Even soft chocolate chip cookie lovers will reach for these crispy chocolate chip cookies. Crackly and buttery, you’ll love the satisfying crunch you get in every bite. They’re so irresistible that it’s almost impossible to eat just one.
Crispy vs. Chewy: The Different Types of Chocolate Chip Cookies
All chocolate chip cookies—whether they’re soft, chewy, or crispy—are made from the same ingredients. It is the ratio of ingredients and a few simple modifications that create the textural differences. Let’s take a look at some of our chocolate chip cookie recipes and how the proportion of ingredients can make or break your cookie. (Literally!)
- Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies: Creamed butter, cornstarch, and a higher ratio of brown sugar to white work together to achieve this cookie’s perfect melt-in-your-mouth softness.
- Chewy chocolate chip cookies: Melted butter, an extra egg yolk, and more brown sugar than white sugar will help you bake a supremely chewy cookie. The melted butter is the secret to this dense, indulgent treat.
- Crispy-edged chocolate chip cookies from Sally’s Cookie Addiction cookbook (page 26): Milk plus a higher ratio of white sugar to brown help create the spread needed for a crispier cookie. The creamed butter and sugar create a soft and light center. These are the perfect blend of soft, chewy, and crispy. Definitely a favorite around here.
If you love extra crispy cookies, you’ll want to try my chocolate chip cookie bark, too!
Tell Me About These Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Texture: For that pleasing buttery CRUNCH when you take a bite, let the cookies cool completely. The longer the cookies cool, the crispier they will be. I suggest using a cooling rack if you have one. It circulates air to the bottoms of cookies and, as a result, cools them quicker and more evenly.
- Flavor: Crispy chocolate chip cookie fans will love the rich, buttery flavor contrasted with sweet chocolate chips in every bite.
- Ease: This quick and easy recipe makes a lot of cookies in a short amount of time. Perfect for no-fuss bakers who want big flavor without a big mess.
- Time: Unlike many cookie doughs, chilling isn’t required (see Note), so this recipe comes together in minutes. Here are all of our cookie recipes without dough chilling.
Recipe Testing Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies: What Works & What Doesn’t
Chocolate chip cookies can turn out differently depending on a few different factors, particularly the proportion of ingredients. Every ingredient has a job to do. That’s cookie science! The good news is that as long as you know which type of cookie you want, you can learn how to make it successfully each and every time. Here are the secrets to making a crispy chocolate chip cookie:
- Melted butter. Creaming butter and sugar together, like you do for most cake recipes, aerates the cookie dough, creating a softer, fluffier cookie. Since we crave a crispy cookie here, we’re using melted butter instead. Melted butter = a chewy and dense center.
- Sugars. Since brown sugar is soft, we want to use more white sugar for a crispy cookie.
- Milk. Just like melted butter, milk helps the cookies spread in the oven which produces crispier edges.
- Honey. This natural sweetener crisps and melts in the oven, creating a crackly top on your cookie. If you don’t have honey, you can substitute light corn syrup instead.
- Egg yolk. One egg yolk adds richness and structure but leave out the egg white. Why? Egg whites fluff up when beaten or whisked. We want to avoid the fluff in this crispy cookie
- Smaller cookies, hotter oven. Roll the cookies smaller and bake at a higher temperature so the whole cookie crisps up perfectly.
To Chill or Not to Chill?
It’s entirely up to you—baker’s choice! The first time I made these cookies, I chilled the cookie dough for my usual 2 hours, and the cookies had a lovely crisp edge with a chewy center. They were delicious but tasted like my soft chocolate chip cookies. I wanted something different: a thinner cookie with an overall crunch so I continued testing the recipe. Here’s what I discovered:
- No chilling: For thin and mega-crispy cookies, skip chilling the dough entirely.
- Chill for 1 hour: For cookies that are a little thicker, have a little chew and a lot of crisp, chill the dough for 1 hour.
- Chill for 2+ hours: For thicker cookies with less crisp, chill the dough for 2 hours or longer.
I appreciate that this cookie recipe works all 3 ways.
More Cookie Recipes
- Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Crisp Molasses Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
For a gluten free cookie, try my flourless almond butter chocolate chip cookies or flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies. The latter are chock full of chocolate chips, too!
Print
Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: 32-36 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Crispy chocolate chip cookies with a satisfying crunch. With their crackly tops, crisp buttery edges, and overflow of chocolate chips, I have a feeling even soft chocolate chip cookie fans will get a kick out of these.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10 Tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter, melted + slightly cooled
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (43g) honey or light corn syrup
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- See step 4. If not chilling the cookie dough, preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour into dry ingredients and mix everything together until completely combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. (You can use a mixer for this step if needed.) Dough will be soft.
- For thin and crisp cookies, do not chill the cookie dough and proceed with step 5. For slightly thicker and crisp cookies, cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour then preheat the oven. For slightly thicker cookies with soft centers and crisp edges, cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours then preheat the oven.
- Roll cookie dough into balls, 1 scant Tablespoon of dough per cookie, and arrange 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until browned on top and around the sides.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies crisp up as they cool.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Cookies stay fresh lightly covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow to come to room temperature, preheat the oven, then continue with step 5. Keep in mind that cookies are the thinnest and crispiest when baked right away. 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): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hello Sally! Thank you so much for this recipe. It has brought much joy to my family. May I know if I were to use sea salt instead of the usual salt, how would that change the cookie? Do you also know what kind of chocolate chips I should use to make the cookies less sweet? Thank you so much for your time!
Hi Kaia! Choose a bittersweet chocolate chips, which aren’t as sweet as semi-sweet. If using sea salt instead of table salt, it’s actually a 1:1 substitution here.
I followed the recipe exactly but this made soft, chewy cookies. I baked them immediately and they looked great out of the oven. I was sure they would be crispy when allowed to cool, but they actually became extremely soft and chewy. Not sure what went wrong. Sad! Flavor was good though
I just made 2 types of cookies with this recipe. I made one batch chocolate chip & one batch chipless with chopped walnuts instead, for my S.O. who doesn’t like chocolate. The walnut ones came out better than the chocolate chip! For whatever reason, the flavor of the dough seemed to clash with the flavor of the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.
UPDATE: 2nd time around making these with just walnuts, using a food scale made a HUGE difference. I take back what I said, the dough is fantastic. Baking lesson learned: Never relying on measuring cups again!
My cookies are coming out SUPER flat. Even after chilling 2 hours. I even lowered the oven temp to 325.
Any suggestions?
Hi Sydney, To help troubleshoot flat cookies you can take a look at these 10 Guaranteed Tips to Prevent Cookies from Spreading. I hope it helps!
Hi Sally, I tried your recipe today and the cookies are tasting yummmm. I loved the honey flavour in them. But they haven’t turned out crispy as expected. I kept them in the owen for 9 mins and removed them as they were turning brown in color. They were slightly crisp when they were cooling down, but after which they have turned soft. Please help me with what I would have done wrong. I followed everything as instructed. I am really looking for the perfect crisp cookies. Please help!!
Hi Sejal, For thinner crisper cookies you do not have to chill the dough.
Fantastic, I will double the recipe on the weekend. I will increase the cook time slightly too. Good thing I froze some dough for tomorrow because yesterday’s batch is done! Sally, Ive tried many CCC recipes and these are the hugest hit!
Hi Sally, we made these 2 weeks ago and loved them. Crispy edges, chewy but not soft centre. We omitted the milk, and made them mini. I have our new batch in the oven as I write this. We found them rich and buttery (not a bad thing at all) yet it got the family into a fun debate about the butter and so I am wondering should we be measuring 10 tbsp liquid butter or 10 tablespoons room temperature butter that we melt because it yields more than 10 tbsp? And if we want to reduce the sugar, what amount would be a safe amount as to not change the texture? Can some sweetness come from applesauce instead?
Hi Rachelle! So glad you enjoyed these cookies. The butter should be measured before melting. I don’t recommend altering the amount of sugar as it does more than simply sweeten the cookies– it adds texture and encourages spread. You could try leaving out a small portion (perhaps 2 Tablespoons) of the granulated sugar– I’m unsure of the exact results though.
Sally thank you immensely for responding. I’m so excited because your experience means so much to me and hooray, another successful batch last night. We used 1 tbsp of honey instead of 2, still omitted the milk. I cooked them on 360 instead and only 8 minutes this time because last time at 8 mins the bottoms were browning too much. But that’s just my oven. I find I need to reduce the time and temperature on everything. This time they were a bit less crunchy, maybe because of the changes I made. I’ll be trying again. Another 2 questions: does the temperature of the oven affect the crunch/crisp? And can the recipe be doubled easily or are other alterations required? This is the best crispy chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Hi Rachelle! You’re welcome. Temperature doesn’t really affect the crispiness of the cookie– it’s more about the bake time. You can double this cookie recipe no problem.
I tried this recipe a few days ago and loved it! The chocolate chips and crispy cookies were just awesome! I will be making them again. Thank you, Sally!
These cookies are good, but man are they sweet. I used less sugar than called for and they were still extremely sweet. Maybe it’s because I’m not American so I don’t appreciate the overly sweet baked goods, idk, but if you’re into it, these are great.
Hi! Thank you for this recipe! I love how the cookies turned out! Some of the cookies were perfect, but for the others, all of the chocolate chips clumped together in the middle and the cookie spread out a lot more. This was after chilling for 2 hours. Some of them were completely fine, but the ones with the chocolate chips that were clumped together seemed to have more greasy bottoms. Any ideas on what caused this? Thank you so so much!
Hi Anushka! I’m unsure exactly why that would happen to some cookies, but you can always try reducing the amount of chocolate chips in the cookie dough or, as you roll the cookie dough balls, try to adjust/separate the chocolate chips yourself in each dough ball.
Thank you for your recipe! My preference is for a thin, crispy chocolate chip cookie that has no softness or chewiness. How do I achieve that? Thanks!
Hi David, For thinner crisper cookies you do not have to chill the dough.
Thanks, Stephanie, for your response! I did not chill the dough. I have been trying many recipes to achieve thin, crispy cookies: using more brown sugar than white, leaving out the egg white, using more butter so it will spread, not chilling the dough, baking longer than specified, but still no thin, crispy cookies. What am I doing wrong? Thanks!
David
I also, like David stated, would like a thin very crispy cookie, although I did not achieve that with this recipe it was still delicious, and also I did not chill the dough at all. Great flavor!
Yes, same as David and Diane, I also did not chill the dough before baking, and although the cookies were very delicious, they were more chewy than crispy. Hoping to somehow make cookies as crispy/snappy as Chips Ahoy or even Stauffer’s gingersnaps. Thank you for everything and best wishes to all!
I had frozen some small scoops of cookie dough from when I made this recipe, and this time I baked them for 14 minutes, and they were very crispy! Wonderful. They looked very brown/toasted, and normally I would have thought overdone, but it turned out great for a crispy cookie.
These didn’t turn out as crispy as I wanted it (even without chilling and baking immediately) BUT the honey flavor in the cookies were amazing! Thanks!
Finally, the result I was looking for. Great recipe, great explanation of how to get that crispy cookie. Loved them.
I use this recipe for gluten free cookies and it is awesome!
Hi! Did you just sub for gluten free flour? Thanks
Hi! Just thought I’d jump in since I also made it gluten free. I used Krusteaz GF flour and had to add an extra 1/4 cup because it isn’t as absorbent due to the sorghum flour in the blend. They came out great! Pamela’s GF flour is great for cookies too! Hope this helps 🙂
This recipe is good, everyone has there own idea of a perfect cookie, these are great if you like a bakery style cookie that is more soft then chewy. Day 3 of this cookie was my favorite.
These are great! My 2 year old always wants to stir by hand and has trouble waiting for the chill time…these are perfect! And of course the 9 year old asks, “Is this a Sally recipe?” before he will agree to help…
Your recipes are always clear and consistent — definitely our go to. Thank you!
I made these today and they were awesome!! I love your blog; whenever I need to make something I always check your recipes. All of them turn out great!!Like Sally says if you want to skip to the recipe it will take two seconds to press the “Jump To Recipe” button. Thanks for a great recipe!!
These are my husband’s favorite chocolate chip cookies! Love how to explain what each ingredient does and the process in great detail!
Sally, you are a genius! I have always loved baking chocolate chip cookies, but the results were unpredictable. With your recipes, I achieve success every time. I love how you explain the science behind the method. Today, a family member requested some of your soft baked triple chocolate chip cookies. After baking those, I decided we needed a batch of chocolate chip cookies at my house too, so I made the crispy chocolate chip cookies. I chilled the dough for an hour, and the result was a perfect cookie with just the right balance of crispy and chewy. I have never used honey or milk in a chocolate chip cookie recipe before, but the taste and texture is truly incredible!
I absolutely love this recipe. I prefer thin and crispy cookies than chewy ones. So good. Mine turned out to be more brown – maybe it’s the honey? But for the second batch, I put the time to only 8 minutes, it turned out perfect. I have a fan oven so maybe it runs hotter.
I so agree this will be my go to cookie recipe from now on!
Hi Sally. I’ve just made this recipe and no chilling at all. It took around 15 minutes and when the cookies come out, they’re not crispy nor crunchy. It’s hard rock. Do u have any tips for me and what might be the cause? I use melted butter, and cooled it already, and I use 1 tbs for each cookie and press it with my palm. But it’s not thin. Any feedback would help a lot. Thank you Sally 🙂
Hi Ken! So are the cookies thick, but way over-cooked? A shorter bake time will help.
Hi Sally
Love this recipe! Easy enough for a new baker like me! Finally a crispy cookie recipe that works! However, mine turned out really flat and spread out even after I chilled the dough for slightly more than an hour. BUT still super tasty! What did I do wrong to make them so flat even after chilling the dough?
I made this recipe with a couple of changes. I left out the honey, and I only used 1 cube of butter. Used 1/2 cup chocolate chips and added 1/2 cup chopped pecans. I will be making it this way again!
Sally, love this recipe, may I add walnuts, and if so when?
I’m so happy you love these cookies! You can replace some of the chocolate chips with chopped walnuts.
Looking forward to trying these! My hubs likes them very thin and crispy, says his grandma made them that way. I have read more butter or less flour can achieve that. Aiming for a fairly flat cookie that is crispy all the way through with the chips standing out across the cookie. Would I have to adjust the flour or butter in this recipe at all to achieve that? Thanks!!
Hi Karen, adding a little more butter or reducing the flour would help achieve that exact look and texture. I haven’t tested either with this recipe, but let me know if you do!
Sally!
You are a baking idol of mine. Your cookie recipes are incredible and have become beloved staples of my household (and the donut recipes and the cake recipes, etc…haha!)
The bakers notes throughout the post are very helpful and have taught me a lot about baking that I otherwise wouldn’t have known, so thank you.
Without whole milk for this recipe, what can I substitute that will result in the same texture outcome? Trying Greek Yogurt this time…
Thanks!
Catherine
Thank you so much, Catherine! You can try another milk such as nondairy milk or a lower fat milk. I haven’t tested Greek yogurt so I’m unsure of the exact results.
Hi Sally,
I enjoyed this recipe but my cookies didn’t spread out. They we’re too small and thick. Any ideas why?
Hi Crystal, I’m glad you enjoyed these. Make sure you are spooning and leveling your flour instead of scooping. You can also try skipping the dough chilling step.
By far the easiest and most delicious chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever made. I am totally sold on the melted butter method. I chose not to chill the dough and the cookies spread out nicely (but not TOO much).The crunchy bottoms of these cookies are like heaven! 3 of us have eaten half the batch in 1 day lol, thanks for sharing this recipe!
I LOVE the details about why it is crispier or chewier! Who knew? GREAT tips. Thanks so much…yum!
Sally I just want to say Thank You.
I’ve done so many of your recipes over the past 2 years with my daughters and will be forever inspired.
Also, you’re hilarious I love all the reading I do on this page and couldn’t care less about what some people have to say
Love,
Cherlys, Skye and Luna