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
I don’t know exactly what I am doing wrong here: I made the cookies exactly as per recipe and method. However, they haven’t spread at all! If I rolled them in balls, they stayed in balls, if I cut them in rounds they stayed in rounds. They completely held shape! They were refrigerated overnight and then left out to soften for 10-15 mins. They taste good! But they are holding shape in-line any cookie I’ve baked before and I’m confused!
Hi Lisa, When cookies don’t spread, it’s because there is too much flour in the dough. How do you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. Thanks for giving these a try!
Those are the best cookies I’ve ever made, and I’ve tried several recipes before! I chilled the dough in the fridge for over 24 hours, and they turned out so delicious and chewy! I love all your recipes and cooking tips! I used two different bakeware pans, and the darker one baked the cookies faster (I would have never known if I hadn’t read your blog).
This is my go-to recipe from now on! I like the ease of melting the butter and adding to the dry ingredients. They bake up perfectly, with a soft middle and everyone loves them! Thank you
This was the most disgusting cookie I have EVER eaten in my entire life. I found myself pondering a question the entire time I was eating this cookie: “is this actually a cookie?” I have never been more insulted and disgusted to eat a cookie. It tasted like raw pasta dough, eggs and flour, and a pinch of salt. Unfortunately, I could only give this a one star review, if I could, I would review it 0. Sincerely, fellow baker and mom of five.
Hi Melissa, thanks for the feedback. Did you reduce the sugar by chance? Or make any other changes? Maybe they weren’t baked long enough? I’m wondering how the cookies would taste so awful and raw.
You must of did something wrong these cookies are the Bomb!
Did you leave them on the hot cookie sheet to “set”? They are undercooked right out of the oven. Leaving them on the cookie sheet out of the oven allows them to finish ” baking”. I set mine on o cooling rack for 10 min and then remove the cookies to yet another cooling rack. (I’ve learned you can never have too many!)
This was truly the best choco- chip cookie recipe I’ve tried. Definitely a keeper!
These are delicious and a big hit but how do you make them look so fluffy? Mine are just kinda flat looking
Hi Danielle, we use the methods detailed in this post on how to prevent cookies from spreading. We also always do the “tall cookie trick” detailed in the post and shown in the video. And if the cookies are still overspreading, we reshape them with a spoon–just go around the edges and gently nudge the cookie back into shape, then return to the oven to finish baking. Hope this helps for next time!
My whole family loves them. What would the bake time and temp be to make them as cookie bars?
Hi Rita, This recipe is great for a 9×9-inch square baking pan or try this chocolate chip cookie bars recipe. So glad these are a favorite for you!
Top notch thank you!!!
This recipe is absolutely amazing. Even my kid who doesn’t like cookies INHALES them when I make batch.
Could these be made in a pan for a bar style cookie? What would the cook time be.
Hi Rita, This recipe is great for a 9×9-inch square baking pan or try this chocolate chip cookie bars recipe. So glad these are a favorite for you!
My cookies turned out perfect they were a smash hit! My nee favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I like that I can make the dough ahead of time and store in the fridge till I need another batch. Thanks so much.
Turned out absolutely amazing! Made them for coworkers to show appreciation of all the hard work we put in! They loved theses cookies! Whether it’s cookies or a carmel and or cherry sauce recipe they have all been hits! When in need of a recipe I always come to your site first for a amazing fix, or inspiration to experiment with new ideas.
Wonderful tasting recipe. I’ve made this twice, the first time I made as directed exactly and it turned out to be one of the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made/eaten. The second time I needed mini cookies to make into Pygmy Puff character cookies for a Harry Potter themed bday party so I added butterscotch chips and chocolate chips, rolled them into 1 rounded tsp ball, and cooked for 10 minutes. Perfection!
I love this recipe!! Could I use it to make a cookie cake, size 11×14????
Hi Jodi, this won’t be quite enough dough for an 11×14-inch pan, but you could double the recipe and use any leftover dough for some cookies on the side. We’re unsure of the exact bake time. So glad this is a favorite for you!
My wife loves chocolate chip cookies (her self proclaimed favorite food), and I’ve made many variations over the years/decades. She said these are the best. Ever. (Used combination of chocolate chips and chunks).
I’ve also made many of Sally’s recipes with some variations (pies, croissants, pastry dough, etc.), always with extraordinary results and compliments, and this has become my go to site.
Hi Sally, we will use this recipe for our experiment, how many ounces must it be to make the cookie 1 inch in size?
Hi Nathan, we’re unsure of the exact weight of the dough in order to make 1-inch cookies—it won’t be much, though.
Such an easy and yummy recipe but I do find it very sweet. Can we decrease the amount of sugar used? If so, how much sugar can I try to use?
Thank you!
Hi Mei, Feel free to slightly reduce one or both of the sugars, but keep in mind that if you decrease the sugar the cookies will not have the same texture (it’s used for texture and moisture in addition to taste) and it can impact the spread of the cookies, too. Thanks for giving these a try!
Absolutely delicious!! Everyone I’ve made them for begs for the recipe and I’m happy to share.
Is it possible to use self rising flour in this?
Hi Melthuaf, we do not recommend self raising flour for this recipe. They have different amounts of leavening, so it’s best to stick with all-purpose flour and the added leavening + salt.
The only recipe for I use! I do the glass trick when they’re warm so they are perfectly round. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better, more perfect chocolate chip cookie and I’ve been trying recipes for 20 years! Quick question though.. I want to make them for my son to take in his lunches.. will this recipe be ok to make mini cookies?
Hi Kleo, you can make these smaller! Or here is our recipe for mini cookies.
Omg. Im speechless. These are the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. Everything is just perfect. It’s chewy but a bit crispy on the outside and just the right thickness. Absolutely amazing!
This is hands down my favorite ccc recipe! I’ve been making these cookies for years and they’ve been a crowd favorite every time! I have one question, though. I recently moved from area with an elevation of 350 to an area that’s 2080. I noticed that when I baked the cookies, they turned fairly flat. I followed the instructions exactly as written. Should I add more flour next time I make these?
Hi Melissa, we wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I’ve tried this recipe a few times, sometimes not even too strict about butter, sugar, chips/nuts measurements (roughly eyeballed relative to cups) but still got great chewy melty center cookies. Yummy addictive cookies. I also recently added small pieces of marshmallows, turned out great too
Wonderful recipe! I did half milk chocolate chips + half reeces peanut butter chips, and that was perfect.
Sally, I’m from Brazil and I’m writing with the help of a translator, so I apologize if something is spelled wrong. So, I made your recipe and loved it. They were the best cookies I’ve ever made, but they were a little greasy. Do you think I could reduce the amount of butter? Or is there another problem that could be causing this? I would really like to make these cookies to sell and help me pay for college, so I’m trying to get the best possible result based on your recipe, which is already a hit here at home. Could you give me any tips? How to avoid this, please? I would also like to say that I would love to see more variations of your cookies, with chocolate or filled cookies. I would love each recipe. Thank you very much in advance!
Hi Sthefany, if the baked cookies seem too greasy, make sure to let the melted butter cool a bit before continuing with the recipe. That should help! Here is a list of all of our different cookie recipes.
I made these cookies this week for a gathering my cousin had. They were such a BIG hit! Everyone loved them and were coming back for more! I shared your website with other “bakers” at the party. I think you will have new followers!
Hi there! This is a great recipe! I’m wondering though of you can provide your recipes with a 2x and 3x legend so we can easily increase our batches. Just a thought
Hi Kelli, I love that option but not all baking recipes scale up evenly, so I can’t offer that across the board. And the program used doesn’t allow me to only have it display on *some* recipes. Hopefully that can change soon. Thank you for the suggestion!
Always use this recipe, everyone is always so impressed with these !
Ok so I tried these cookies and they were literally like a sheet and they were too greasy and too sugary even though I kinda removed some sugar while making the cookies because I felt like it would be too sugary and they still did but that’s not the point .
basically you should chill the dough so that it doesn’t spread and I did and it was literally cold idk how and where did I mess up ?
I will try to make them again but I will chill them even more.
My question is : is there any advices and tips other than chilling them more for the cookies to not spread too much?? Thank youu!
Note : i made cookies before and they turned out good so the problem isn’t with the ingredients I have at home maybe the process of making them.
We’re happy to help troubleshoot. There are a few different factors that can cause cookies to overspread. Be sure that your butter isn’t piping hot—letting it sit for about 5 minutes before mixing will help. Our post with 10 tips to prevent cookies from spreading will also be helpful to review for next time. We hope this helps!
This recipe helps me learn such new things!! Thank you!!
Hi Sally! I’ve made these cookies multiple times and it’s always a hit! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
I have a question- can we portion the dough before chilling? Or does it have to be done after it’s chilled in the refrigerator?
Hi Krithi, we’re so glad you loved the cookies! We find the dough to be a bit too slick to form into balls before chilling, but you can certainly try it if you wish.
Hi sally, I would like to double this recipe. I tried doubling everything and my dough was really crumbly so how do I double it? What liquids should I add more of is there something I need to add less of?
Hi Skyler, you can double this recipe, but you might find it more difficult to mix with the added volume. All measurements should be doubled, but how did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over measured, which can make the dough crumbly. You may find it better to make separate batches. Hope this helps!
Hi! I have lived in a higher altitude with a dry climate for a couple years now and have yet to make a chocolate chip cookie that is perfectly chewy and moist. They usually come out puffy and crumbly. I will definitely try properly measuring the flour, but was curious if you had any other tips for making these at high altitude? Thank you!
Hi Madi! We wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I am NOT an expert, but I have baked these several times at about 7,000ft, and I follow the recipe exactly as written. Only thing I find is that they bake up a little faster, so check them earlier than the recipe states.