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
Just made these with white chocolate chips and cranberries. Yummy! Baked for 15 minutes, got 32 cookies. They are nice and big.
Awesome! We’re so glad that you enjoyed the cookies!
I swapped all the sugar for coconut sugar and only had bread flour and these turned out so fluffy and soft! Did half with pecans and was incredible. My go to recipe now
Hi Sarah, great to hear that the substitutions that you used worked so well!
Everytime I make any cookies, they never flatten. Or even look brown. What is my problem? I even experimented with flattening it before baking and it doesn’t look pretty.
Hi Olga! It depends on the recipe. I have a tutorial on how to measure ingredients correctly. Using too much flour will not allow them to flatten. Also, I encourage the use of an internal oven thermometer (affiliate link) to ensure your oven reaches the correct temperature. Be sure to let your oven fully preheat before you start baking. I hope that helps.
I usually use my old standby Nestle chocolate chip cookie recipe. I decided to try yours today and they were DELICIOUS! I read all the tips beforehand and made sure I took them out right when they lightly browned on top. I will be using your recipe from now on!
That’s awesome, Trish! Thank you for the wonderful feedback.
Hi! My whole family and more love these cookies they have been my staple choc chip cookie recipe . However I was looking to turn these into double choc chip cookies. Any idea how? Should I replace some flour with cocoa powder ? If so would you know how much? Thanks!!
Hi Lisa! I’m glad your family loves these! I have not experimented with the recipe to advise. I suppose it would work but you may have to make some modifications, cocoa powder tends to absorb more water. Let us know if you experiment.
Hello! I haven’t been able to try the recipe yet because I have a question. So I know the recipe says softened butter, but I know some people that brown their butter and based on the results it comes out amazing! However, when I make the cookies with softened butter it never comes out right. So I mainly just wanted to know if browning the butter is better than softened butter or if browning the butter is only for certain recipes.
Hi Lucia! I’m sure that there could be some way to modify the recipe and used browned butter but I have not tested it to give advise. The temperature of the butter is important to be able to cream it properly with the sugar.
Soft and delicious! I had a bunch of teens over and they devoured them!
I’m so glad they enjoyed it!
Great recipe but it would have been super helpful to have the recipe tip ABOVE the recipe instead of waiting until the end where you’ve already measured and mixed everything.
Thanks for your feedback and suggestion, Des. That’s helpful!
Hi Natasha, I’ve been making these cookies for sometime now and they always come out perfect. Lately, when I make them they’ve been coming out flatter than I like. Do you have any idea why this could be happening?
Hi Kristen, did you make any changes or substitutions this time? I have provided some tps in this part of the recipe “Why do Chocolate Chip Cookies go Flat?” I recommend checking that out and the comments from other readers at the bottom, they might have some advice.
I added 1tsp of cinnamon and some marshmallows and turned this into s’more bars! So yummy!
Sounds amazing!
Your chocolate chip cookie recipe has become my family’s go-to! I’m a little embarrassed to say we make a batch almost every week, ha. Thank you for sharing!
Totally understandable, so glad you all love this recipe a lot!
I made these with the recommended baking time and they are still a bit crunchy. I live in Utah so is high altitude an issue? What about leaving them on the cookie sheet a problem too?
Hi Carlie! It could be the elevation. I don’t have much experience with high-altitude baking to advise. You may find this article on high-altitude-baking. Once the cookies are cooled down a bit, you can remove them and cool them on the cooling rack and then you’ll want to store them in an air-tight container to keep them soft and fresh. I also recommend an internal oven thermometer (affiliate link) to ensure your oven is at the right temperature. Over-baking them could cause them to by dry as well as using too much flour so be sure to measure your ingredients correctly. I hope that helps.
Your video said baking powder but the recipe says baking soda
Hi Maureen, 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.
Can I make ahead of time? How should I store for the next day?
Hi Flavia, The cookies should stay soft for days, We store ours in an air-tight container for a few days. You can also refrigerate or freeze the dough until ready to bake and they bake up perfectly every time.
I am wondering if the cookies can be put on a baking sheet and frozen uncooked, then brought out at a later date and baked. If so, should they thaw out first?
Hi Penyy, we address freezing these cookies in the recipe post. See the How to Freeze Cookie Dough section! I hope that helps!
Hi Natasha I know that your recipe doesn’t call for this much baking soda but what if I don’t have baking soda and the recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of the soda how much baking powder would I add instead?
Hi Lilah! Baking soda is best for this and should not be substituted with baking powder.
Natasha, your recipes are always the best!!! I had my own go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, but this one is BETTER! I have to say it, it’s true! Thank you for all these wonderful recipes! they came out perfectly!
Thank you and you’re welcome! It’s my pleasure and I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
You have made me a rock star with family and friends with these cookies. The recipe is perfect!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Richard!
I LOVE the crunchy outside with the soft inside. They are PERFECT!!
So glad that you love these cookies!
Hello,
I am weighing my ingredients. As per recipe 3 cups all purpose flour is 375g. But in the comments I see ppl hv mentioned 3 cups is 360g and worked for them. I m confused what to follow as I don’t want to screw up my baking 🙁
Any suggestions? Thanks. @natasha
Hi Anu, I followed the recipe with 375g of flour, and it worked out great! Recipes may need to be altered due to elevation and other factors, so if you try it with 360g and it works well, please let me know how you like it!