These chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies are the perfect cookie with a soft and moist center, melty morsels of chocolate, and crisp edges. It’s the only chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll ever need because it’s classic—not fussy, complicated, or time-consuming.
There’s no need for refrigeration, special tricks, or complex cooking techniques to get the best chocolate cookie. Our foolproof, classic recipe tastes exactly how it should—insanely delicious. After all, it’s the incredible flavor and easy-to-make recipe that keeps traditional desserts like Gingerbread Cookies, Banana Bread, and Baklava so popular for ages!
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Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
My high school used to sell the best chocolate chip cookies at lunchtime. They were soft, thick and irresistible. With this cookie recipe, I sought to recreate that memorable texture and this recipe takes me back to the days when I saved up my quarters for the rare treat of the cafeteria cookie.
There is no match for homemade chocolate chip cookies with chewy and soft texture, gooey chocolate chips, and the sweetest aroma coming from your oven. As America’s most loved cookie, they are perfect for every occasion, whether you’re making Christmas cookies, comforting a neighbor, or surprising your kiddos with a sweet after-school treat.
Just like with Chocolate Crinkle Cookies or Christmas Sugar Cookies, everyone needs a go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, so here’s why this one is a keeper:
- The cookies stay soft for days
- Easy, straightforward recipe with tips to make it foolproof!
- No resting/refrigerating time—so you can satisfy your craving immediately
- Pantry staple ingredients
- True to the classic flavor everyone loves
- Stores and freezes well
- Make ahead option to always have dough on hand
Chocolate Chip Cookies Video
In this video, Natasha shows you how easy it is to whip up a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. *Note that we updated the recipe and now use 1 tsp of baking soda because we loved the results even more.
Ingredients:
The best chocolate chip cookie recipe is made with pantry and refrigerator staples—nothing fancy or hard to find here.
- Unsalted butter – room temperature butter creates the best consistency to trap air for a chewy, airy dough with the best texture and rise.
- Granulated sugar – white sugar adds sweetness without adding moisture for the perfect spread
- Brown sugar – molasses keeps the cookie moist, soft, and chewy. Be sure to press the sugar tightly into the cup when measuring
- Eggs – room temperature eggs mix more evenly to bind the dough
- Vanilla extract – store-bought or homemade vanilla extract gives that classic chocolate chip cookie flavor
- All-purpose flour – be sure to measure correctly to get the right amount: fluff with a spoon and then scoop the flour into the measuring cup. Finally, scrape off the top. Be sure not to pat the flour down
- Baking soda – sift to eliminate clumps
- Salt – balances the sweetness of the sugars
- Chocolate chips – we prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use milk chocolate or bittersweet chips for a slightly different taste. See our buying guide below – be sure to use the full amount because they add moisture and give good form to the cookies
Pro Tip:
If you don’t have time to let the butter come to room temperature, try this trick to soften the butter quickly, because it makes a big difference.
How to Buy Chocolate Chips
Chocolate chips come in different varieties. Here’s what to look for:
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips (46%-60% cocoa): the traditional chip for chocolate chip cookies. You can use full-size or mini chips, chunks, or even chopped chocolate. Nestle, Tollhouse, Ghirardelli, Guittard, Kirkland, Hershey’s….they all work!
- Milk chocolate chips (10% cocoa): these make very sweet cookies, so have your glass of milk ready. Try mixing with semi-sweet.
- Bittersweet chocolate chips (70% cocoa): less sweet and intensely chocolatey. These produce a more “adult” cookie.
Substitutions
It’s easy to make these cookies your own. You’ll need 2 cups of mix-ins, so if you’re feeling adventurous, try some of these fun alternatives to chocolate chips:
- Peanut butter chips
- Sprinkles
- Butterscotch chips
- M&M candies
- Macadamia nuts
- Chopped unsalted peanuts
- White vanilla baking chips
- Shredded coconut
- Pretzel pieces – the options are endless!
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies
It’s so simple to mix up this easy chocolate chip cookie recipe with pantry staples and no refrigeration is needed.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats. Cream the butter and sugars together for 5 minutes until light and fluffy—this is the most important step to get a chewy cookie. Be sure to beat for the full amount of time!
- Beat eggs into the butter mixture one at a time followed by the vanilla extract.
- Combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and sifted baking soda) in a separate bowl, and then add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in thirds. Finally, fold the chocolate chips into the dough. Be sure not to over-mix (this can cause the dough to become tough).
- Roll balls of dough or use a trigger release scoop to scoop 3 Tbsp balls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 12-15 minutes. The tops should still look a bit wet and not browned. We usually bake 1/3 of the cookies at a time and refrigerate or freeze the rest for later, so see our tips below.
- Rest the cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 5 days. To warm the cookies, try toasting in a toaster oven or baking at 350 for 2-3 minutes.
Pro Tip:
For a prettier cookie, press a few extra chocolate chips into the top of each cookie dough ball just before baking.
Common Questions
Room temperature butter and eggs, beating the butter and sugars thoroughly, and not over-mixing create the best cookies! No need for fancy techniques, because the best chocolate chip cookies are easy to make!
These homemade chocolate chip cookies spread perfectly without flattening.
Over-baking is the #1 cause of hard cookies, so remove them before they brown, when the edges are just turning golden. The top should still look a bit raw.
Once baked, store the cookies in an airtight container to keep them soft. You can even place a piece of bread in the container to maintain moisture.
Usually, cookies go flat when a recipe doesn’t include enough flour. Be sure to measure the ingredients correctly. Also, check to be sure your baking soda is still fresh by placing 1 tsp baking soda into a cup with a splash of vinegar. It should fizz, but if it doesn’t, replace your baking soda.
This usually means you use too much flour. Be sure to fluff and spoon your flour into a dry ingredient measuring cup, and don’t pat it down. Also, be sure not to make the cookie dough balls too large, or they may take longer than the cooking time to spread in the oven.
Make-Ahead
Our homemade chocolate chip cookie dough is refrigerator and freezer-friendly, so you can always have dough on hand. To make a few days ahead, mix the dough as directed and store:
- To Refrigerate: put dough into an airtight container, or cover rolled dough balls on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and then bake as usual. It may take 1-2 minutes longer if starting with chilled dough.
- To Freeze: Scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Then, once the dough balls are frozen, store them in a freezer zip-top bag until ready to bake.
- To Bake: thaw in the refrigerator and bake as directed. You can bake from frozen, but the cookies will take a few more minutes to bake.
You will love these homemade chocolate chips with melty chocolate, a chewy cookie center, and an irresistible aroma. Our easy recipe uses pantry staples without unnecessary techniques! Grab a glass of milk because this will soon become your go-to recipe!
More Cookie Recipes
If you love this chocolate chip cookie recipe, then you won’t want to miss these other delicious cookie recipes.
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Russian Tea Cakes
- Shell Cookies
- Cranberry Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, (16 Tbsp), softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, measured correctly*
- 1 tsp baking soda, sifted
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, (12 oz), divided reserving 1/4 cup for the top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat liner. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine 2 sticks of butter, 1 cup of packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup of white sugar. Beat 5 minutes on medium/high speed until creamy and light, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition, scraping down the bowl as needed, then beat in 2 tsp of vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine 3 cups of flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp of baking soda (sifted to eliminate lumps). Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter in thirds, mixing to incorporate with each addition. Fold in 2 cups of chocolate chips.
- Use an ice cream scoop to get even balls of dough (3 Tbsp each). Place scoops of dough onto lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Mine fit onto 3 cookie sheets and made 26 cookies. Roll balls lightly with your hands then stud tops of cookie balls with reserved chocolate chips. Bake right away or cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 12-15 min at 350˚F (we bake 12 minutes), until edges are just turning golden. The tops should still look under-baked. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet 5 min then transfer to a rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Can I use margarine instead of butter?
Hi Kaye, we haven’t tested that with margarine but it may work.
Have you ever tried this with GF flour?
Great question, Jeannine, I haven’t tested that with GF but here is what one of our readers wrote “These are the BEST cookies! We make these at my house every few weeks. My daughter loves putting the finishing chocolate chips on them. I also add walnuts. I’ve tried it with gluten free flour also and it comes out as delicious. Thank you!” I hope that helps.
I made these 2 weekends ago, I loved them. Mine did not spread at all and they weren’t greasy or flat. Hubby on the other hand missed the flat greasy chocolate chip cookies he grew up with.
Can these cookies be made to come out crispy? My husband do not like soft cookies.
Hi Ella, I would just bake them an extra 2-3 minutes or to the desired doneness to dry them out more.
Hi Natasha. Thank you so much for the great instruction. Now cooking with your help is so easier. Your recipes are so good . We are baking every Sunday something from your site. Thank you soooo much you’re the best.
You’re welcome, Anna! I’m smiling big reading your comment, thank you!
Thank you so much, Natasha, for this delicious recipe! I made a batch exactly as outlined last night and then made another batch this morning with the following slight modifications: increased the vanilla to 1 Tbsp., increased the salt to 1 tsp., and combined the white and brown sugars into 1.5 C. light brown sugar. Wow! They have a wonderful rich flavor and a beautiful soft texture! Love, love, love.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I’ve tried sooo many chocolate chip cookie recipes and the cookies always turn hard and crunchy the next day. Yours was still as soft as when I got them out of the oven yesterday. This will be my go-to recipe from now on! Btw, I used 60% bittersweet chocolate chips and they turned out perfect.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Malu!
Hi … 2 questions ….
Firstly, I’d like to make bars instead of cookies. Does this recipe work?
Secondly, can i through a bit of cacao powder in the flour for a light cocoa batter? If so, how much cacao?
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried these as bars so I can’t say for sure. If you experiment, please let me know how it goes. Also, if you add cocoa, be sure to remove the same amount of flour so they don’t get too dense. Chocolate cookies sound great. Let me know how it goes.
I love and try most of your recipes. I just put these cookies together but I couldn’t use an ice cream scoop because mine were kind of falling apart and I’m not sure why?? I followed your recipe exactly… my only difference was that my butter was not unsalted. Would love to hear why you think that happened? They are in the oven right now and I can’t wait to try them…
Hi Linda, I am more than happy to troubleshoot. Was anything else altered in the recipe and did you measure the ingredients correctly? Our post on measuring can help with that.
Just made these cookies and was very happy with them! They were very soft; just how I wanted them. I halved the recipe and got a dozen medium-sized cookies. Sadly I only had a small handful of chocolate chips to use, but I chopped up a Dove dark chocolate bar and added that in. Would have liked more chocolate in there but gotta work with what I have! Can’t wait to see what you have coming up next
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review with us, Elizabeth!
Oh my goodness this recipe turned out amazing! Definitely the go to recipe from now on!!! Thank you
That’s so great, Dayna! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Hi Natasha! I just made these and they definitely don’t look like yours. I believe I used the wrong amount of butter. I am in the US and our sticks of butter are 4oz each, so that would be 4 sticks of better? Can you please confirm? Ugh, I have to do it all over again.
Hi Flavia, I am in the US also. Our sticks of butter are 1/2 a cup or 4oz net weight. Per the recipe, “use 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened”. Definitely not 4 sticks, the recipe calls for 2.
Well then they definitely didn’t turn out like yours, I followed the exact recipe. In your picture of ingredients you have 2 – 8oz sticks of butter.
Hi Flavia, without more details, it is difficult to offer troubleshooting advice, but if you haven’t gone through these sections in the post above: “Secrets to soft cookies…, why did my cookies go flat? Why did my cookies not flatten?” I highly recommend doing so to identify what could have gone wrong.
Ok, I’m hallucinating, I could of swore their was 8oz yesterday but it seemed like a lot. I definitely picked the flour in the measuring cup, maybe that was it.
That’s so great, sounds like you found a new favorite!
Hi Natasha! What size of ice cream or cookie scoop did you use? And what brand? I used large cookie scoop as I thought that’s the size you used. Turned out not! The cookies needed longer baking, about 25-28mins and only made 13 cookies out of the recipe. Please advise. Thank you.
Hi Joan, we have this trigger release scoop linked in the recipe. I hope that helps.
These are WAY to sweet for my liking. I think it’s more along the lines of how Americans prefer their desserts to be. Probably won’t make these again if the sugar amounts cannot be cut back on.
Hi Marina, you can adjust the sugar to your taste or use less chocolate chips which also contributes to sweetness.
Marina, I suggest you use 70-90% dark chocolate if you find Natasha’s recipe too sweet. I cut down about 300grams of sugar from the recipe and my cookies were a success. I also don’t like tasting overwhelming sweetness of sugar and what i said above fixed it.
Hi
Can the sugar be reduced without changing the texture consistency ?
Thanks in advance
Hi Ganelle, we have tried reducing sugar and the consistency is just slightly more cake-like which is why we found this amount to be the right balance.
I’m going to make these. They look delicious! However, I prefer Hershey’s dark chocolate chips. How will using those differ from semi sweet chips?
Hi Brenda, dark chocoalte chips have a lower sugar content and will taste slightly more bitter. They can be used if you prefer the more bitter notes of dark chocolate.
Hi Brenda, dark chocolate chips have a lower sugar content and will taste slightly more bitter. They can be used if you prefer the more bitter notes of dark chocolate.
Hi Natasha,
I follow your recipes, easy and quick.
Just a quick question, I am not from the US, we don’t have the butter sticks, can you please advise how much 2 butter sticks are in grams?
Hi Maya, each stick of butter is 113 grams. If you scroll down to the recipe card in my blog post, click “metric” and you will see gram measurements.
Hi Natasha,I just made these and my boyfriend couldn’t wait for them to cool down!! He said these are banging,lol. Thanks for your recipe and tips.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Ann!
These are missing something…not sure what it is, maybe too much or too little of something. They seemed kind of bland tasting and almost cakey instead of chewy. They didn’t spread much at all even though I thought I was careful not to use too much flour.
Hi Sara, the way you described the results (cakey and didn’t spread) is usually indicative of too much flour. I suggest this post on how to measure flour and also be sure to use the same all-purpose flour as other flours can vary in gluten content.
Hi Natasha!
Do you have a double chocolate chip cookie recipe?
I’ve followed your recipe and it is sooo good.
But I want to try the double chocolate.
Thanks.
I do not but thank you for that suggestion. I wonder if that will work with this recipe.
Sara..the very same thing happened to me. They did not have much taste and I could not measure them out with an ice cream scoop because they fell apart. I took good care to measure everything perfectly, especially the flour. I was so disappointed.. I think it was too much flour.
Hi Linda, that does sound like too much flour was added, or something was off in the liquid to dry ingredients balance. This post on how we measure should help.
Followed the recipe. And the cookies are beautiful and soft. But for some reason all I can taste is baking powder?! Anyone else?!!
Hi Court, I have not experienced that. Did anything get altered in the recipe?
Great recipe! I’ve made these cookies twice and both times they were a hit!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Sonya!