredients that make this recipe stand out from the rest.
- Melted butter: Melted butter produces the chewiest cookies. It can, however, make your baked cookies greasy, so I made sure there is enough flour to counteract that. And using melted butter is also the reason you donโt need a mixer to make these cookies, just like these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin crumb cake cookies, and M&M cookie bars.
- More brown sugar than white sugar: More brown sugar than white sugar: The moisture in brown sugar promises an extra soft and chewy baked cookie. White granulated sugar is still necessary, though. It’s dry and helps the cookies spread. A little bit of spread is a good thing.
- Cornstarch: Why? Cornstarch gives the cookies that ultra soft consistency we all love. Plus, it helps keep the cookies beautifully thick. We use the same trick when making shortbread cookies.
- Egg yolk: Another way to promise a super chewy chocolate chip cookie is to use an extra egg yolk. The extra egg yolk adds richness, soft tenderness, and binds the dough. You will need 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature. See the recipe Notes for how to bring your eggs to room temperature quickly.
The dough will be soft and the chocolate chips may not stick because of the melted butter. Just keep stirring it; I promise it will come together. Because of the melted butter and extra egg yolk, the slick dough doesn’t even look like normal cookie dough! Trust the process…
The most important step is next.
2 Major Success Tips
1. Chill the dough. Chilling the cookie dough is so important in this recipe! Unless you want the cookies to spread into a massive cookie puddle, chilling the dough is mandatory here. It allows the ingredients to settle together after the mixing stage but most importantly: cold dough results in thicker cookies. Cover the cookie dough and chill for at least 2โ3 hours or up to 3 days. I usually chill it overnight.
(No time to chill? Make these soft & chewy chocolate chip cookie bars, giant chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookie cake, or crispy chocolate chip cookie bark instead!)
- Further reading: How to Prevent Cookies from Spreading
2. Roll the cookie dough balls extra tall. After the dough has chilled, scoop out a ball of dough thatโs 3 Tablespoons for XL cookies or about 2 heaping Tablespoons (1.75 ounces or 50g) for medium-large cookies. I usually use this medium cookie scoop and make it a heaping scoop. But making the cookie dough balls tall and textured, rather than wide and smooth, is my tried-and-true trick that results in thick and textured-looking cookies. We’re talking thick bakery-style cookies with wrinkly, textured tops. Your cookie dough should look less like balls and more like, well, lumpy columns, LOL.
Watch the video below to see how I shape them. I also demonstrate how I use a spoon to reshape them during baking if I see theyโre spreading too much.
Because of the melted butter in this dough, the dough is very soft and a little greasy before chilling, so itโs harder to shape the cookie dough balls. We recommend chilling first, then shaping. If after chilling the dough is very hard and difficult to scoop, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and then try again.
We typically do not recommend jumping right to the freezer without chilling the dough first. A quick freeze like that can cause the dough to chill unevenly and then spread unevenly during the baking process. For best results, we recommend following the recipe as written. If you don’t have time to wait for the dough to chill, try this recipe for 6 giant chocolate chip cookies instead, which doesn’t require dough chilling (see recipe Notes in that post for details on using the dough to make 24 regular-size cookies).
Tools I Recommend for This Recipe
I’ve tested many baking tools and these are the exact products I use, trust, and recommend to readers. You’ll need most of these tools when making sugar cookies and snickerdoodles, too!
- Baking Sheets
- Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets
- Medium Cookie Scoop
- Cooling Racks
- See More: Best Cookie Baking Tools and 8 Best Baking Pans
Can I Freeze This Cookie Dough?
Yes, absolutely. After chilling, sometimes I roll the cookie dough into balls and freeze them in a large zipped-top bag. Then I bake them straight from the freezer, keeping them in the oven for an extra minute. This way you can bake just a couple of cookies whenever the craving hits. (The chewy chocolate chip cookie craving is a hard one to ignore.)
If you’re curious about freezing cookie dough, here’s my How to Freeze Cookie Dough page (with video tutorial).
Facebook member, Leigh, commented: “These are the only CC cookies Iโve made for years (and this recipe is how I came to be such a fan of SBA!) This recipe worked great when I lived in Denver and had issues with baking at altitude, and itโs still our favorite now that weโre back at sea level. I usually make 4x-6x batches and freeze tons of cookie balls to bake later.“
In Short, Here Are the Secrets to Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies.
- Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie.
- An extra egg yolk increases chewiness.
- Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness. It’s a trick we use for cake batter chocolate chip cookies, too.
- Using melted butter (and slightly more flour to counteract the liquid) increases chewiness.
- Chilling the dough results in a thicker cookie. Almost as thick as peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or their gluten-free counterparts, flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies ๐
Q: Have you baked a batch before?
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 XL cookies or 20 medium/large cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These super soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are the most popular cookie recipe on my website for good reason. Melted butter, more brown sugar than white sugar, cornstarch, and an extra egg yolk guarantee the absolute chewiest chocolate chip cookie texture. The cookie dough is slick and requires chilling prior to shaping the cookies. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (170g/12 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted & cooled for 5 minutes
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no lumps remain. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk until combined, then whisk in the vanilla extract. The mixture will be thin. Pour into dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or spatula. The dough will be very soft, thick, and shiny. Fold in the chocolate chips. The chocolate chips may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine them.
- Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. I highly recommend chilling the cookie dough overnight to prevent overspreading.
- Preheat oven to 325ยฐF (163ยฐC). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If the dough has chilled for longer than 2 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
- Using a cookie scoop or Tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop the chilled cookie dough, about 3 scant Tablespoons (about 2 ounces, or 60g) of dough for XL cookies or 2 heaping Tablespoons (about 1.75 ounces, or 50g) of dough for medium-large cookies. Roll into a ball, then use your fingers to shape the cookie dough so that it’s taller rather than wideโalmost like a cylinder. This helps the cookies bake up thicker. Repeat with remaining dough. Arrange the cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 13โ14 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. The centers will look very soft, but the cookies will continue to set as they cool. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the topsโthis is optional and only for looks!ย
- Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature, then continue with step 5. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Rubber Spatula |ย Baking Sheets |ย Silicone Baking Matsย orย Parchment Paper |ย Medium Cookie Scoop |ย Cooling Rack
- Cornstarch: If you donโt have cornstarch, you can leave it out. The cookies are still very soft.
- Egg & Egg Yolk: Room-temperature egg + egg yolk are best. Typically, if a recipe calls for room-temperature or melted butter, itโs good practice to use room-temperature eggs as well. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, simply place the whole eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Can I add nuts or different add-ins? Yes, absolutely. As long as the total amount of add-ins is around 1 to 1 and 1/4 cups, you can add anything including chopped nuts, M&Ms, white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, chopped peanut butter cups, etc. I love them with 3/4 cup (135g) butterscotch morsels and 1/2 cup (100g) Reese’s Pieces. You could even add 1/2 cupย (80g)ย sprinkles to make a sprinkle chocolate chip cookie.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking success tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Love this recipe! Itโs my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I have a questionโ after mixing the dough, can I form them into balls then chill them. That way itโs easier to scoop them out.
Hi Dee, you can if that works better for you!
Pretty good, bake time seems a little short though, If you prefer some crunch go for 15 minutes or longer. Even 14 minutes feels too underdone to me, like it’s still raw , I know it isn’t but I just can’t get the image out of my head.
Overall a good choice if you don’t want to bother with weird prep or a long process.
So easy to make and a huge hit! Everyone was asking me for the recipe
Can I sub brown butter in this recipe?
Hi Kelina, you can certainly use brown butter here, and the flavor is outstanding! But they can be a little more crumbly using brown butter โ we usually suggest using the recipe for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies instead.
Amazing I loved the cookie
fantastic recipie! im a new baker and your recipies make baking easy and fun, i will be using this recipie alot! thank you so much and keep up the good effort!
Hey Sally, love your recipes and use them all the time, I have a question. Bi carb only reacts with acid to produce lift, so why does this recipe use bi carb when there isn’t an acid available to lift the cookie? Also, currently testing a batch using browned butter instead of just melted. I’ll let you know how I go!
Brown sugar is an acidic ingredient. Thanks for giving these cookies a try!
My cookie batter was really stiff when I took it out of the fridge, hard to scoop and get with .they didn’t flatten like normal please help me to figure out.tjey just didn’t look right.I followed recipe to the letter, o ly thing I forgot was to let bett6cool for 5 minutes. Could this be the problem?
Hi Linda, When cookies donโt spread, thereโs often too much flour in the dough. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups โ or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Hi sally, would you change anything about this recipe for baking them at a higher elevation? some recipes recommend more flour or less baking time but others make no changes
Hi Grace, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
This recipe turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
I have followed this recipe step by step and the cookies are always great!
My only question is the cooking time: if I make โminiโ cookies (20gr each), for how many minutes should I bake them?
Hi Maria, you can make these smaller! Or here is our recipe for mini cookies.
Very disappointed, they deflate as they cool. I was looking for a way to make cookies chewy, they are chewy but flat. โน๏ธ
Thank you Sally!!
These are the best cookies my husband and I have ever had, he said they’re better than his favourite cookies from George’s!
I made 2 changes in mine, I have lard that needed to be used so I did 1/2 C butter and 1/4 C of lard. And instead of 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, I did 1 tsp and then 1 tsp of maple extract.
Highly recommended. Extremely good to make with the kids
Making these for niece’s birthday — randomly wondering how difficult it would be to alter the bake temp/time to make this in either 2 4 inch pans or an 8 inch tart pan. Any recommendations?
Hi Kelsey! You could, we’re unsure how much dough you would need or the bake times. You may also love our chocolate chip cookie cake or chocolate chip cookie pizza recipes!
This recipe sucks will never use it again cookies come out thin and looking like a Frisby
Hi Florence, so sorry you had trouble with these spreading. Did you make any changes to the recipe by chance, and did you follow the mandatory chill times? Here are our best tips to prevent cookies from spreading. Hopefully these tips help for your next batch.
So, I don’t have nearly enough butter for the recipe, and can’t really get more because of how expensive it is, would this recipe still turn out fine if I substitute all (or most) of the butter with sunflower oil? I don’t mind if there will be slight changes, as long as the cookies will still turn out decent
Hi Zhenya, you need melted butter here for the fat because it is a solid at room temperature. For best results, we recommend sticking with butter, although some readers have reported success with melted coconut oil. The taste will be different with that substitution.
I ended up using margarine, everything else is simply too expensive. But it actually turned out quite well even with margarine, and I’m sure with butter it’d be even better. Good recipe, thank you
Hi Sally! I made these before and I absolutely love them; they’re my go to cookie recipe. I made them today as well for my friends birthday, but I have browned the butter, as my friend really enjoys the flavour of brown butter in cookies. Will that substantially effect the baking time? I noticed that my dough is a little more dry than it is when I don’t brown the butter. I plan on baking them tomorrow morning. Thank you so much, Ayesha x
Hi Ayesha, you can certainly use brown butter here, and the flavor is outstanding! But they can be a little more crumbly using brown butter โ we usually suggest using the recipe for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies instead. Hope they are a hit for your friend’s birthday!
Best cookie recipe! Iโve used it for years and theyโve always come out great. this time im pre shaping the dough before chilling. hopefully that cuts the chill time back
Didn’t you say miny chocolate chips for the best?? Thank you
Yummmiest chocolate chip cookies!!!
Hello Sally, I would like to make larger cookies. 3 oz or 4 oz or even 5 oz . I have a shop and want to sell the cookies that are sold commercially, giant cookies. So what science do I need to follow. And how much more filling ingredients will a cookie accommodate and still bake well. Thank you, Michelle
Hi Michelle! These giant chocolate chip cookies are a favorite and may be closer to what you’re looking for.
This cookies are great, Iโve found that using the mini chocolate chips rather than the normal sized chips makes it a lot easier to fold into the dough.
I was so happy to see this recipe in your book, Sally!! It’s our favorite chocolate chip cookie.
When all the ingredients were mixed together, I had a dough that was so dry it wouldn’t stay together. I kneaded the dough until it was at least mixed together. After letting it sit in the frig for 24 hours, the dough was still too dry to shape for the cookies. I put the dough in my microwave for about 30 seconds and it softened it up. Rolled the dough into large balls and cooked the cookies for about 10 minutes. Not sure what I did with the dough but the cookies came out great.
Yikes. Added too much egg then. Shouldโve read the comments first
this was amazing couldn’t stop eating cookies so fun to make and so dilish
Is there any difference if we use Corn Flour instead of Corn Starch?
Hi VDM, If you re in the US, these two are not interchangable. It seems that in the UK, cornflour is the same as US cornstarch and should work here. Hope that helps!
I am going to make these this Thursday. My biggest question, which I did not really see addressed, is: Can I substitute salted butter for the unsalted as long as I take into consideration the amount of salt in the salted butter. Will substituting make it a problem for me? I am excited to try this recipe because MOST of my choc. chip cookies turn out flat, but delicious. I’m making 10 dozen cookies for an event (whew!)
Hi Veronica, you can use salted butter and reduce the added salt to 1/8 teaspoon. Enjoy!