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 don’t 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 I’ve ever had. Incredible. Don’t cut corners or you’ll miss out. Do everything she says and you’re in for the best cookies of your life. ★★★★★“
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. … These are the most perfect cookies I’ve made and I’ve tried at least 20 different recipes. ★★★★★“
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 don’t 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 2–3 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 that’s 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 they’re spreading too much.
Because of the melted butter in this dough, the dough is very soft and a little greasy before chilling, so it’s 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 I’ve 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 it’s still our favorite now that we’re 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 🙂
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 flour (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 325°F (163°C). 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 wide—almost 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 13–14 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 tops—this is optional and only for looks!
- 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 | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Cornstarch: If you don’t 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, it’s 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 cup (80g) 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
Thank you thank you thank you. Simple and delicious I followed your tips and these are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made. In love I have shared this recipe with so many people. LOVE
I used chunks and mini chips and they are phenomenal.
Can’t wait to try your other recipes
This has got to be the easiest, most delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe out there. I have not had a better homemade cookie! Every time I make them they turn out perfect.
This may seem like a silly question, my grandson asked me to make thesew dark choc and white choc chips mixed. What do u think? How much of each should i add? Tyia
Hi Nicole, you can absolutely do that! Use a mix of the two, keeping the total amount to 1 and 1/4 cups.
Are the cookies meant to “fall” after being baked? When they first come out of the oven they are nice and puffy, but they flatten as they cool off. I chilled my dough for 7 hours.
Hi Tali, they may fall just a bit as they cool, but it shouldn’t be excessive. It could be that they simply needed another minute or two in the oven. Hope this helps for your next batch!
I’m a huge fan of all things Sally, but I felt that these tasted a little off. I think they need a tad more salt.
These are OUTSTANDING. Easily the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever made (and I’ve made many!) The flavors and texture are perfect! Thank you Sally.
Can I double the recipe?
Hi Tali, Yes you can. Enjoy!
I’ve made this cookie recipe 3 times in the last 6 weeks — they’ve been a hit!
Have these been tested with oil?
I’m wondering if it will work since we are melting the butter anyway. Thanks!
Hi Chaya, 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’ve made these cookies twice and even though the flavor is amazing the batter always ends up dry and sandy. When I cook them they don’t spread or melt. I followed the instructions exactly. I have no idea how to fix this, could it be because I live in a dryer climate, or because my eggs are too small? This recipe seems amazing and I really want it to work, any suggestions?
Hi Josephine! A dry, sandy dough is usually caused by too much flour in the cookie 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 – or use a kitchen scale. A large egg weights about 60 grams. Thank you for trying these cookies and I hope these tips help for your next batch.
My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! Perfect every time.
PERFECTION
Hi! I’m excited to make these but wondering if these would be good to put a peanut butter cup into like your other recipe?
You can certainly give it a try, Suzanne!
Amazing recipe! The cookies came out perfect. I’d love to make them for my husband with celiac disease. Any tips on making them gluten free??
Hi Abby, we haven’t tested a gluten free version of these cookies, but let us know if you do!
I made them gluten free- just using a 1-1 version of gluten free flour. Mine had to bake for about 4-5 minutes longer but I did make mine thicker, just keep a close eye on them!
I never usually leave comments but these cookies are amazing! Every church or family function I attend these cookies are what everyone wants me to bring. They are so good!
These truly are delicious. My husband loved them. The process is different from any chocolate chip cookie I’ve made so I was not sure what to expect. Very pleasantly surprised. Definitely my new go to.
This is the absolute worst cookie recipe of all time. Do not try it.
Wow, rude
If you could approximate provided i follow the recipe exactly, how many calories would be in each individual cookie? Yummy recipe btw! Its my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe 🙂
Hi Collin, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Is there a version with white chocolate?
These are the best cookies in the world, but I always flip the bowl sizes, so the final bowl is the largest size rather than the medium size. Is there any reason you prefer to finish with the medium size bowl?
Either is fine!
Whoops, misread the recipe
Just can’t believe it took my this long to get it right!! Thank you so much!!! 5 kid’s 9 grand babies all love them!
Can I not use cornstarch in the recipe and can I not do 2 hours in the refrigerator and just cook them
We recommend following the recipe for best results. You can leave out the cornstarch if you don’t have any, but the dough needs to be chilled to prevent it from spreading too much while baking.
Hi Sally, can I brown the butter in this recipe to add another flavour dimension seeing as its already using melted butter?
Hi Alia, you can certainly use brown butter here, and the flavor is outstanding. But they can be a little more crumbly using brown butter – we suggest using the recipe for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies instead.
These fast food but I didn’t get the bumpy height like yours. I formed them into cylinders per your suggestion but they’re very flat. Taste good though.
Hi Suzi! There are a few key steps in this recipe to yielding chewy cookies that spread just the right amount. It’s important to sufficiently chill the cookie dough, otherwise the cookies will overspread. We also recommend forming the cookie dough into columns/towers rather than balls, which also helps them to bake up thicker. If you find the cookies are spreading a bit too much while baking, you can take out the pan and gently reform the cookies by pushing the sides in with a spoon. If you haven’t already, the video in this post is helpful to watch and we have a post on how to prevent cookies from spreading. We hope this helps for your next batch!
I have made this recipe over a dozen times (sometimes doubling the recipe) for family and coworkers. It’s a hit every time!
I have tried many different recipes for chocolate chip cookies, this is the winner! I made them smaller and got 30 cookies which were soft and delicious.
Did you bake them for less time?
Hello, I want to make half of it, how many eggs and egg yolk should I use?
Hi Pia, to halve the recipe, you would have to use half of one egg and half of one egg yolk. We would recommend making the whole recipe, freezing any extra dough balls, and then just baking as many as you want at a time.
I usually weigh the egg and the yolk (I consider a regular egg to be approximately 56g so if I get a small one I still try to use 28g).
I beat the egg a bit, weigh and use half, then I weigh the extra yolk and use half as well. Works fine.
Do you think I could use this recipe for mini chocolate chip cookie cups—the kind that I will fill with buttercream frosting?
Yes, absolutely!
can we double the recipe if we want more quantity?
Hi Hira, yes, you can double this recipe.
I forgot to add in the Granulated sugar into the butter mix ! How can I still incorporate it without ruining the batch? I have my first batch chilling in the fridge and plan to make another batch tomorrow and I’m thinking making the 2nd batch correctly, THEN combining it with the first batch and adding the extra sugar then in little by little ?? Of course I’d first let the first batch get to room temperature. Any ideas?
Also, im not planning to freeze nor bake these. Im gonna chill both batches and bake them Thursday.
Hi Rosie, you can try it, but it’s likely too late to salvage the first batch. We wouldn’t risk tampering with the second batch and having that turn out negatively, too. We hope you still enjoy the cookies!