These chocolate chip cookies are extra soft, thick, and chewy. This is my FAVORITE recipe for chocolate chips cookies and they turn out perfect every time!
I feel like a good chocolate chip cookie recipe is one that everyone should have in their recipe box. I’ve had several requests for a full batch chocolate chip cookie recipe over the last couple months. So I decided it was time to roll up my sleeves and get to work on perfecting a recipe.
And let me tell you, these cookies are good. In fact, I made these cookies for a party and every single one of them were gone by the end of the night. That’s when you know you have a good recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
So let’s talk about what makes a good chocolate chip cookie. To start, you’ll be using some simple dry ingredients like all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. One important thing with the flour is to make sure to measure it correctly by spooning it into the cup and leveling it off with the back of a knife. You don’t want to scoop the flour out of the container with your measuring cup because the flour can become packed inside of the cup. I have a full post about how to measure flour with the spoon and level method here.
You’ll also be using one cup of unsalted butter in this recipe. Have you ever wondered why some recipes specifically call for unsalted butter? It’s because the amount of salt in salted butter can vary quite a bit between brands. By using unsalted butter in a recipe, you can control the amount of salt in it. You can use salted butter in this recipe if you like, but I suggest reducing the amount of salt to about 1/2 teaspoon if you do.
Another thing that makes this chocolate chip cookie recipe so delicious is the amount of brown sugar. I prefer to use more brown sugar than granulated sugar in most of my cookie recipes because it adds moisture and more flavor. I like to use 1 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in these cookies. Brown sugar is a wonderful ingredient to bake with, especially when it comes to cookies!
You’ll also be using a couple of room temperature eggs. Just make sure to set your eggs out with the butter and let them both come to room temperature before getting started on your cookies. If a recipe calls for room temperature butter, it’s best to make sure your other ingredients are room temperature as well.
And the chocolate chips? I use an entire 12-ounce bag (or 2 cups) of semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe. It may seem like a lot, but keep in mind that this recipe will make about 38 cookies. Plus, you can’t have a good chocolate chip cookie recipe without a good amount of chocolate chips in each cookie. Am I right?
Another important that with this recipe is that you need to chill the cookie dough. I know it can be a pain to have to wait to chill cookie dough, but trust me here. Not only will the cookies taste better, but they’ll bake up so much thicker. I’ve found that 2 hours is the perfect amount of time to chill this cookie dough.
And if you want soft cookies, I suggest taking these cookies out of the oven as soon as the edges are lightly golden brown and the tops are set. Then, let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes and transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. I do this all the time with my cookies and they turn out perfectly soft every single time!
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 and 3/4 cups (345 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 12-ounce package (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract one at a time and mix until fully combined.
- Slowly mix in the flour mixture and continue mixing until just combined, then mix in the chocolate chips, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Cover the cookie dough tightly and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.
- Once the dough is almost chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator, using a 1.5-2 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheets. Make sure to leave a little room between each ball of cookie dough as they will spread a little while they bake.
- Bake in separate batches at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown and the top is set. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Love cookies?
Try my Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies next!
How long does the baked cookies usually lasts? Does it last for 2 weeks w/o refrigeration? thank you.
They will last about 5-7 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Finally i think I found the perfect recipe . Everything was really easy to measure and understand . I have tried so many different ones this one is the best !! Thank you!
Thank you, Maria! So glad you liked the cookies!
Hi! Question regarding instruction #3 when you say mix in the flour or dry ingredients do you mean mix or use an electric mixer? Thanks
Either way is fine, I prefer to use an electric mixer just because it’s easier.
Hello I have a question. Do you have to chill the dough?
It helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. You can skip it, but if your cookie dough is too warm the cookies may be flatter.
If you don’t chill cook at a lesser time more like 10.5 . It will not burn your cookies.
Omg these are AMAZING! I added red + green M&M’s to half the amount of chocolate chips for Christmas.. not that anyone cares. But I’m definitely taking them to my family Christmas party! Thank you!❤️
That sounds so cute, Megan! Glad you liked the cookies!
Does anyone know any replacements for the baking soda, right now I don’t have any but I really want to bake 😅
I would highly recommend baking soda for these cookies. You could try replacing it with baking powder, but you would need about 3 times the amount of baking powder and it may leave a bitter taste in the cookies.
Every recipe looks and sounds delish. Will.be trying most.of.them.
Thank you, Barbara! Let me know if you try any recipes!
Hi my cookies are too cakey what am I dooing wrong? Thanks
Did you spoon and level your flour?
Thank you so much!!! Tried a few diff recipes but yours was the only one that got my first successful batch of cookies! They are delicious n def easy to make! Thanks!
So glad to hear that!
Hi, my friend makes chocolate chip cookies that are out of this world and uses coconut oil for the shortening. For your recipe can I substitute the butter for coconut oil using the same amount? Do you have any recommendations using this substitute? Thanks!
I’ve never tried replacing the butter with coconut oil, so it’s hard to give suggestions.
Hi! After I chill the dough, can I cut them out into shapes?
This cookie dough will spread some as it bakes so if you cut out shapes it probably won’t hold the same shape. I do have a cut-out sugar cookie recipe on my site that may be better for that.
Do you use light or dark brown sugar?
Either one is fine, I use light brown sugar.
This recipe is spot on Danielle! The cookies came out beautifully. My cookies didn’t flatten with only 20 minutes in the fridge so my next batch I will bake without refrigerating so have them flatten out more. Very tasty!
So glad you liked the cookies, Evanna! Did you make sure to spoon and level your flour? If so, then you can definitely skip the dough chilling next time!
I was seeking a new chocolate cookie recipe for this Christmas and wanted a soft, chewy cookie. Danielle, this hit the mark! My first batch I think I cooked a minute or two too long but they are still awesome! Second sheet from first batch in the oven now and I will make another batch after that. Thank you. My kids and grands are going to LOVE this cookie!
So glad you liked the cookies, Julie!
The bottom of my cookies burned at 350° at 11 min and the top looked raw…. any suggestions?
Have you checked your oven temperature with an oven thermometer? And have you used the same pan to make other cookies or did you happen to bake the cookies on a lower rack?
So I just tried these cookies and they are excellent… but I must be a very slow baker!
I don’t have a hand mixer, so I beat all the ingredients by hand, and it took me way longer than 12 minutes to prepare the cookie dough. I find it very meditative though and didn’t mind that bit.
As far as the chilling goes, I started prep in the evening and by the time the 2 hours was up, I had fallen asleep. It worked out just fine though, as I baked them the next morning and they are perfect!
Thank you so much, I ate a few to “test” them out, and I’m sure they will be a hit with my family this Christmas!
So glad you liked the cookies, Laura!
Dear Danielle,
Thank you so much for your wonderful recipe. My daughter tried baking for the first time making soft chewy cookies with your recipe and it turned out so good and delicious. The whole family likes her cookies so much that we can’t keep our hands off them. They are just simply addictive!
I would like to ask if it will affect how the cookies turn out if we reduce the amount of sugar used next time?
Thanks!
So glad everyone liked the cookies! You can reduce the sugar by about 1/4 cup. It will make the cookies a little less sweet, but also keep in mind that sugar helps the cookies spread so you may need to slightly flatten them if you do reduce the sugar.
I’ve just made hundreds of them for my colleagues as Christmas gift and they totally love it. Some even asked me for the recipe! These cookies are the most easiest and sweetiest to give away 🙂
– Natalie
So happy to hear that, Natalie!
East recipe and great tasting cookies! I recommend not using a hand mixer though, it gunked up pretty quick after adding the dry ingredients and it took me about 10 minutes to get all the cookie dough out of the mixers. lol
Hi from Australia, Danielle, would you please explain spooning and levelling? Also, baking soda: is it different to bicarbonate of soda and baking powder? Can’t wait to make these cookies with my 17yo son today while we have family staying with us. Oh, he’s also wondering if we can chop up some regular chocolate to add instead of the choc chips. Thank you so much and happy new year! Yanita 😃
I have a link in the recipe showing how to spoon and level the flour, here’s a link to that post: https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/how-to-measure-flour/. Also baking soda and bicarbonate of soda are the same thing and chopping up some chocolate would be fine to use in place of the chocolate chips. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
HI Danielle, Do you pack your brown sugar in this recipe?
Hi, Christie! I lightly pack the brown sugar.
Can I use splenda instead of regular sugar and if so what that change them too much?
I haven’t tried it yet, but I do think it would change the texture and taste of the cookies.
Hi I’m in my cookies are baking as I type the dough was easy to make I weighed mine to same size ocd suffer have to be the same size thanks for ‘recipe 😁😉
Hope you enjoyed the cookies, Kelly!
Hi,
I really like your recipe and it turns out to be really good too.
But when I have a bite and a little bit later, I feel the taste of saltiness and baking soda.
I am not sure exactly what it is but it tastes like both of them.
In this case, I wonder whether I could reduce the amount of salt and baking soda like half of the recipe?
Thanks.
Did you happen to use salted butter? You can reduce the salt down to 1/2 teaspoon, but I wouldn’t reduce the baking soda.
Hi Danielle,
Thanks for your reply.
I used unsalted butter. I will use less salt next time and let you know how it goes.
Thanks.
Hello Danielle I made a big batch of chocolate chip cookies last night. I went by every step followed it to a tee, but my cookies were heavy and a little hard. What d9 you think went wrong?
How long did you bake them? If they were hard it sounds like they may have been overbaked?