Everybody’s got an opinion on what makes the “best” chocolate chip cookie, so let’s just say this one checks every box – crisp, golden edges, a soft and chewy center, and enough chocolate in every bite that you’re never digging around looking for it. No chilling the dough, no fancy technique, just a straightforward mix-and-bake that comes together in about half an hour. This is the recipe to keep in your back pocket for whenever a cookie craving hits.
Tips for the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
The single biggest thing that separates a good chocolate chip cookie from a great one is pulling them out of the oven a little early. Once the edges just barely start to turn golden, they’re done – the centers will look slightly underbaked, but they firm up as the cookies cool on the hot pan. Leave them in until they look fully baked in the oven and you’ll end up with a drier, crunchier cookie instead of that soft, chewy texture. Also, don’t skip letting them rest on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before moving them – they’re too soft to transfer straight out of the oven.
Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined – don’t overmix, or the cookies will turn out tougher than you want.
- Fold in the chocolate chips until they’re evenly distributed through the dough.
- Scoop the dough into balls of about 3 tablespoons each and place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving room to spread.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, pulling them out as soon as they barely begin to turn golden at the edges. They’ll look a little underdone in the center – that’s exactly what keeps them soft and chewy once they finish setting up.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Notes
This dough is a great one to keep stashed in the freezer – scoop it into balls, freeze them on a tray, then bag them up so you’ve always got fresh cookies a few minutes away. Bake straight from frozen and just add a minute or two to the time. However you make them, they never last long around here.
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