I have a few tricks that make these the best soft chocolate chip cookies that you’ll ever try. With hundreds of positive reviews from bakers around the world, I’m confident you’ll fall in love with this chocolate chip cookie recipe too. Chilling the cookie dough is imperative and cornstarch makes them extra soft and thick!
Chocolate chip cookies are a household favorite, a timeless classic, an unparalleled snack… warm, cold, dunked in milk, in dough form, or in baked form. No one can resist the comfort of a chocolate chip cookie and everyone has their favorite recipe, whether it’s on the back of the yellow chocolate chips bag or scribbled in your grandmother’s recipe book.
Heck, I even have separate recipes for crispy chocolate chip cookies and chewy chocolate chip cookies!
Like many of you, I’ve searched far and wide for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe: the best chocolate chip cookies, a recipe I can bake again and again for years. I’ve lost sleep, I’ve burnt dough, I’ve tested and retested and retested… and retested, countless times. And I’m so happy to report that I finally found a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I’ll treasure for years. And I know you’ll enjoy these cookies too!
How to Make Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Start With Butter: Use room temperature butter. You can soften butter quickly with this trick or set the butter out 1–2 hours before you begin.
- Use a Mix of Sugars: Cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together. This process aerates the butter, which promises soft chocolate chip cookies. Brown sugar yields soft chocolate chip cookies, and white sugar helps the cookies spread. For chewier and more flavorful cookies, use more brown sugar than white sugar.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar and dark brown sugar are interchangeable in most recipes. Though either works in this chocolate chip cookie recipe, I love using dark brown sugar for extra flavor because it contains more molasses.
- Add Egg & Vanilla Extract: Eggs provide structure and richness, while vanilla adds flavor.
- Use Cornstarch in Dry Ingredients: Cornstarch, a thickening ingredient, is the secret weapon in this cookie recipe, just like in shortbread cookies. 2 teaspoons give the cookies extra lift and leave them extra soft. You can’t taste it! You also need all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add Dry Ingredients to Wet Ingredients: Combine all the ingredients, then add the chocolate chips.
- Chill the Cookie Dough: For extra thick chocolate chip cookies, chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour. Chilling cookie dough will make or break the recipe! The colder the cookie dough, the less the cookies will over-spread. If you’re interested, here are 10 tips on how to prevent cookies from spreading.
- Extra Chocolate Chips: This is optional, but as soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press a few chocolate chips on top. They’ll melt right down into the cookie, making them extra pretty. And melted chocolate is never a bad thing! I recommend doing the same with double chocolate chip cookies.
Room temperature butter is cool to touch and about 65°F (18°C), which may be cooler than your kitchen. To test it, poke it with your finger. Your finger should make an indent without sinking into the butter. The butter should not be shiny or greasy. You can’t cream cold butter and you can’t cream partially melted butter, either. Room temperature butter is imperative to the outcome of these cookies! You need 3/4 cup, which is 1.5 sticks, 12 Tablespoons, or 170g.
Don’t Have Time to Chill Cookie Dough?
If you don’t have time to chill the chocolate chip cookie dough, try my crispy chocolate chip cookies, giant chocolate chip cookies, or Nutella chocolate chip cookies. Or even these soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars or cookie dough frosted cookie cups, which don’t require individual cookie rolling, either.
I also have an entire section of no-chill cookie recipes. Snickerdoodles and shortbread are two more favorites!
How to Freeze Cookie Dough
Freezing chocolate chip cookie dough is really easy. I have a whole post dedicated to how to freeze cookie dough, but here’s a recap:
- After the cookie dough has chilled in the refrigerator, roll the cookie dough into balls. Chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Place the solid and cold cookie dough balls into a plastic zipped-top freezer bag.
- Label the bag with the month and the baking temperature, and place the bag in the freezer.
- Freeze cookie dough for up to 3 months. The date will help you determine when the cookie dough is fresh, and the temperature is written for obvious reasons. Really, you can write whatever is helpful to you. The date, temperature, time, recipe name, etc.
- When it’s time to bake the cookies, remove them from the freezer. Preheat the oven according to the recipe’s instructions.
- Bake the cookies for a minute or 2 longer, since the dough is frozen.
Bake the frozen cookie dough balls whenever that chocolate chip cookie craving hits, or when you need a big batch of fresh-baked cookies. I do it all the time!
Sometimes the simplest recipes are what stick. I really don’t need to convince you—it’s a chocolate chip cookie. THE chocolate chip cookie!
PrintThe Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
I have a few tricks that make these the best soft chocolate chip cookies that you’ll ever try. With hundreds of positive reviews from bakers around the world, I’m confident you’ll fall in love with this chocolate chip cookie recipe too. Chilling the cookie dough is imperative and cornstarch makes them extra soft and thick!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/4 cup (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar together on medium speed until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together. Add into the wet ingredients, then beat on low speed until combined. The cookie dough will be slightly thick. On low speed, beat in the chocolate chips.
- Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 3–4 days. Chilling is imperative for this cookie dough.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Once chilled, the dough will be slightly crumbly, but will come together when you work the dough with your hands. Roll cookie dough, about a heaping 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie (I use this medium-size cookie scoop), and place 3 inches apart on baking sheets.
- Bake for 11–12 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. The cookies will look extremely soft when you remove them from the oven. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. If the cookies are too puffy, try gently pressing down on them with the back of a spoon. They will slightly deflate as you let them cool. If desired, while the cookies are still warm, press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops. This is optional, just for looks.
- Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cookies stay fresh 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 3–4 days. Allow to come to room temperature, then continue with preheating the oven in step 4. 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): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
- Adapted from Anna Olson
Keywords: soft chocolate chip cookies
Incredible!! I had a bake-off with myself and this beat the Mrs Fields recipe I had. Thank you!
★★★★★
Just finished, awesome!
★★★★★
Delicious and so quick/easy!! Was able to throw the ingredients together in 5 minutes and baked a few hours later. PERFECT soft cookies with rave review from family.
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Hi! I have made this recipe many times and these are the BEST! My friend is request I make a lot for an event she is having. How many batches could I do at time in a 5Qt kitchen aide?
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Wow! These cookies are AMAZING. My partner told me I should open a bakery delicious!
★★★★★
These cookies are amazing! A really simple recipe to follow and yields a great cookie!
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Hi Sally,
I made these yesterday and they were really good. I am not a fan of chocolate chip cookies but I couldnt stop eating them! I didnt have any chocolate chips so I substituted it with chopped milk and dark chocolates and they were absolutely divine! I followed your suggestion of adding more chocs after the cookies were baked and that brought it up to a different level! Thank you again Sally.
★★★★★
YUM! Followed the recipe as written! Perfect! Thank you!
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Hi Sally – love ALL your recipes! I was about to make your cake batter chocolate chip cookies, then saw an email about this recipe land in my inbox. So my question is… can I add sprinkles to this recipe and maybe go half/half semi-sweet and white chocolate chips?
Hi Steph, I don’t see why not! Just keep the total amount of add-ins to 1 and 1/4 cup.
You saved the Choco chip cookies!! Love the recipe. I did not used cornstarch at all, but still they preserved and stayed while taking in a good shape. Thx a lot for your advices!
★★★★★
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. Tky!!! However, mine never look like yours. Do u stick the chips on the outside of the dough ball?
I’m so happy you enjoy this recipe, Michelle! As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, I like to add a few chocolate chips on top while the cookies are still warm. This is just for looks! 🙂
That’s a great idea! Tky!!! I live by your website. Can’t thank you enough!!!!!
★★★★★
Hi there!
Great cookie recipe! My 11 year daughter made them and they are amazing. Just a note to the author, it’s mentioned the recipe is adapted but the pastry chef’s name is spelled wrong – it should be Anna Olson. I’m Canadian and we love watching her show. I just thought it was important to give proper credit. Thanks again for your recipe!
I’ve just made these cookies and the recipe turned out perfectly
★★★★★
I’ve been hunting for a recipe that that’s tastes and looks like something out of a Christmas movie. Goal attained, Thank you Sally.
★★★★★
My 10 year old made by herself and she doubled the recipe. It came out perfect!
★★★★★
I made this yesterday and they were really really good. Perfect texture and shape. I’m vegan so I replaced the butter with oil and the egg with a banana. I also added some walnuts. It was so yummy. I brought some into work today and my boss asked me if I made them today because they still taste so soft and fresh! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
oh AND I used vegan chocolate chips too
This is the BEST cookie recipe ever! I made it for my family and they were all gone with-in one night! 100% recommend!
★★★★★
Decided to give this a try and I am so happy I did! The cookies came out perfect, soft and not spread out. I used quite chocolate chips since that was all we had and I cannot wait to try regular chocolate chips or even peanut butter chips!
I had to write down the recipe so I will never lose it!!
★★★★★
I just made these cookies! AMAZING!! I had 3 while they were still warm with milk!
My cookies came out puffy and chewy, but a bit dry. Maybe I chilled for too long?
I decided to try this recipe, but had only 2/3 of the butter I needed – I ended up adding a banana in place of the missing butter and it’s the best accident in baking I have had yet.
I have something like banana bread cookies, with the texture of a chocolate chip cookie.
★★★★★
Best recipe. Chewy and not floury. The extra yolk & cornstarch addition made these cookies chewy. Do not overcook though. The extra vanilla is a nice touch also. My hands on favorite and I have tried numerous other recipes.
★★★★★
Sally, i hace made this recipe many times . And I love it , but I feel that sometimes my cookies come out perfect and sometimes they look and taste more crispy , like they have cracks . I made sure butter is at 65 degrees , I chilled my dough and my egg is room temperature. What can I be doing wrong ? Or why sometimes they come out better than others ? Help !!
★★★★★
The cookies tasted fine but they did not turn out like the pictures, they were completely flat. Not sure whether I will try them again or not.
★★★
Hi Deme, Before baking be sure your cookie dough is completely chilled – at least one hour but I usually chill it overnight. You might be interested in checking out my 10 Guaranteed Tips to Prevent Cookie From Spreading.
My second experiment with chocolate chip cookies, and much better than the first one. Thank you for this recipe, especially for mentioning the amounts in grams. Really delicious.
★★★★★
My cookies did not flatten, they stayed rather puffy so I am not sure what I did wrong. Can you give me some advice? I followed all the steps with the exception of the paddle attachment (I did not have one) so I used the normal beater.
The same thing happened with me. Today I am trying them again, but will leave them less time in the fridge. I will let you know what happens.
Maybe leave out the cornstarch. My friend says she never cornstarch for anything. It takes all the moisture out of the ingredients.
Try pressing down gently on the dough balls with your fingers or the bottom of a flat cup before placing in the oven.
★★★★★
Best cookies ever!!!!!!!! Soft, fluffy, DELICIOUS!!
★★★★★
Amazing cookies ❤️ Thank you for the transition in g ! From France
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Made these the other day and they are delicious and soft! I accidentally added the whole bag of chocolate chip cookies (1 3/4 cup) so the chocolate ratio was a bit higher. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. Froze half the dough and it defrosted well. I didn’t use room temp butter and they still turned out perfectly. Thank you Sally!!
★★★★★
My go to chocolate chip cookie recipe because every time I’ve made these they’re always a hit!
★★★★★