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
Your original recipe for these (I saved it) called for a tsp of baking power as well as the tsp of baking soda. For me, I get a puffier cookie with the original, which we love. They both stay soft for days. I have made several of your recipes. All are excellent. Thank you.
You’re so welcome, Carol. Thank you for the review and I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
Thank you so much for the small tips for beginners like making sure the baking soda didn’t have any lumps in it. I’m teaching myself how to cook now in my mid 20s and following your recipe was the first time I’ve ever been able to make cookies that taste good
You are very welcome, it is my pleasure to share these awesome recipes with you all. Enjoy cooking and hope it all becomes a success!
PS: After reading the comments, I see that the written directions are actually correct haha. No wonder they came out so good! And they did end up flattening out more after they sat for a bit. Another yummy recipe. Thanks Natasha!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed these cookies, Lauri!
The video says “2 tsps baking powder” while the written recipe says “1 tsp baking soda”. Well, I used the written recipe… oops! They didn’t flatten as much as hers did, but they still tasted good!
Hi Lauri, thank you for the note. We first published this chocolate chip cookie recipe in 2012. We are constantly working on perfecting our recipes, so we modified the recipe with a tad more salt and switched to 1 tsp baking soda. This resulted in a softer, chewier cookie that spread perfectly with or without chilling the dough. The recipe also used 1 tsp of salt. I would recommend following the recipe card always as we can update that compared to the video that we cannot edit anymore.
Hi Natasha. Can you freeze these cookies after baking? I like to bake ahead for the holidays.
Hi Jill, I have not tried freezing them after they are baked but I imagine that may work! The tips that I provided on how to freeze cookies is also in the recipe, that should help too!
Hi Natasha,
I want to make double chocolate chip cookies, can you please advise me on what quantity of cocoa powder should I add to the batter and at what stage as per this recipe?
And if I don’t have brown sugar, can I use the same quantity of white sugar as the amount of brown sugar mentioned in the recipe, that is in total 1 and a half cups of white sugar?
It would be helpful and highly appreciated if you could please reply and help me out!
Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hi Jenna, without testing that through, I could only guess about the amounts. I would probably experiment by swapping out some of the flour for cocoa. I wish I could be more help. If you test this successfully, I would love to hear the details.
Natasha – can I add walnuts to this recipe? I’m a nut fan! Love your website!
Hi Priscilla, others shared that they added walnuts and enjoyed it!
I hope you will redo your video on the chocolate chip cookies. I know you meant to say, “baking soda” but you said,” baking powder.”
We first published this chocolate chip cookie recipe in 2012. We are always working on perfecting our recipes so we modified the recipe with a tad more salt and switched to 1 tsp baking soda. This resulted in a softer, chewier cookie that spread perfectly with or without chilling the dough. Thanks for the suggestion on the new video.
I want to try this chocolate chip cookie recipe. Most chocolate chip cookie recipes have less than 3 cups of flour and are very soft and moist. Does adding 3 cups help with keeping the cookies to stay thick.
I had doubled the recipe as I needed 48 cookies and it only made 35??? I did exactly as you said. They also didn’t even look like the picture :/
Hi Lily, the most likely reason is having the cookies formed larger which will still work but might need a slightly longer bake time.
This is a terrific recipe. I love that the cookie dough doesn’t require chilling, and that you use two teaspoons of vanilla. The look, texture, and flavor remind me of a very good bakery cookie.
Isn’t it the best! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Oh my! I found my new favorite chocolate cookies! We love cookies just not with loads of sugar. Held 1/2 cup sugar back & 1/2 of chocolate chips & yet they still came out amazing! Made 2.5 ounces scoop for each cookie, yes, I measured each of them :)” Thank you for sharing, this will be my go to chocolate chips cookie recipe! Blessings!
Hello Sela, I’m glad you found your new go-to recipe! Thank you for sharing your experience trying out these cookies. Good to hear that it was a success!
I’m so glad this was a hit, and you found a new favorite, Sela! That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your excellent review!
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour and if so how many cups?
Hi Teresa, I honestly haven’t tested that to advise. if you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Awww was hoping you did. When I experiment will let you all know how it comes out. Thank you
Love your videos and recipes! Do you make any alterations for high altitude locations? I’m in the high desert and most cookies turn out flat😌
Hi Lynn, I don’t have experience with high-altitude baking but you can find more tips on High Altitude Baking HERE.
Can I use M&M’s instead of chocolate chips? Should I use the same amount of M&M’s as choc. Chips? Any other modification if substituting M&M’s that you recommend please?
Thank you!
Hi J, I bet that could work. I would sub some of the chocolate chips with M&Ms.
Can I refrigerate the chocolate chip cookie dough after making it and bake the next day?
Hi Dena, that should be okay. You can choose to refrigerate the mix as a whole or pre-measured and shaped. Both will work great. It may require a bit more effort to shape and divide the dough after refrigeration, though. I hope that helps.
Hi Natsha, I have tried your recipes it was really awesome thank you for the your lovely recipes.And I want to know when you measures in cup how many grams you take can you mention that in gram please?
Hi Fathi! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes! If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
Hi, I’m baking for a big event and was wondering if the cookies will still come out right if I 4x the recipe?
Thanks
Hi Layla, you may need to make it in batches unless you have equipment that can handle that much. But that should work! I hope you love this recipe!
Hi, I’m making cookies for a very a big event will they still come out good if I 4x the recipe?
Hello Layla, I think that would be alright. I hope it becomes a hit!
Hi. If I only have salted butter can I use it and omit the salt called for in the recipe?
Hi Morgan, yes, it will work. Just omit the salt used in this recipe since your butter will already be salted.
I do not own a stand mixer would a hand mix be ok to use instead
Hi Barb, You could use a hand mixer instead. If the batter gets too thick for your hand mixer, use a spatula to mix the rest of the way.