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 has been my go to cookie recipe for YEARS! You will not find a better base recipe! It is so versatile ypu can change it up and add different add ins and spices and they have always turned out! Around the holidays I add cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, cranberries and white chocolate chips! I never have any leftover!
These look amazing. I often decrease sugar by 1/2 the amount. Have you tried it with this recipe? If so how would you adjust the sugars? Decrease both by 1/2?
Thanks!
Hi Amy, Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended.
I did this by accident! The cookies tasted great but they came out very light and fluffy- not at all the dense/chewy texture I was expecting. When I went back to investigate I realized I skipped the white sugar out altogether. But hey- now we know what happens with half the sugar.
I followed your recipe to the letter, which is odd for me since I am a retired chef & rarely follow other people’s recipes. While my cookies are edible, they don’t look anything like the ones in your images. I chose your recipe out of the hundreds on line based on the photos. I had to smash them down with a spatula when I removed them from the oven to make them look like cookies. They never spread out from that odd column shape I started with as depicted in your images. I also found the cakey part a bit bland & lifeless. These are definitely edible, they just aren’t as pretty or tasty as the images depict. My search for the perfect small batch home-made choc chip cookie continues…..
Can these cookies be baked without chilling? Does it completely change the texture/softness of cookie? Thanks!
Hi Nicole, chilling necessary, otherwise the cookies will spread into puddles.
Best cookies ever!!! Yummy.
One thing I do to save time is roll the dough into a log then saran wrap it, cool it, then take a large knife after unwrapping it and halving all the peices to the size I want. Lot less mess that way and they come out more even.
Instead of adding chocolate chips, can we add dark chocolate chunks
Yes, absolutely.
Made these cookies for some friends last weekend. Several people commented that these were the best chocolate chip cookies they have ever eaten!
Hi! Can I do this with Brown butter instead? Would it be the same instructions except for I would just brown the butter instead of fully melting it? Thx!
Hi Jess, 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.
I made a quadruple batch of this recipe for my work’s Christmas party, but I made 2 small differences. I did not use cornstarch and I used M&Ms instead of chocolate chips (the green and red ones – Christmas, duh. Lol). They were so popular that what was left was taken home and frozen by one of my coworkers to take to her wife. Lol. I’ve also had coworkers ask me to make more of them for them as well. Not to mention, I ate so many of them I broke my diet and am trying to get back in the groove. LOL I’m actually planning to make more for my boyfriend’s son as a birthday present since I can’t afford a toy right now. 😀 I use your recipes 99% of the time when I bake. For recipes you don’t have, I use my Grandma’s cookbook that she wrote her personal recipes in. Like her dinner roll recipe. ^.^ I love your recipes. I’m so glad I found your website.
Hi! I love your site, and I have made plenty of your recipes. I’m trying to make some chocolate chip cookies with M&M’s on top, and my audience likes a “fluffier” cookie than I do. I like them thick, but also dense so they’re chewy on the inside. I have that down pat.
So to make a lighter, “fluffier” cookie, is it as simple as adding some baking powder to the recipe and whipping up the dough a little more? Or is there something I’m missing. My last attempt was fluffier than I normally make them, but not fluffy enough to make my people happy.
Hi Mike, have you tried our soft chocolate chip cookies before? That recipe sounds like it may be closer to the texture you’re looking for. Let us know if you give it a try!
This is the ultimate best chocolate chip cookie recipe. I use it for m&ms cookies as well. It’s just such a big hit
I posed a question on April 9 and it was never addressed. I see others since my post have been. Just wondering if it was deemed inappropriate or not acceptable to answer. Appreciate any clarity on the process. Btw-I baked off a batch this morning and they came out great. Just hoping you have some insight if I can switch up the chilling process a bit! Thank you in advance for your response.
Hi Kimberlee, my team saves questions and comments they do not know how to answer for me. I hadn’t been able to get to my pending questions in a few days. I just responded!
Perfect recipe. For fun I added some dark chocolate chunks and a little flaky sea salt on some of them, also delicious! Love how versatile the recipe can be with mix ins
I love this cookie recipe! It tastes like the cookies you get at subway and it is a very versatile recipe. Thank you very much sally for sharing your recipe. I have shared this recipe with all of my friends and family.
Might be a silly question but I’ve made this recipe several times with success but there’s one step that is more time consuming than I’d like and am wondering if switching up the chill time process would garner the same great results. Instead of chilling the whole bowl of dough and then letting it come up to temp to scoop, can I form the dough balls right after mixing and then chill all the balls the recommended time and then bake as instructed? Getting the dough malleable enough after chilling takes at least 30 mins so I’m trying to find a better solution that may work for me.
Hi Kimberlee, the dough is too soft and greasy to form into balls/shapes before chilling. Instead, what will work, is chilling for 1 hour, shaping, and then chilling for the remaining time. Let me know if you try it this way.
Ive made your recipe sooo many times and they are ALWAYS a HUGE hit. Ive wondered this too so im currently chilling the dough and then attempting to make the balls then chilling overnight. I did try forming the balls right after mixing without chilling during the last time i made them and they were a bit stuck to the container but not to bad.
Hi Sally,
I had one of these at work today that one of my coworkers had made and it was the best cc cookie I ever had. Came home and made them using this recipe. It is NOT the same cookie!! They didn’t flatten, they’re like cake instead of chewy with a light crunchy outside. I had to bake them 5 extra minutes to get them to brown around the edges . I followed the recipe!! The next 2 batches I made a lot flatter without the “cylinder ” and they came out better but still not the one I had at work! What happened ???
Hi Maggie, did you let the butter mixture cool too long? If so, it will firm up your dough quite a bit. Likewise, how did you measure the flour? It’s important to spoon and level the flour, or weigh it, and not scoop it. You may have accidentally used too much flour.
Hi there, I have an urgent question: I’m trying to make a round cookie cake in a round cake pan using this recipe. Is there anything I should change aside from maybe bake time?
Hi Lydia! You can certainly use this cookie dough for a cookie cake without any changes. No need to chill the dough. We’re unsure what size pan would be best, but here’s our similar chocolate chip cookie cake and chocolate chip cookie pizza recipes as well!
Hi Sally! This is my absolute favourite cookie recipe, thank you for posting it. I was wondering if you have updated it recently? I made it many times a few years ago with huge success but I just repeated it now and they didn’t spread at all and stayed raw inside. I think that might be because I’m working with European flour which worked better with a potential previous recipe(?) Just checking because I can’t remember the cooling step from my previous goes, maybe I missed something else too. Thanks!! Big hugs from Spain
Hi Julie! We have not updated this recipe’s ingredients or amounts. Could it have been another chocolate chip cookie recipe from our website? If you find the cookies are not spreading enough, you can take them out of the oven and lightly tap the baking sheet on the counter to help initiate spread. Or, you can use the back of a spoon to gently press them down. How are you measuring your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t overmeasured, which can prevent spread, too. Hope this helps for your next batch!
Liked the cookies. My dough was super hard after being in the fridge and took over an hour to thaw out. Dough was dry and stiff (I used the exact amount of flour) and I live in a humid area. The cookie did not spread at all in the oven (in fact was kind of lumpy) and had a crusty shell after coming out of the oven. I pushed in a few chocolate chips after baking, but they broke the crusty exterior. Still good! but not what I think it should be. I want these to work……any ideas on what I did wrong?
Hi Suzan! It sounds like there was too much flour in your dough. How did 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. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
This is the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. These will sell like hot cakes where I’m at. Thank you for the perfect recipe.
Do you need cornstarch
Hi Charles, If you don’t have cornstarch, you can leave it out.
Best cookies ever!
I added 1 tbsp of instant coffee, replaced the vanilla extract with banana extract, and replaced the chocolate chips with butterscotch chips. Absolutely delicious!
Truly awesome cookies! All your recipes are delicious and the instructions are easy to follow. You are a gifted baker!
Can you give nutritional values
Particular carbs
And sugars
Hi Diana, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Can’t wait to try this recipe! How many does it make of the large cookies?
Hi Cindi, it makes about 16 XL cookies or 20 medium/large cookies. Enjoy!
Instead of using just melted butter could I use freshly made brown butter?
Hi Nicholas, 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.
Wondering if it would be okay to swap the chocolate chips for mini eggs? Or do something like half and half? Hoping to make an Easter version of this cookie 🙂
Yes, absolutely, Hilary! You may want to chop the mini eggs, depending on their size.
Any adjustments for high altitude?
Hi Elaine, 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
Can cookie recipes contain 1/2 white flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour? I’m diabetic…what about using Stevia white sugar and Stevia brown sugar, or maybe 1/2 of each with regular sugars? #Baking #Diabetes #Recipe #Flour #Sugar #Sweeteners
Hi Del, We wish we could help more, but we haven’t tried making these cookies with whole wheat flour. It will likely take some trial and error and tweaking the other ingredients to find the best combination of ingredients. Let us know if you give anything a try! If you’re interested, here are all of our recipes using whole wheat flour.
Keep in mind that flour, whether whole wheat or white will create a large insulin spikes which will not be ideal for diabetics. If you want to use flour I’d choose something like spelt, chickpea or almond flour.
Chewy, chocolatey, and very decadent cookies. I made two batches over this weekend-I slightly over-baked the first batch because they just didn’t look like they were done in the baking time specified in the recipe. They were really good, but the second batch ended up that much better. Follow it exactly and you won’t be disappointed!
Can this recipe be used to bake as bar cookies?
Hi Tess, this recipe is great for a 9×9-inch square baking pan or try this chocolate chip cookie bars recipe.