My version of the best chocolate chip cookies has soft chewy centers and slightly crisp edges. They are chockfull of chocolate chips in a mixture of different flavours and sizes. Make them in your cookie size of choice from regular to mini or extra large. The dough makes a great base for many different cookie flavor variations.
About Chocolate Chip Cookies
Despite the popularity of chocolate chip cookies, allegedly they have been invented only in 1938 by U.S. chefs Sue Brides and Ruth Graves Wakefield, in Massachusetts. The first version apparently contained chopped Nestle semi-sweet chocolate rather than the chocolate chips everyone knows today. This early chocolate chip cookie recipe was known as Toll House cookies, named after the place it originated, the Toll House Inn.
While many variations of chocolate chip cookies have emerged over the years, they generally include flour, both white and brown sugar, eggs, some type of leavening, and chocolate chunks or chips. However, some grain-free, sugar-free, and vegan varieties are prevalent today as well.
These alternative versions are the only chocolate chip cookie recipes that I've had on here until today, like these coconut flour, tigernut flour, and coconut oil versions. And then my daughter requested a chocolate chip cookie-themed birthday party this year and I realized that I never shared my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe.
For Olivia's birthday, I made this recipe in an extra-large version to hand out as party favors to her guests. A couple of regular and lots of mini chocolate chip cookies also decorated the cake I made her.
Every other year I go all out and make her birthday cake myself. It always is a labour of love but also a fun throwback for me, to my first ever business and my beginning days of blogging that where all about decorated cakes.
This one was inspired by a Liv for Cake recipe. Moist layers of chocolate cake with layers of chocolate chip cookie Swiss meringue frosting and cookie dough filling. It was decorated with mini cookie dough balls on top and mini chocolate chip cookie along the bottom. Two large smiling cookie faces decorated both the side and the top of the cake.
How to Make the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
To begin making this chocolate chip cookie recipe, preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with either a parchment paper or a silicone liner. You can find silicone liners online and in specialty baking stores. They are great because you can wash them and resuse them rather than you having to continuously purchase parchment paper for baking purposes.
Mixing the Dough
To mix the chocolate chip cookie dough, you will only need one large bowl and a set of electric beaters, although you could use a stand mixer too. Simply beat the butter with the white granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This process helps the sugars dissolve into the butter so that will incorporate with the dry ingredients more easily later on.
Next, add the egg and vanilla, and beat them until they are just incorporated into the butter mixture. Now add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt to the bowl, and beat the mixture until just combined. Finally, fold the chocolate chips into the cookie dough until incorporated.
Shaping and Baking the Cookies
You can make this chocolate chip cookies recipe in different sizes if you like. For 16 regular-sized cookies measure out 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie. Alternatively, you can measure out 2 tablespoon portions of dough to make 8 larger cookies. Or 32 mini-sized cookies of ½ tablespoon each. An ice cream scoop is a useful tool for measuring out cookie dough as well.
Next, place them on the prepared cookie sheet with some space between them to give the cookies room to spread out during baking. Flatten them out a little by pressing down on the cookie dough balls. At this point, I like to stud them with a few extra chunks of chocolate for an attractive finish.
Mini cookies need to bake for only 9-11 minutes. The regular cookies should require a total of 13 to 15 minutes to bake through. You will know they are done when they are light golden on the bottoms and have opaque tops. Meanwhile, larger cookies will require 17 to 20 minutes to bake.
After the cookies have baked, they will be quite delicate. For this reason, you should leave them on the cookie sheet to cool for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Storing the Cookies
These cookies don't generally last long around here, but they will keep fresh in an airtight container for up to four to five days. However, if you would like to make a batch to have for longer, you can also store them in the freezer for several months. They will also thaw quickly so you can just pull some out every once in a while when you are looking for a treat or something to serve guests.
How to Vary the Cookies
While a classic chocolate chip cookie is perfection, you may decide you would like to try different mix-ins in your cookie dough. Here are some ingredients you could incorporate into the dough to vary the cookies:
- Add a 1 cup combination of dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and white chocolate chips for a trail mix-inspired cookie.
- Incorporate chopped pretzels, dark chocolate chips, and toffee bits for a sweet and savoury combination.
- Add salted peanuts, milk chocolate chips, and mini peanut butter cups if you are a lover of peanut butter and chocolate.
- Add white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts for a classic white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.
- Make triple chocolate cookies by folding the dough with white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, and dark chocolate chips.
- Try some candy-coated chocolate Easter eggs in the cookie dough for the chocolate component if you are looking for an Easter-inspired chocolate chip cookie.
- If you are into a sweet and salty combo, try sprinkling some flaked sea salt on top of the cookies before baking them.
Other Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes You'll Love:
- Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips
- Clean Eating Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Coconut Flour Double Chocolate Cookies
Recipe
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips I like to use a mix flavors and sizes: regular, mini chips, chocolate chunks, milk, semi-sweet or dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F.
- Using an electric hand mixer beat together softened butter and white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix in until incorporated.
- Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and mix in until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Divide the dough into 16 cookie dough balls of 1 tablespoon each (or make 8 large cookies of 2 tablespoons of dough each)*. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone liner.
- Press down slightly on each dough ball to flatten a little. If you to have your cookies to have visible chocolate chips on top, place a few extra chocolate chips on each dough ball.
- Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes for small ones and 17-20 minutes for large ones until the edges are just set. Centers can still look slightly uncooked.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. They can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for several months.
Notes
Nutrition
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Random Questions
Choose high-quality chocolate chips with a good balance of sweetness and cocoa content. Options include semi-sweet, bittersweet, or a mix for varied flavors. Experiment to find your favorite.
Overmixing the dough or overbaking can lead to a firmer texture. Ensure you follow the recommended mixing and baking times to achieve soft, chewy cookies.
Quality chocolate chips are designed to hold their shape during baking, providing gooey pockets of chocolate. Choose chips with a higher cocoa butter content for better melting.
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