This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever! No funny ingredients, no chilling time, etc. Just a simple, straightforward, amazingly delicious, doughy yet still fully cooked, chocolate chip cookie that turns out perfectly every single time!
Everyone needs a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe in their repertoire, and this is mine. It is seriously the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever! I have been making these for many, many years and everyone who tries them agrees they’re out-of-this-world delicious!
Plus, there’s no funny ingredients, no chilling, etc. Just a simple, straightforward, amazingly delicious, doughy yet still fully cooked, chocolate chip cookie that turns out perfectly every single time!
These are everything a chocolate chip cookie should be. Crispy and chewy. Doughy yet fully baked. Perfectly buttery and sweet.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE EVER (HOW TO MAKE EASY COOKIES FROM SCRATCH)
Like I said, these cookies are crazy easy, however here are a few notes!
- Soften butter. If you are planning on making these, take the butter out of the fridge first thing in the morning so it’s ready to go when you need it!
- Measure the flour correctly. Be sure to use a measuring cup made for dry ingredients (NOT a pyrex liquid measuring cup), and do not use a knife to level the flour. Instead, fill the measuring cup over-full and shake off the excess until you have a level 1 cup.
- Use LOTS of chocolate chips. Do I really need to explain this?!
- DO NOT over-bake these chocolate chip cookies! I explain this more below, but these chocolate chip cookies will not look done when you pull them out of the oven, and that is GOOD.
HOW DO YOU FREEZE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH (FREEZER-FRIENDLY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES)
Freezer-friendly! I always make a full batch of these cookies, roll them into balls, and freeze what we don’t bake right away.
How to bake frozen dough – thawing it first: I love having dough ready to go in the freezer for impromptu guests! When you want to bake them, simple remove the dough balls from the freezer, set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with a light cloth towel or napkin to let them thaw.
Once they reach room temperature (after about 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen) bake as directed in the recipe! SO easy!
CAN YOU BAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH FROM FROZEN?
I have tested baking this recipe from frozen more times than I can even count. I have gotten the best results when I place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (if you are baking the frozen dough) and put the cookies in the oven in the beginning of the preheating time. Set the timer for 15 minutes and remove the cookies after 15 minutes. The top will look a little more brown than usual, but they will still taste amazing.
FAQS ABOUT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
HOW DO YOU MAKE GOOEY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES?
The trick to making this best chocolate chip cookie recipe gooey is to not over-bake them. At the end of the baking time, these chocolate chip cookies won’t look done but they are!
These chocolate chip cookies will look a little doughy when you remove them from the oven, and thats good. They will set up as they sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes!
WHY DO COOKIES SPREAD & FLATTEN?
There are a few main reasons for this that I have found in my experience:
- Expired leavening agents. If your baking soda or baking powder are past their prime, your chocolate chip cookies will likely flatten and spread. Even if the date on the container checks out, it still might not be good. That would be the first place I would start.
- How to test if your baking soda is active: Combine 1/2 cup of hot water, 1/4 teaspoon vinegar and 1/4 tsp of baking soda. When you add the baking soda a reaction should take place immediately. If not, then you need new baking soda.
- How to test if your baking powder is active: Add 1/2 tsp of baking powder to 1/2 cup of hot water. It should bubble immediately. A reaction should take place immediately. If not, then you need new baking soda.
- Over-mixing. If you over-mix the ingredients in this best chocolate chip cookie recipe you may end up with flat cookies.
- Ingredients are too warm. Sometimes over-mixing can also lead to your ingredients becoming too warm. If you notice this happening, you can chill the dough before baking to return the batter to room temperature.
- Incorrect oven temperature. I recommend baking with an electric convection oven. If your cookies and other baked goods are not turning out properly, invest in a cheap oven thermometer to check the temperature. If your oven is baking too hot or too cold, then the cookies will not turn out well.
WHY DIDN’T MY COOKIES FLATTEN?
If your cookies didn’t flatten, here are a few things that could’ve been the problem. I have never had this happen to me in 10 years, so here are my educated guesses…
- The ingredients/cookie dough was too cold. Cold dough doesn’t spread as well as room temperature dough.
- You accidentally used too much flour. Be sure to use a measuring cup made for dry ingredients (NOT a pyrex liquid measuring cup), and do not use a knife to level the flour. Instead, fill the measuring cup over-full and shake off the excess until you have a level 1 cup.
- The oven temperature is incorrect. I recommend using an oven thermometer to check the temperature of your oven (it’s only $7), because it can often be different than the reading it gives on the display or what the dial is set at.
- The butter/sugar mixture wasn’t fully creamed. Try creaming the butter and sugar together for longer.
THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE EVER: SUBSTITUTIONS
The only ingredient I feel confident that can be changed up is the mix-ins. Chocolate chips, sprinkles, peanut butter chips, etc. DO NOT change anything else in this recipe. If you do I cannot guarantee they will turn out! Here are a few notes on the ingredients I usually use!
- Butter. I use Kirkland Brand Salted Butter from Costco to make these cookies. I have also used Tillamook salted butter with equally excellent results. Unsalted butter would also be great! I just recommend tasting the dough to ensure that it’s salted to your liking!
- White Sugar. I always use Wholesome Organic Cane Sugar (also purchased from Costco in a 10 LB bag) to make this chocolate chip cookie recipe. I have been purchasing that sugar for as far back as I can remember and it’s really the only white sugar I use! But I know others have had success with other brands of granulated sugar as well! And any white, granulated sugar should work!
- Brown sugar. I use light brown sugar in this recipe for the best results!
- Flour. I recommend using an unbleached, all-purpose flour to make these chocolate chip cookies!
- Sea Salt. I exclusively bake and cook with pure sea salt (usually purchased from Trader Joe’s or Sprouts, their house brands). Sea salt is different than table salt (that is iodized), so if you use salt other than sea salt I recommend testing the recipe first with 1/2 tsp and then adjusting to your taste!
- Chocolate Chips. As you can see from the photos, sometimes I use chocolate chunks, chopped chocolate, or chocolate chips. It doesn’t matter what you use, as long as you use 2 cups!
SHOP CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MAKING ESSENTIALS
measuring cups // measuring spoons // mixing bowl // spatula // standing mixer // baking sheet // parchment paper // cookie scoop
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The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever
This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. No funny ingredients, no chilling time, etc. Just a simple, straightforward, amazingly delicious, doughy yet still fully cooked, chocolate chip cookie that turns out perfectly every single time!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Calories 263.4 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter* softened
- 1 cup white (granulated) sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips (or chunks, or chopped chocolate)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder. Set aside.
- Cream together butter and sugars until combined.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy.
- Mix in the dry ingredients until combined.
- Add 12 oz package of chocolate chips and mix well.
- Roll 2-3 TBS (depending on how large you like your cookies) of dough at a time into balls and place them evenly spaced on your prepared cookie sheets. (alternately, use a small cookie scoop to make your cookies)!
- Bake in preheated oven for approximately 8-10 minutes. Take them out when they are just BARELY starting to turn brown.
- Let them sit on the baking pan for 2 minutes before removing to cooling rack.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
When you remove the cookies from the oven they will still look doughy. THIS is the secret that makes these cookies so absolutely amazing! Please, I beg you, do NOT overbake!
**Butter. I use Kirkland Brand Salted Butter from Costco to make these cookies. I have also used Tillamook salted butter with equally excellent results. Unsalted butter would also be great! I just recommend tasting the dough to ensure that it's salted to your liking!
**Recipe information calculated based on this recipe making 24 large cookies.
Nutrition Facts
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever
Amount Per Serving (1 cookie (using 3 TBS dough))
Calories 263.4Calories from Fat 113
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12.6g19%
Cholesterol 31.6mg11%
Potassium 115.4mg3%
Total Carbohydrates 41.2g14%
Dietary Fiber 1.4g6%
Sugars 25.5g
Protein 2.7g5%
Vitamin A5.2%
Calcium2.3%
Iron7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
These cookies hold a special place in my heart. My friend brought me a meal after my first miscarriage (more on that below) and brought these cookies for dessert. They were so perfect I was convinced they were slice and bake, so I slyly said to her, “”the cookies you brought are SO delicious, how did you make them?”” Lo and behold they were from scratch and she shared the recipe with me!
Her sweet gesture {literally} took a very dark season in my life and made it a little brighter. You see, after our daughter Bethany turned one-year-old we were ready to have another baby! We found out I was pregnant with twins, but things didn’t look great. There were no heartbeats, and although it was early (7 weeks) we were fairly certain that it wasn’t a viable pregnancy. We waited two weeks just to be sure, and then I was scheduled to have a D&C and say goodbye to our babies.
This began one of the most difficult, trying times in my life. I was in a cloud of postpartum depression with no sweet baby to snuggle the blues away. My friends and family came alongside of me and I began to heal. I experienced another miscarriage and then got pregnant with my son, Gabe.
Losing three babies in such a short time changed me forever. I haven’t taken one single day of my kids’ lives for granted. They were chosen to be mine. I have some babies I never got to hold, so I cherish holding the ones I do. These cookies remind me of the sweetness and importance of friendship. I wouldn’t have made it through without a handful of close friends who I cherish. So make these cookies and share them with people you love.
Life is too uncertain to take a minute for granted. Spread love, make cookies. That’s my motto!
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