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
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Thank you! This is the best choclate chip cookie recipe ever.
SOO Good!!! Thank you!!! <3
This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe! I’m wondering if I could add peanut butter to these cookies to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I’d have to change the recipe a bit, but I think they would be so good!
Hi Michelle, that sounds delicious, I haven’t tested that but I imagine it may work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
It’s better to start with a peanut butter cookie recipe, then add your chocolate or other inclusions.
I get so many compliments on these cookies. They’re delicious and if the recipe is followed and you go slow and intentionally scrape down the bowl and make sure things look as they should. The product is consistent. Thanks for sharing. I have wanted the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe as a mom and this by far the closest I have gotten.
That’s wonderful to hear. Thank you.
Hi there you mention baking soda..here in South Africa we have baking soda which is Bicarbonate soda and Baking Powder is is a rising element..which is the one to use please.
Hi Joyce. Sodium bicarbonate is correct. They are simply alternate terms for the same ingredient.
These are the best soft cookies I’ve ever tasted and I make them almost ever month!! Thanks for posting.
You’re welcome, I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Pamela!
This is my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! Wondering if I could make the base and make white macadamia nut cookies? Has anyone done this?
Great to hear that you love this recipe, Sarah! I have not tested on that but let’s see if others can comment and share with us if that will work.
On you tube she put 2tsp baking powder. In this recipe it says 1 ,tsp. Baking soda. Which one is correct,?
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.
Thank you. I followed this recipe and it’s delicious .
My nephew has allergies to tree nuts and dairy. Will it still taste the same if I substitute vegan butter and non dairy dark chocolate chips. Thank you
Hi Renee, I haven’t tested that to advise, If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I have made these with plant-based butter and dairy free chocolate chips and they are delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Martha!
I make these with browned butter, always a hit in this house and with coworkers. This is my go to recipe.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Kym!
Deliciosas! I bake this for my brother that is very difficult to please and he said “this cookies are delicious no need to warm them.” And coming from him means they are.
I’m so glad he loved them!
I was wondering with this recipe can you brown some of the butter and leave some unsoftened? I just want to know if that would help the cookies have a crisp edge to it
I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Does not spread like a real American chocolate chip cookie, yes, I used the correct proportions of the exact ingredients in the recipe.
I tried this recipe 3 times, twice with 3 cups of flours as indicated on the recipe. Even taking care to measure correctly, cookies still came out thick and did not flatten properly. Decided to give this recipe one more try with only 2 1/2 cups of flour and achieved the results i wanted. The cookies flattened perfectly and tasted delicious!
Hi Iris! That is odd, we’ve had great results with the amount of flour recommended. Did you fluff your flour, spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off? I’m glad you found an amount that worked for you.
Hi Iris, I just made these cookies today and used scales to measure everything out and they’ve turned out perfectly. I used to previously use measuring cups too and noticed the same recipe I would make over and over would never quite turn out the same. Glad I invested in electric scales!
I just made these and used baking soda instead and dark sugar and they came out amazing. AND their staying soft . Thank you for this recipe.
Cookies were flat and so soft and chewie! Recipe was so easy to follow, I highly recommend this recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing this wonderful review with me, Pam!
My cookies were way too thick. They were also very unsweet. Not impressed with this recipe.
Hi Minny. Thick batter or cookies is most commonly a result of using too much flour or not having enough liquid. Using too much flour would also cause these to not taste sweet enough. I would look over to recipe to see if you missed anything. Also- watch my tutorial on How to measure ingredients here.
Cookies are awesome the way they are and always come out perfect. any suggestions if someone is allergic to eggs?
Hi! I’m so glad you love the cookies. The eggs are an important ingredient for these and I have not tested an alternative, I’m sorry.
This recipe was amazingly delicious!!! Instead of using chocolate chips I used heath pieces.
Would it make a difference if dark brown sugar was used instead of light brown sugar?
Hi Sierra! The texture could be a bit more dense and chewy and taste of more molasses but it would work.