Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
32 min
|
easy
|
vegetarian
Recipe by Eunice
Introduction
These classic chocolate chip cookies hit the sweet spot with chewy centers, crisp edges, big vanilla flavor, and plenty of melty semi-sweet chips in every bite.
Perfect for bake sales, lunchbox bribes, or a late-night craving, the two sugars add depth, the teaspoon of kosher salt keeps them balanced, and the dough bakes up reliably every time, no dry hockey pucks on my watch.
Ingredients (24 servings)
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Ingredients:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened unsalted butter 8 oz
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed brown sugar 5.15 oz
- ½ cup granulated sugar granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs large eggs 2 ct
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract pure vanilla extract 2 tsp
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour all-purpose flour 0.62 lb
- 1 tsp baking soda baking soda 0.17 oz
- ½ tsp baking powder baking powder 0.08 oz
- 1 tsp kosher salt kosher salt 0.13 oz
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips semi-sweet chocolate chips 16 oz
How to Make Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
-
Preheat and prepare pans
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Whisk the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt until evenly combined.
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Cream butter and sugars
In a stand mixer with the paddle or a hand mixer, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
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Add eggs and vanilla
Beat in the eggs one at a time until smooth, then mix in the vanilla, scraping the bowl so nothing hides on the bottom.
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Add dry to wet
Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and blend on low just until the flour disappears, because overmixing equals tough cookies.
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Fold in chocolate
Fold in the chocolate chips by hand with a spatula so the dough stays tender and the chips stay evenly distributed.
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Chill for control
Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes for thicker cookies with less spread, or up to 24 hours for deeper flavor.
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Scoop and bake
Scoop 2 tablespoon mounds of dough onto the sheets, spacing 2 inches apart, and bake 10 to 12 minutes until edges are set and centers look slightly underdone.
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Finish and cool
Optional but fabulous, sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt on hot cookies, then cool on the sheet 5 minutes before moving to a rack to finish.
Substitutions
- Swap semi-sweet chips with chopped 70 percent dark chocolate
- Using a bar chopped into uneven chunks creates glossy puddles and varied bite sizes, which means more dramatic chocolate pockets and a slightly less sweet finish.
- Use bread flour in place of half the all-purpose flour
- Higher protein boosts gluten for a chewier, bakery-style cookie while keeping the centers soft and the edges crisp.
- Brown the butter instead of using plain softened butter
- Browned butter adds toasted hazelnut aroma and deeper caramel flavor; cool until spreadable before creaming to keep the dough from spreading too much.
Tips
- Butter temperature is everything
- Aim for 65 to 67 F butter that yields slightly to a finger press so you trap air during creaming and get lift without greasy spread.
- Measure like a pro
- If you have a scale, weigh flour to 280 grams to avoid dry or puffy cookies, and if using cups, fluff, spoon, and level rather than scooping straight from the bag.
- Chill equals control
- A short chill hydrates flour, firms fat, and gives you thicker cookies with rich butterscotch flavor.
- Sheet discipline
- Always bake on cool sheets because warm pans melt the butter before the structure sets and that makes flat, sad cookies.
- Bake by sight, not just time
- Pull them when the edges are golden and the centers are pale and slightly soft since carryover heat finishes the set for that perfect chewy middle.
- Salt smart
- A tiny pinch of flaky salt on hot cookies sharpens the chocolate and balances sweetness so the flavors pop.
Nutrition Facts *
| Energy | 282 | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 4 | g |
| Total Fat | 13 | g |
| Carbohydrates | 39 | g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 | g |
* Approximate, per serving.
Data source: USDA FoodData Central.
FAQ
- Why did my cookies spread too much?
- Your butter was likely too warm, the dough was not chilled, or you baked on a hot sheet; chill the dough 30 minutes, use cool pans, and make sure the butter is just soft, not glossy or melty.
- My cookies baked up cakey, what went wrong?
- Too much flour or overmixing can build excess gluten, so measure flour carefully and stop mixing as soon as the dry streaks are gone.
- How do I get thicker, bakery-style cookies?
- Chill the dough overnight, scoop taller mounds, and use half bread flour to increase chew and height.
- Can I freeze the dough?
- Yes, scoop, freeze on a sheet until firm, then bag and bake from frozen at 350 F adding 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time.
- Can I make jumbo cookies?
- Use a 1/4 cup scoop, bake 13 to 15 minutes, and let them rest on the sheet 8 minutes so the centers set without overbaking.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these warm with cold milk or a short espresso, or sandwich two around vanilla ice cream for a melt-and-chew situation that will ruin store-bought for you.
Feeling playful, fold in toasted pecans and a whisper of orange zest, or swirl in 1 teaspoon espresso powder with the sugars to deepen the chocolate and add a little New York swagger.
More pairings:
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