The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (2024)

These are THE BEST soft chocolate chip cookies! No chilling required. Just ultra thick, soft, classic chocolate chip cookies!

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These are the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever! I make them and they don’t last a day! Delicious!! ❤️ My fave chocolate chip recipe!! ❤️

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These cookies are soft, thick, bricks of chocolate chunks andbutterydough baked into a heavy, milk-loving cookie that is my most favorite chocolate chip cookie of all time. ♡

Wait, though. They are singing a love songto you: BAKE ME.

BAKE ME IN YOUR OVEN RIGHT NOW.

In This Post: Everything You Need For Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • VIDEO for How To Make The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • What Makes These Chocolate Chip Cookies The Best
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies: Frequently Asked Questions
  • Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Troubleshooting
  • Favorite Things To Make the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

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What Makes These Chocolate Chip Cookies The Best

So where were we? I think we were about to count the number of cookies I’ve eaten as I’ve refined this recipe, which isapproximately$&@^!# (censored).

I’ve always loved that old Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, but I’ve always kind of been annoyed about it, too. Like why does itneed to melt only half of the butter? Does it really not work to melt ALL of it? And why does it need thespoonful of brown sugar? Or does it? Sheesh, how annoying is the person who wrote that recipe anyway? *WOOPS*

Now for the good news!

I replicated the ULTRA THICK, ULTRA SOFT texture (it called for bold, right?) and maybe even improved the flavor with this version that is similar, but way easier and more sensible than the original.

And by sensible, I mean… just… like, lazy sensible, okay? I don’t mean THAT kind of sensible. You mightneed to startlooking for another blog if you need your cookies to be sensible.

There is nothing sensible about this beautiful sugar and butter perfection.

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How To Make The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

What I love about this recipe is that it’s so easy, and can become your “house chocolate chip cookie recipe” that you pull out on a whim, on a weeknight, that will make everyone around you happy.

Here’s the basics on how they come together:

  1. Melt Your Butter: No guessing on the right consistency of butter (room temp? cold? chilled?) – you’re just going to melt it all the way through in the microwave and let it cool for just a few minutes.
  2. Beat Butter and Sugars: Get it nice and fluffy and creamy.
  3. Add Egg and Vanilla: Mix it just barely in (seriously, don’t beat that egg too hard!).
  4. Mix In Dry Ingredients: Flour, baking soda, salt, the usual suspects.
  5. Add Chocolate Chips: Duh!
  6. Bake Cookies: Roll ’em up into balls and bake – but please, please, do not overbake. We want them to be just barely done for that soft melty deliciousness.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my cookies flatten?

The three most important things about this recipe are 1) Melting the butter, 2) Adding enough flour, and 3) Not baking for too long. If you find that the dough is wet and it REALLY sticks to your hands, you probably need more flour. I’ll usually add a few tablespoons at a time to get it to the right consistency. See the video in this post for reference as well as the cookie chart below!

Why are my cookies so puffy?

This usually means that there’s too much flour in the dough, keeping them from spreading more. Be sure to always measure your flour correctly (spooning it in to the measuring cup vs. scooping from the bag). Since you can always add more, it’s important to not over-flour to start with. See the video in this post for reference on the correct consistency!

Can I freeze chocolate chip cookie dough?

Yes! Roll them up into balls, freeze them on a sheet pan, and then keep them in a bag in the freezer until ready to bake. We’d recommend letting them thaw on a sheet pan (covered) before baking.

Can I make these gluten-free?

We’ve never tried it with this recipe, but I’m sure you could! If you have a favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour, that’s probably your best bet. We’d love to hear how it goes.

How should I store the cookies after baking?

The cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, or in the fridge for a week. We like the fridge method to keep them fresh! These are our personal favorite glass storage containers!*

Does this recipe work for high-altitude baking?

Yes! Remember that when baking at a high altitude some baked goods will leaven and flatten more quickly. If you’re baking at 3,000+ ft elevation, we recommend increasing your oven temp to 375 degrees and reducing bake time by a few minutes. For more information on high-altitude baking, we love this resource.

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The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (10)

Favorite Things To Make The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Troubleshooting

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From our recipe tester:If you’re running into issues with your cookies, you can reference the examples above to help find out what may have gone wrong. One of the keys to achieving the perfect cookie is to ensure the correct amount of flour is used.

Ideally, the flour should be weighed. We like a simpledigital kitchen scale* for ease. In testing, we found that 6.75 ounces of flour was the correct amount. Without a food scale, don’t pack the flour into measuring cups and always level the flour off.

We’re always trying to eat a little better around here. Right? Maybe.

But there is one thing that I love more than anything in the world – yep – going there, and that is a really good, thick, soft, chocolate chip cookie with a glass of milk.

Today, tonight, whenever it is, if you’re going to eat a cookie, please make it count.

Please make it a soft, hugely huge and always soft, and buttery and chocolate chippy and perfectly soft (did I already say that?)chocolate chip cookie that will take your life to the next level.

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The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (16)

The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

4.6 from 1723 reviews
  • Author: Pinch of Yum
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 12 cookies 1x
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Description

These are THE BEST soft chocolate chip cookies! No chilling required. Just ultra thick, soft, classic chocolate chip cookies!

Ingredients

Units Scale

  • 8 tablespoons of salted butter
  • 1/2 cup white sugar (I like to use raw cane sugar with a coarser texture)
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (6.75 ounces)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (but I always add a little extra)
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips (I use a combination of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Microwave the butter for about 40 seconds to just barely melt it. It shouldn’t be hot – but it should be almost entirely in liquid form.

  2. Using a stand mixer or electric beaters, beat the butter with the sugars until creamy. Add the vanilla and the egg; beat on low speed until just incorporated – 10-15 seconds or so (if you beat the egg for too long, the cookies will be stiff).

  3. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until crumbles form. Use your hands to press the crumbles together into a dough. It should form one large ball that is easy to handle (right at the stage between “wet” dough and “dry” dough). Add the chocolate chips and incorporate with your hands.

  4. Roll the dough into 12 large balls (or 9 for HUGELY awesome cookies) and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cookies look puffy and dry and just barely golden. Warning, friends: DO NOT OVERBAKE. This advice is probably written on every cookie recipe everywhere, but this is essential for keeping the cookies soft. Take them out even if they look like they’re not done yet (see picture in the post). They’ll be pale and puffy.

  5. Let them cool on the pan for a good 30 minutes or so (I mean, okay, eat four or five but then let the rest of them cool). They will sink down and turn into these dense, buttery, soft cookies that are the best in all the land. These should stay soft for many days if kept in an airtight container. I also like to freeze them.

Equipment

The equipment section may contain affiliate links to products we know and love.

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: chocolate chip cookies, best chocolate chip cookies, soft chocolate chip cookies, easy cookie recipe, small batch cookies

Other Favorite Chocolate Recipes:

  • Deep Dish Cookie Bowls For Two
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars
  • The Best Easy Peanut Butter Pie
  • Salted Caramel Brownies
  • Blackout Chocolate Cake

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One More Thing!

This recipe is part of our collection of easy dessert recipes. Check it out!

The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to making soft cookies? ›

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

What is the secret to keeping chocolate chip cookies soft? ›

Keep Them Sealed

The key to keeping cookies fresh and soft is to seal them in an airtight container, like a resealable freezer bag. And here's a nifty little trick: add a piece of bread to the bag.

How do you make cookies soft and chewy vs hard and crisp? ›

Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key! White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies.

What ingredient makes cookies stay soft? ›

Corn Syrup (Light)

Light corn syrup is sometimes used in specialist cakes and confectioneries to help keep baked products soft and doughy for longer. Use just a tablespoon for a regular batch of tasty cookies.

What makes cookies fluffy and soft? ›

What Makes Cookies Soft?
  1. Brown sugar, as it has a high moisture content and retains moisture better than white sugar. ...
  2. Shortening instead of butter or in addition to butter. ...
  3. Baking powder instead of baking soda. ...
  4. Eggs, particularly egg yolks. ...
  5. Cake flour instead of all-purpose flour.
Oct 5, 2020

What ingredient makes a cookie chewy? ›

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.

Why do my cookies get hard right after I bake them? ›

Cookies become hard when the moisture in them evaporates. This can be caused by leaving them out in the air for too long, baking them for too long, or storing them improperly. The lack of moisture makes the cookies hard and dry, which makes them difficult to enjoy.

What is the best way to soften chocolate chip cookies? ›

Just wrap a cookie or two in a damp paper towel and then put them in the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds. The moisture from the paper towel should soften the cookies right up. So if you wonder how to soften hard cookies quickly? Microwave is the way!

What does extra butter do to cookies? ›

Want to know what makes chocolate chip cookies even better? More butter, of course! The extra butter in these cookies makes them super tender. Everyone will wonder about your “secret ingredient,” but only you'll know the reason for the popularity of your easy chocolate chip cookies.

Is oil or butter better for soft cookies? ›

That said, if you like your cookies soft and fluffy, using butter might provide you with better results. Another difference is how butter and oil affect the cookie taste.

What happens if you put too much butter in chocolate chip cookies? ›

Butter is an emulsifier and it makes cookies tender. It also adds in the crispy-around-the-edges element. Adding too much butter can cause the cookies to be flat and greasy. Adding too little butter can cause the cookies to be tough and crumbly.

How to get softer cookies? ›

How to Make Soft Cookies
  1. Cream your butter and sugar well.
  2. Choose a low-protein flour.
  3. Don't overmix your dough.
  4. Chill your dough.
  5. Use a higher ratio of white to brown sugar.
  6. Don't chill your dough.
  7. Smash your dough and bang the pan.
Feb 19, 2021

What does adding eggs to cookie dough do? ›

Egg yolks also help to keep all of the ingredients together, so, with cookies, they're needed to achieve the right consistency of the dough. And egg whites can help get the cookies to a fluffy end result. Using whole eggs will result in a cookie that has a cake-like texture with a rich flavor.

Does brown sugar make cookies softer? ›

How Sugars Behave in Dough. In recipes that involve baking soda, the primary role of acidic brown sugar is to react with sodium bicarbonate and produce carbon dioxide, making cookies thick, puffy, and soft (cakey at first, then crunchy if they continue to bake).

What is the trick to soften hard cookies? ›

The easiest way to soften cookies with bread is to place the cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread and leave them for a few hours. The bread will release moisture and help to rehydrate the cookies, making them soft and chewy once again.

What makes some cookies soft and others hard? ›

It's all about moisture. To keep it simple, cookie recipes that contain a lot of butter, brown sugar or egg yolks are going to yield soft and chewy cookies, because those ingredients add moisture and retain it for a longer amount of time.

Does baking soda make cookies softer or harder? ›

Baking soda is generally about three times stronger than baking powder, so adjust your recipe accordingly. Baking soda and baking powder can produce cookies with different textures. Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies.

How to make cookies fluffy instead of flat? ›

We get that you're anxious, but if you want fluffy cookies, you seriously need to chill… the dough. Why? Because of that whole issue with butter melting prematurely. Refrigerate your batter for at least 10 minutes before scooping it onto a baking sheet.

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