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
These are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made! Thank you Natasha for the recipe!
That’s great to hear, Susan! Thank you for sharing.
First time baking these with my 2 year old we had a blast. Super easy and super good. It make about 35 cookies.
That’s great, Jenna!
Excellent recipe! Just made a batch, but swapped the c-chips for M&Ms. Baked perfectly!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Sarah!
The perfect chocolate chip cookie. It replaced the “other” one I used for years. Soft, chewy, not too sweet with the right amount of chips. Delish!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was perfect. 🙂
I’m so happy you loved it, Jill! Thank you so much for your wonderful review.
Best chocolate chip cookie recipe! I’ve made these same day and from frozen. I use milk chocolate chips for extra sweetness. They are a huge hit when I make big cookies, 3.5 oz each! I always get compliments and asked for the recipe. Love all your recipes!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Jeannine!
Hello Mrs. Natasha, I recently made a batch of your chocolate chip cookie dough and I think I missed something cause the edges became completely flat while the center was domes and then when they cooled, they became completely flat with the chocolate chips sticking out. Here is what I think I did that didn’t mesh everything together: for one, I did not know that I had to cream the butter, sugar AND brown sugar together, I creamed the butter and sugar first and then added the brown sugar and did not see the instruction to beat those 3 things for 5 minutes. Second, I could not find my scale, so I fluffed up flour with a spoon and sprinkled it into a measuring cup; however, the cookies baked to become very flat near the edges and domed in the middle and when they cooled the middles became very flat with it looking like there were more chocolate chips than dough. If you have any advice on what I could have gone wrong, please feel free to comment.
Hi there, it should not become flat but the ingredients and measurements should be followed exactly as written to get excellent resuts. I recommend watching to see where else you went wrong. I have provided some tips 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.
Ok, thank you very much for your help and happy holidays to you and your family.
In the recipe it says 1 stick of butter while the directions say 2 sticks
Hi Lili! The ingredient list mentions 1 cup of butter (which is 2 sticks). The instructions below the ingredient list then mentions 2 sticks. Each stick is 1/2 a cup but depending on the brand of butter, it can change so it’s always best to double check. I hope that helps clear up any confusion.
Finally a chocolate chip cookie recipe that works!
These are the best tasting and best looking cookies I have ever made!
Thank you for sharing your recipe!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Lori!
The recipe looks delicious. Can I make these cookies smaller to get more cookies and just bake them for a shorter time period?
Hi Laurie, that may work, but yes you will need to make adjustments to the bake time. I hope you love this recipe.
I followed this exactly but my cookies turned out like Frankenstein. I wish I could upload a picture to show and maybe get feed back. But I can’t so….. the consistency was off for any cookie dough I’ve made, more wet. But I had already made it so I continued. The first turned into a cookie sheet it spread so thin and far that it covered the cookie sheet. The next was the same but I added less so it didn’t run together. The last I took out earlier because the first two had a burnt under taste. But once the third cooled they were raw in the center. I fluffed the flour I did one egg at a time. I did everything like the recipe. It shouldn’t have turned out like this. I’m a single mom I wanted to make cookies with my daughter for Christmas. But it turned into a stressful mess. And now I can’t afford more ingredients until next month. Sucks.
Hi, I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe. My best suggestion would be to watch our video tutorial on how to measure ingredients The cookie dough should not seem wet – it sounds like there was too much liquid ingredients or not enough flour added. I also suggest watching the video tutorial to see where things might have gone wrong and lastly, double check your baking soda to see if it isn’t expired. Put a little on a spoon and pour some vinegar over it. It should fizz rapidly right away.
Natasha’s Kitchen has once again proven to be a treasure trove of delightful recipes, with their chocolate chip cookies being a standout treat. These cookies are a perfect blend of chewy and crunchy, ensuring a satisfying texture with every bite. The recipe is simple and straightforward, making it accessible even to amateur bakers.
One of the key highlights of these cookies is the balance of flavors. The sweetness is not overpowering, thanks to the judicious use of brown sugar, which adds a rich, caramelized depth. The chocolate chips are plentiful, melting into the dough to create gooey pockets of chocolatey goodness.
Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad you’re enjoying this recipe!
Hi Natasha, my fav chef!
I’m having trouble printing and even typing on your site. Are there issues with others experiencing the same? TIA
Hi Tamara! Are you using the print option from the recipe card? I have not had an issue trying to print.
Yes! Plus the other option. My husband used his iPad as well but couldn’t print either. If no one else is having problems, then it must be at our end. We even went to an Apple Store and followed their instructions…still nothing. Let see if there are others out there with this issue.
Meanwhile, I LOVE your recipes and everything you offer. Thank you.
Hi Tamara, one thing I recommend checking is the internet frequency your printer is on, ensure your device is on the same internet if trying to print over wifi. I hope this helps.
I live all your recipes. But the cookies turned out rock hard. Suggestion?
Hi Elmira, I recommend reviewing the recipe and video again to ensure nothing was substituted or altered. Did you possibly over bake them or add too much flour? Be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.
Why did my cookies come out looking like fluffy scones? They are delicious and soft but super fluffy.
Hi Monica, it’s hard to say without being there, but it sounds like something may have been substituted in either the ingredients or process. I wish I could be more helpful.
Hi Natasha, I just love your videos and recipes. With the Chocolate Chip cookie recipe, I notice in your video you sate to add baking POWDER but the recipe calls for baking SODA. Which gives the better result? Just curious
Hi! I’m glad you’re loving the recipes. I left a note in the blog above stating that we updated the recipe since the video recording to use baking soda- we had better results. I hope you love this recipe too!
I thought, how can they be so different than any other CC cookie I’ve ever made…? Follow the instructions and they are AMAZINING!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Rhonda!
NATASHA i love your recipes!
Tonight I made your creamy mushroom chicken, again!
I want to ask you to please add Directions for high altitude baking. Thank you!
Thanks for your review, Susan. You can refer to this guide for high altitude baking.
A great cookie!!
I added score bits too and they are so delicious!!
Oooooo I want to make these sooo bad! But I’m worried since I don’t have a scale and need to sub a GF flour… any suggestions for me? We love your strawberry cake and zucchini muffins!!!
Hi Jes! To be honest, I haven’t experimented with GF flour in my recipes to advise. I looked through the comments but I don’t see that any of my viewers left feedback about using GF, usually they do if they’ve tested it.
If you don’t have a food scale, watch my tutorial on How to measure ingredients here. I hope that helps.
Best soft chocolate chip cookie recipe. The perfect flavors AND textures!
So glad you love it!