With 30 million page views and counting since 2013, these super soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are the most popular cookie recipe on my website. Melted butter, more brown sugar than white sugar, cornstarch, and an extra egg yolk guarantee the absolute chewiest chocolate chip cookie texture. And you don’t even need a mixer!
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips. This recipe is such a fan (and personal) favorite that I included it in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
One reader, Adrienne, commented: “These are the best cookies I’ve ever had. Incredible. Don’t cut corners or you’ll miss out. Do everything she says and you’re in for the best cookies of your life. ★★★★★“
There are thousands of chocolate chip cookies recipes out there. Everyone has their favorite and this one is mine. Just a glance at the hundreds of reviews in the comments section tells me that this recipe is a favorite for many others too! In fact, if you asked me which recipe to keep in your apron pocket, my answer would be this one. (In addition to a classic cut-out sugar cookies and flaky pie crust, of course!) Just read the comments on a post in our Facebook group. These cookies are beloved… and, a warning: they disappear FAST.
Why Are These My BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies?
- The chewiest of chewy and the softest of soft.
- Extra thick just like my favorite peanut butter cookies!
- Bakery-style BIG.
- Exploding with chocolate.
I’ve tested this cookie recipe over and over again to make sure they’re absolutely perfect. I still have a big space in my heart (and stomach) for these soft chocolate chip cookies. Today’s recipe is similar, but I increased the chewiness factor.
One reader, A.Phillips, commented: “Look no further. This is it. This is the perfect cookie recipe. Follow her instructions exactly and the cookies will be chewy and amazing. … These are the most perfect cookies I’ve made and I’ve tried at least 20 different recipes. ★★★★★“
You can make them with chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
Key Ingredients for Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
The cookie dough is made from your standard cookie ingredients: flour, leavener, salt, sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. It’s the ratios and temperature of those ingredients that make this recipe stand out from the rest.
- Melted butter: Melted butter produces the chewiest cookies. It can, however, make your baked cookies greasy, so I made sure there is enough flour to counteract that. And using melted butter is also the reason you don’t need a mixer to make these cookies, just like these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin crumb cake cookies, and M&M cookie bars.
- More brown sugar than white sugar: More brown sugar than white sugar: The moisture in brown sugar promises an extra soft and chewy baked cookie. White granulated sugar is still necessary, though. It’s dry and helps the cookies spread. A little bit of spread is a good thing.
- Cornstarch: Why? Cornstarch gives the cookies that ultra soft consistency we all love. Plus, it helps keep the cookies beautifully thick. We use the same trick when making shortbread cookies.
- Egg yolk: Another way to promise a super chewy chocolate chip cookie is to use an extra egg yolk. The extra egg yolk adds richness, soft tenderness, and binds the dough. You will need 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature, just like in these brown butter marshmallow crispy cookies. See the recipe Notes for how to bring your eggs to room temperature quickly.
The dough will be soft and the chocolate chips may not stick because of the melted butter. Just keep stirring it; I promise it will come together. Because of the melted butter and extra egg yolk, the slick dough doesn’t even look like normal cookie dough! Trust the process…
The most important step is next.
2 Major Success Tips
1. Chill the dough. Chilling the cookie dough is so important in this recipe! Unless you want the cookies to spread into a massive cookie puddle, chilling the dough is mandatory here. It allows the ingredients to settle together after the mixing stage but most importantly: cold dough results in thicker cookies. Cover the cookie dough and chill for at least 2–3 hours or up to 3 days. I usually chill it overnight.
(No time to chill? Make these soft & chewy chocolate chip cookie bars, giant chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookie cake, or crispy chocolate chip cookie bark instead!)
- Further reading: How to Prevent Cookies from Spreading
2. Roll the cookie dough balls extra tall. After the dough has chilled, scoop out a ball of dough that’s 3 Tablespoons for XL cookies or about 2 heaping Tablespoons (1.75 ounces or 50g) for medium-large cookies. I usually use this medium cookie scoop and make it a heaping scoop. But making the cookie dough balls tall and textured, rather than wide and smooth, is my tried-and-true trick that results in thick and textured-looking cookies. We’re talking thick bakery-style cookies with wrinkly, textured tops. Your cookie dough should look less like balls and more like, well, lumpy columns, LOL.
Watch the video below to see how I shape them. I also demonstrate how I use a spoon to reshape them during baking if I see they’re spreading too much.
Because of the melted butter in this dough, the dough is very soft and a little greasy before chilling, so it’s harder to shape the cookie dough balls. We recommend chilling first, then shaping. If after chilling the dough is very hard and difficult to scoop, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and then try again.
We typically do not recommend jumping right to the freezer without chilling the dough first. A quick freeze like that can cause the dough to chill unevenly and then spread unevenly during the baking process. For best results, we recommend following the recipe as written. If you don’t have time to wait for the dough to chill, try this recipe for 6 giant chocolate chip cookies instead, which doesn’t require dough chilling (see recipe Notes in that post for details on using the dough to make 24 regular-size cookies).
Tools I Recommend for This Recipe
I’ve tested many baking tools and these are the exact products I use, trust, and recommend to readers. You’ll need most of these tools when making sugar cookies and snickerdoodles, too!
- Baking Sheets
- Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets
- Medium Cookie Scoop
- Cooling Racks
- See More: Best Cookie Baking Tools and 8 Best Baking Pans
Can I Freeze This Cookie Dough?
Yes, absolutely. After chilling, sometimes I roll the cookie dough into balls and freeze them in a large zipped-top bag. Then I bake them straight from the freezer, keeping them in the oven for an extra minute. This way you can bake just a couple of cookies whenever the craving hits. (The chewy chocolate chip cookie craving is a hard one to ignore.)
If you’re curious about freezing cookie dough, here’s my How to Freeze Cookie Dough page (with video tutorial).
Facebook member, Leigh, commented: “These are the only CC cookies I’ve made for years (and this recipe is how I came to be such a fan of SBA!) This recipe worked great when I lived in Denver and had issues with baking at altitude, and it’s still our favorite now that we’re back at sea level. I usually make 4x-6x batches and freeze tons of cookie balls to bake later.“
In Short, Here Are the Secrets to Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies.
- Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie.
- An extra egg yolk increases chewiness.
- Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness. It’s a trick we use for cake batter chocolate chip cookies, too.
- Using melted butter (and slightly more flour to counteract the liquid) increases chewiness.
- Chilling the dough results in a thicker cookie. Almost as thick as peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or their gluten-free counterparts, flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies 🙂
Q: Have you baked a batch before?
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 XL cookies or 20 medium/large cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These super soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are the most popular cookie recipe on my website for good reason. Melted butter, more brown sugar than white sugar, cornstarch, and an extra egg yolk guarantee the absolute chewiest chocolate chip cookie texture. The cookie dough is slick and requires chilling prior to shaping the cookies. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (170g/12 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted & cooled for 5 minutes
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no lumps remain. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk until combined, then whisk in the vanilla extract. The mixture will be thin. Pour into dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or spatula. The dough will be very soft, thick, and shiny. Fold in the chocolate chips. The chocolate chips may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine them.
- Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. I highly recommend chilling the cookie dough overnight to prevent overspreading.
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If the dough has chilled for longer than 2 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
- Using a cookie scoop or Tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop the chilled cookie dough, about 3 scant Tablespoons (about 2 ounces, or 60g) of dough for XL cookies or 2 heaping Tablespoons (about 1.75 ounces, or 50g) of dough for medium-large cookies. Roll into a ball, then use your fingers to shape the cookie dough so that it’s taller rather than wide—almost like a cylinder. This helps the cookies bake up thicker. Repeat with remaining dough. Arrange the cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 13–14 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. The centers will look very soft, but the cookies will continue to set as they cool. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the tops—this is optional and only for looks!
- Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature, then continue with step 5. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Rubber Spatula | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Cornstarch: If you don’t have cornstarch, you can leave it out. The cookies are still very soft.
- Egg & Egg Yolk: Room-temperature egg + egg yolk are best. Typically, if a recipe calls for room-temperature or melted butter, it’s good practice to use room-temperature eggs as well. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, simply place the whole eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Can I add nuts or different add-ins? Yes, absolutely. As long as the total amount of add-ins is around 1 to 1 and 1/4 cups, you can add anything including chopped nuts, M&Ms, white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, chopped peanut butter cups, etc. I love them with 3/4 cup (135g) butterscotch morsels and 1/2 cup (100g) Reese’s Pieces. You could even add 1/2 cup (80g) sprinkles to make a sprinkle chocolate chip cookie.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking success tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This is the absolute best chocolate cookie recipe. So soft and chewy. THANKS
Hi! I’ve made these cookies a million times and absolutely love them! I tried making them as 2 bite cookies but they came out really thin. I chilled it in the fridge, rolled them and baked from frozen as I usually do with them. Anyway you know why they’re coming out super thin?
Hi Becca! Are you making them smaller? That could affect the spread, but we haven’t tested it ourselves. Here’s our best tips for keeping cookies from spreading and here’s our mini cookies recipe as well (you can use mini chocolate chips instead of m&ms in those)!
These came out fantastic. Have you ever tried making them with brown butter?
Hi Glenn, we’re so glad you enjoyed the cookies! You can use brown butter here, and the flavor is outstanding. But they can be a little more crumbly using brown butter–we suggest using the recipe for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies instead.
What if i skip the egg yolk? Anyone?
Hi A, the extra egg yolk is key to the chewy texture in these cookies. For a cookie recipe that only uses a whole egg, we’d recommend our soft chocolate chip cookies instead.
I did this for my brother, and he loved it and now he wants me to make more of it!!!!
Can I use salted butter?
Hi Ben, If you only have salted butter you can use it and reduce the added salt to 1/8 teaspoon.
Baking time seems to be longer than what’s listed. I measured out my cookie dough balls to be about 1.125 (1 1/8) ounces.
Hi, I’ve run out of eggs (I only have one left!!). Can I substitute the egg yolk with chia seeds or something else?
I’ve made three batches of those cookies and they’re the best chocolate chips cookies I’ve ever made, so I don’t want to mess up the recipe with my substitution
Hi SM, we don’t recommend that substitution. Best to wait until you have the extra egg yolk, or you can make these soft chocolate chip cookies that call for only 1 egg.
hi could i sub oil for butter?
could this substitution work for any of your cookie recipes?
they all look so yummy but were dairy free here..
thanks a lot!
Hi Sherry, You can try coconut oil which seems to have been successful for some readers, or vegan butter such as the Earth Balance brand. We haven’t personally tested either so let us know what you try!
i absolutely loved this, made it five times so far. only choc chip cookies recipe out there that’s actually good.
Amazing cookies! As described in the recipe, chewy centre ; perfect. Will save it for my recipe book 🙂
These are ok! They taste great but mine spread so much they’re almost flat. Any idea what went wrong? I chilled overnight and shaped into columns.
Hi Emily, Here’s our best tips for preventing cookies form spreading for your next batch.
By far the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve come across! These things are such a huge hit and everyone’s favorite!!
Believe me when I say you need to try these! I’ve made these cookies atleast ten times and I always triple or quadruple the recipe to take them to work. I’ve gotten soooooo many compliments and people saying they are the best cookies they’ve ever had. I usually make mine even a little bigger, so I usually get a dozen cookies from one batch. Adding a few extra chocolate chips once they come out of the oven is really the trick to getting them picture perfect! I’ll never use another chocolate chip cookie recipe in my life!
BEST CHEWY COOKIES EVERRRR!!! Won’t make any other recipe from now on. Sally comes through once again! My fave cheesecake and oatmeal raisin cookies are all from y’all. THANK YOU! Last time I didn’t have vanilla so I used maple syrup instead and it tasted just as delicious. Also chopped up some white chocolate and did half dark chips/half white chunks and it was a hit! Will for sure double the batch next time cause these cookies disappear in a second!
If your wanting a sugary style chocolate chip cookie this might do it. But if you’re looking for something more gourmet then keep looking. I followed the recipe but it’s not what I’m looking for in a chocolate chip cookie. Mine didn’t stay puffed up as much as I expected either but that was minor. Tthe main thing I don’t like is the flavor. It has a sugar cookie flavor with hints of vanilla and choc chips. Even my little granddaughter wasn’t happy with it. So it’s a big no for me. WAY too sugary!!! Glad I tested it before bringing to a school function.
hi is cornstarch necessary?
Hi Maryam, if you do not have cornstarch, you can simply omit it. The cookies will still be quite chewy.
Best cookie recipe! I’ve been following this recipe so many times already.
Forgive me if I’ve previously commented, but these are now my go-to chocolate chip cookies. I have made a few small tweaks to make them my own. Instead of 1.25 cups of chocolate chips, I use about 3/4 a cup and finely chop a dark chocolate bar in addition – it makes for melty little striations of chocolate and a nice texture difference. Sometimes I also swap out the chips for peanut butter chips. And, I add a sprinkle of sea salt at the end when they’re hot out of the oven.
Also, I highly recommend rolling the dough into balls FIRST and then chilling them – I have found the dough is very hard to shape once chilled.
Our Fav!!! These cookies have become a regular at our house!! If you’re thinking about it, just make the cookies…trust me it will be the best decision you will ever make!
I decided to give this recipe a try – I generally just follow the chocolate chip recipe on the back of the bag of semi sweet morsels but they don’t always come out “great”. I found the dough a bit hard to handle – it was hard to shape into a cylinder and I don’t think I could have used a cookie scoop. That being said, when I put them in the oven, I did not think they would “cook down” but they did – and boy oh boy what a result! The cookie was delicious – soft and chewy and so, so yummy!! I just wish the dough was easier to work with – but I would definitely make these again!!!
Hi there, I would love to try baking with your recipe tomorrow. Just wondering, can I add non-sweetened chocolate powder into the wet mixed ingredients before mixing them into the dry ingredients?
Hi Evon, that would tinker with the ratio of wet to dry ingredients, so we don’t recommend it. If you’re looking for a chocolate cookie base, these double chocolate chip cookies are a favorite.
We are only halfway through (cookies are currently reluctantly chilling in the fridge while my children mope around lol) but it seems like a great recipe so far and very easy to follow. My only issue is that it’s not going to be enough cookies! I’d like to double the batch but wanted to check if any adjustments should be made, particularly with the eggs and baking soda, or is just a straight doubling okay?
Hi Sarah, you can double this dough. Just double everything!
Hi!! the cookies tasted so good i couldn’t stop eating them with milk!! but for some reason they turn out a little flat even after it was in the freezer for 1 1/2 hours!! what can i do to make them a bit more chunkier(?) when baked??
Hi Tako, Here’s our best tips for preventing cookies form spreading for your next batch.
These are delicious! Some of the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made, in both texture and flavor, and I’ve made a lot of chocolate chip cookies in my life! My one misgiving is that they never seem to turn out as pretty as the cookies in the photos. Every time I’ve made them, the dough seems to oxidize when I chill it, and the cookies turn out too dark in color. This doesn’t happen with your Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies, just this recipe. But otherwise, they’re great!
My favorite. Chewy not crumbly. They don’t last long I think I saved the cookie dough three days. The last of it. Now it doesn’t mold together. Anything to save it?
Hi Susan, the dough should be okay in the fridge for 2-3 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 5.
My new go to for lunch box snacks! Everyone loves these cookies.
these are the literal best chocolate chip cookies out there
I love this so much
this is my second attempt of baking cookies and oh god i am so satisfied with them! the first time i made them (from some other’s recipe) they were a disaster. after that your channel was recommended by a close friend of mine and i couldn’t thank her enough! i really really love how these turned out can’t wait to show these cookies to my parents and family!
This are the best cookies I have ever tasted.
There are so delicious and indulgent with flavor. The mixed taste of the the chocolate chips and cookie dough, there is no better cookie recipe then this. I love them so much, I know what to bake and bring to my next family gathering. Sally you are probably the baker in the world and your addiction to bake just can’t make it any better. My family is asking me to make more because of how perfect and excellent they, not only that they are extremely easy and fast to make that in a blink of an eye I know what my dessert will be.
these cookies are a dream in real life that I even enjoy making them.
Thank you Sally so much.