Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe Ingredients

We’ve spent countless hours testing and used hundreds of bags of chocolate chips over the years to make this recipe. The main ingredients for chocolate chip cookies are simple.

Flour: All-purpose flour is the go-to choice for the right balance of chewiness to tenderness. It’s the most used type of flour in baking and cooking.

Sugar: We call for both granulated sugar and brown sugar. Granulated sugar brings sweetness and tenderness to the cookies while brown sugar adds to the rich, buttery flavor as well contributing to the chewiness.

Egg: Over the years we’ve gone up and down on eggs. They contribute to the height of the cookies as well as the texture. We landed on one egg to create the best cookie shape and texture.

Chocolate Chips: We’re partial to semisweet chocolate chips for their iconic, decadent taste.

Butter: We use salted butter since it is more readily available and stays fresh longer. This recipe calls for softened butter. To soften, leave on your counter until your finger makes an imprint.

Baking Soda: Gives the cookies lift.

Vanilla: Brings the flavors together.  

Optional Nuts: For a layer of flavor and crunch. Our favorites to use are walnuts or pecans.

Cookware You’ll Need

Cookie Sheet: Through over 75 years of baking cookies, we've found that the best cookie sheet has a classic shiny finish, which reflects heat more evenly, resulting in cookies that bake uniformly. It's helpful to have at least two cookie sheets, so one can be in the oven while you're scooping the next batch.

Cookie Scoop: A cookie scoop helps create more uniform cookies. We suggest using one that is a little over 1 3/4-inches in diameter (#24 size). A soup spoon will also do the trick.

Other Cookware You’ll Need: Mixing bowl, dry measuring cups, measuring spoons, electric mixer or stand mixer, cooling rack.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Here’s how to make chocolate chip cookies you’ll be proud to serve.

1. Oven Prep 

Place your rack in the center of the oven; this is the best place to bake cookies because the heat circulates most evenly throughout the oven.

2. Mix Wet Ingredients 

To get the best softened butter, leave it on the counter until your finger leaves an imprint (30 minutes to 1 hour). Once softened (not melted), beat the butter and sugars into a light, fluffy mixture. It’s better to have your butter on the cooler side than overly softened so the cookies don’t spread too much. Then, beat in the egg and vanilla until completely blended.

3. Stir in Dry Ingredients

Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until they just disappear into the dough. Finally, add the chocolate chips (and optional nuts) last to prevent overmixing, which can lead to tough cookies.

4. Scoop and Bake

Using a cookie scoop (or soup spoon), scoop the dough, forming about a 1 3/4-inch rounded dough blob. Bake one cookie sheet at a time. Check cookies after 8 minutes to see if they are golden brown around the edges and just shy of being completely baked in the center. If needed, bake a minute or two longer. Don’t overbake them if you want a soft, gooey texture.

5. Cool and Eat

Cool cookies on the cookie sheet for two minutes, then move them to a cooling rack. This allows them to set up a bit before removing, resulting in perfect chewy centers and crispy edges.

Possible Variations

With a quick change or two (we love hearing your suggestions) you can create chewy chocolate chip cookies with a new flavor or texture.

Swap Flour: For a nutty, flavor substitute 3/4 cup whole wheat flour for 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour. Or for an extra-chewy cookie, swap 1 cup bread flour for 1 cup all-purpose flour.

Change Chips: Use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, butterscotch, or even white chips instead of the semisweet chips. Or use a combination. Like your cookies without chips? Try our chipless recipe.

Nuts: Chopped roasted peanuts, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts are decadent choices. If you love macadamia nuts, try this white chocolate and macadamia nut cookie recipe next.

Serving Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies might just be the answer to a lot of burning questions, like “what can I put in my kid’s lunch box?” “What can I bring to the new neighbors to welcome them to the neighborhood?” Or “What can I gift to the mail carrier?” And chocolate chip cookies are even better when paired with other treats.

Ice-Cream Sandwiches: Drop a scoop of ice cream between two chocolate chip cookies and then roll the sides of the sandwich in your favorite sprinkles or finely chopped nuts.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream: Crumble chocolate chip cookies into vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

Cookie Parfaits: Layer chocolate or vanilla pudding with coarsely crumbled cookies and whipped cream. Top with a maraschino cherry.

Layered Cookie Pie: Layer softened ice cream with cookies in a chocolate crust. Freeze until firm. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle pieces with hot fudge or caramel.

Storage

Use these tips to keep your cookies tasting just as good as the day you made them:

Room Temperature

Store cooled cookies in a tightly-covered food storage container or resealable food storage bag at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Freezer

• Baked Cookies: Store in covered food storage container or a resealable freezer food storage bag up to 2 months.
• Unbaked Cookies: Store unportioned dough in a resealable freezer food storage bag. Or you can pre-portion them by scooping out cookies onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze uncovered for 1 to 2 hours. Once hard, transfer the cookie dough to a resealable freezer food storage bag.

Thawing and Baking

• Unportioned Frozen Dough: Thaw in refrigerator overnight before forming individual cookies and baking.
• Pre-measured Frozen Dough: Place premeasured dough pieces on cookie sheet. Let stand at room temperature until thawed, about 30 minutes, then bake.

Microwave Warming

• Room Temperature Cookies: Place cookie on a microwavable plate. Microwave on Low (30%) 15 seconds or until warm
• Frozen Cookies: Place frozen cookie on a microwavable plate. Let stand at room temperature (10 minutes or until thawed). Heat as directed for room temperature cookies. 

Why Betty Users Love This Recipe

“These cookies were fantastic!,” says Havi-mom. “I used 1 cup of semi-sweet morsels and 1 cup of dark chocolate morsels. This will be my ‘go-to’ chocolate chip cookie recipe!!”

With over 1800 reviews, this easy chocolate chip cookies recipe is our most popular recipe. Fans say the recipe consistently produces delicious results and is always a hit. The dough bakes up into cookies that are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Many reviewers mention the delicious flavor and texture of these cookies; saying they are "absolutely yummy" and "the best chocolate chip cookies ever."

Some users have been making this recipe for decades because of its reliability and timeless appeal, passing the recipe down to younger generations. Now that’s a cookie recipe to hang onto!