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
I made these amazing cookies and froze some for another day. Thank you for sharing your recipes. Love them!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it and can save some for later Maria! That’s so great!
Hi! The cookies came out amazingly delicious but their texture came out fluffy and muffin like. I know I added the right amount of flour. What did I do wrong?
Hi Taylor, could you possibly have used too much baking powder? Check out the section above about why cookies don’t flatten which may help.
I’ve made these 3 times and they just aren’t right… 1st time I didn’t measure my flour right. 2nd time I used best for
bread flour instead of all purpose. 3rd time I followed the recipe to a “T” and they still came our thick and flour-y. I’m a pretty good cook; so what went wrong?
Hi Kristena, I suspect maybe you are measuring your flour differently. Check out our post on how to measure for baking which may help.
Followed the recipe but mine turned out like scones. I was questioning the baking powder wondering if it was a typo as most all other recipes use baking sod. Good flavor but not a fan of the scone like texture…. just eating the crispy edges and tossing the doughy middles
Hi Kirsten, they aren’t supposed to be like scones – I wonder if the liquid to dry ingredient proportions were off. Check out our post on how we measure ingredients for baking.
The recipe says soda, not powder. She may have corrected it
This looks so delicious! I wanna try to make it. But is it gonna work if I change the brown sugar into palm sugar?
Thanks, Elizabeth, it’s indeed yummy! I honestly haven’t tried using palm sugar yet to advise but if you want to do an experiment please share with us how it goes.
Hi after reading all the reviews I have to agree my cookies came out more like a scone I followed the recipe to a T, fluffed my flour and measured the ingredients accurately. Perhaps there is a issue with the recipe
Hi Diane, check out the section above about why cookies don’t spread which should help troubleshoot.
Thank you so much Natasha ! I wanted to do an activity with my 3 y old daughter, and I did the recipe exactly as described… I let her pour the ingredients into the bowl…Anyhow the cookies came came perfect ! It’s honestly my first successful cookies because you describe really well the process.
I have some Mini M&M’s, and I was wondering if I can use those instead next time to add more colors to the cookies… what do you think ?
I bet that could work Edward! If you experiment I would love to know how you like the recipe. Thank you for sharing that great review with me.
These are absolutely delicious. Mine didn’t flatten too much and I think because I missed the part with “fluff the flour”. I saw that after I put them in the over. Oh well next time. My kids said they are the best cookies ever so I will make this recipe over and over again. Thank you Natasha ,your recipes are the best. I always check your website before I try sometime new because I know it will come out perfect.
That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great!
I love this recipe because it is easy to follow but the results were not the same as yours Natasha. I followed every step word for word! Unlike yours, my cookies were more rounded and puffy, like round scones, yours is more flattered out. I would post a picture to show you but there isn’t a feature for that on here. Can you please tell me what I did wrong??
Hi Gabby, check the section above about why cookies don’t flatten which should help.
Hey Natasha,
Just wondering what cookie sheet you are using in your video?! I appreciate your time
Hi Landa, it is the gold-tinted bakeware line from the Williams-Sonoma brand.
Hi Natasha,
I’m in the market for a good cookie sheet. What is the one you are using in this video? I apologize if you’ve already answered this question. I appreciate your time!
Hello Landa, I used these Cookie Sheets I hope that helps! You can also check out our Amazon Page for more kitchen tools that I use.
Hello Natasha,
I wanted if I can make half a batch only? Or does this recipe only work if you do the full batch?
Thanks!
Hi Andrea, Yes, simple halve the recipe and it should turn out!
I made the chocolate chip cookies and they were delicious. I had a smaller scoop so I made 47 cookies from this recipe. Thanks Natasha I have tried dozens of your recipes and they were all delicious. Keep up the great job..
Claude
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Did you lower the baking time since they were smaller?
What are your thoughts of combining semi sweet chocolate chips with Heath chips?
That sounds delicious, Wendy! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
WoW! You were So right, Natasha! The best chocolate chip cookies.These are fabulous the second time i make them.
Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad that helped! Thank you so much for reporting back.
Hi Natasha, I’m thinking of else could these soon but I only have baking soda so is it possible to substitute the baking powder with baking soda? If yes, how much would I need? Thank you!
baking* not “else could”
Hi Von, I haven’t tested this recipe with baking soda and it most likely won’t work because there is nothing to activate baking soda. Hope this helps.
I am so confused you said not to use the baking powder then you say not to use baking soda. Recipe online calls for baking soda. 1 tsp. Recipe on your video calls for baking powder 2 tsp. Can you please clarify which is correct? Thank you.
Hi Carla, we added a notation in the video for it at that step but there’s no way to refilm that portion in a published video. The written recipe is correct. It is 1 tsp of baking soda. We have tested both and loved the results with baking soda so much more which is why we updated the post. I hope you love these chocolate chip cookies!
Hi natasha! This is my second time trying this recipe. The first time the cookies didn’t flatten and figured it might be because i measured the flour incorrectly. This time i measured the flour per gram so that i have them in the exact amount needed and followed the rest of the recipe exactly the same, but they still came out flat 🙁
I always follow your recipes and have tried out a bunch and i LOVE THEM. Too bad i cant get these cookies right 🙁
Any suggestions??
Sorry i meant the second time they still didn’t** come out flat
Same exact thing happened to me.
Hi Sarah, I will do my best to troubleshoot. Did you possibly use any other substitutions – maybe a different kind of flour or different sugar or different sized eggs? You might also consider if anything in the process was changed like adding ingredients in a different order.
Im almost pretty sure that i did everything right since i consider my self a perfectionist freak when it comes to following recipes :p but i’ll check anyways.
Thank you either ways!!
We made some tonight too and they came out super thick, very dense and we followed recipe exactly….they were still good but not what I was expecting
Hi Natasaha
I’ve ran out of parchment paper and I don’t have a silpat mat can I use wax paper instead or do I just grease the cookie sheet.
I would just grease the cookie sheet in that case.
Perfectly baked cookies.. I’m glad I came across your recipe first. Will definitely keep this recipe. Thanks for sharing..
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Hi Natasha,
Did you update the recipe recently? I recall making them only about 10 days ago and using 2 teaspoons of baking powered (and they turned out amazing!) but now the recipe says 1 teaspoon of baking soda?
Am I good to continue using 2tsp baking powder? I don’t like the taste of baking soda in my bakes when there is nothing to activate them
HI Zahra, if you loved the results with baking powder, then yes do that. We changed it to baking soda after retesting several batches and found the most desirable results with baking soda. The brown sugar in the recipe activates the baking soda so there is not baking soda taste in the cookies.
Hey! I tried this recipe but the cookies ended up puffed and rather hard, they didn’t spread at all in the oven. I’m sure it’s from my lack of measuring accurately. My suspicion is that it is both an issue of flour and brown sugar. Luckily, I only baked half the batch and I have the leftover dough in the freezer. Is there a way I can fix it for the second batch? Would you recommend adding more brown sugar since I didn’t pack it tightly? Or a splash of milk to offset the flour? Thanks in advance!
Hi Allegra, the most likely culprit is too much flour. When measuring flour, be sure to use dry ingredient measuring cups (that can be leveled at the top) and spoon the flour into the measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you scoop the measuring cup into the flour bin, you can get up to 25% too much flour which would affect how the cookies spread. Here’s our How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry) VIDEO that will help with that. Without being there it is hard to say what needs to be added but it sounds like you are on the right track.
Hello Natasha From Montreal ! I have made these cookies twice and twice they did not flatten ..They look like mini muffins I followed the recipe Exactly and measured precisely .. is it really 3 cups of flour .. maybe it’s too much flour ? Not sure what I am doing wrong .. they still taste good thanks
Hi Lesiamel, I recommend looking into this post on measuring. Are you scooping the flour out of the container or spooning it into the measuring cup and then leveling off?
I am actually making them right now… im wondering what size scoop you use???
Hi Caitlyn, we are using 2 1/4″ cookie scoops. I have a link to the the size I used in the post. Hope that helps!