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Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe yields a  soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie with the perfect ratio of vanilla to chocolate flavor. This is my family’s favorite recipe!

chocolate chip cookie recipe photo

These are the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been testing and tweaking this recipe for the past YEAR. I am happy to report it is finally absolutely perfect. From the sweet & salty ratio, to the soft and goey insides, to how perfectly they spread, not too thin, not too thick. 

I’m telling you, these are them. The PERFECT chocolate chip cookie. 

I won’t lie, it’s not that I’ve been sad about making and eating literally dozens of slightly varied version of this recipe, but I am so happy it is perfected so that YOU can finally make them! 

Ps. if you are looking for more Cookie Recipes, I’ve got your back! Try the monster cookies. They won’t disappoint!

chocolate chip cookie recipe broken in half, being held

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients

  • Butter: We are going to use salted butter in this recipe, if you only have unsalted on hand, make sure to add an extra pinch of salt to balance out the recipe. 
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Brown Sugar: I use light brown sugar, and make sure to pack it when you are measuring!!
  • Egg
  • Vanilla: The star of the show!! Yes, really use all of the vanilla that the recipe calls for. 😉 trust me. 
  • Flour:  Just good ‘ol All Purpose Flour.
  • Baking Soda
  • Salt
  • Your Favorite Chocolate Chips: You could also do other mix-ins, like m&m’s, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips etc. 

How to Make Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

  1. Preheat your oven to 350° and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. In a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture.
  3. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix to incorporate.
  4. Next, add in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt), mixing until completely combined. The dough should be soft and pliable.
  5. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.
  6. Portion your dough out into equal-sized balls using a cookie scoop or a spoon. Feel free to add extra chocolate chips to the top, if desired.
  7. For smaller cookies, bake at 350° for 7-9 minutes or until the edges are starting to turn golden brown. For large cookies, use ¼ cup of dough and bake for 12-15 minutes.
  8. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan & enjoy!

How Long to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies?

The key to soft chocolate chip cookies is to not overbake them! Bake small cookies for 7-9 minutes and larger cookies for 12-15. Watch closely and remove from the oven when the edges start to turn golden and the tops no longer look glossy – they should be slightly underdone. Allow the cookies to continue to bake on the pan while they cool.

chocolate chip cookie dough batter, chocolate chips being folded in

Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Variations & Substitutions

First, all of my recipes can be made with a gluten-free 1:1 flour substitute. I love the Bob’s Red Mill’s brand.

If you like a more robust chocolate chip cookie, you can add in chopped nuts or various types of chocolate chip to really amp up the flavor of your cookies! A mix of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips is my very favorite.

Tips on how to make the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are a few tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way to finalizing this recipe that will help yours be successful. 

  • Definitely preheat your oven before you start making your dough! Don’t put your cookies into the oven until it has fully preheated, tossing them into the oven too early can cause undercooked insides and over baked outsides.
  • Use all the vanilla. I know I said it earlier, but for real. Use it. 
  • Use a metal cookie scoop to portion out equal cookies so they are uniform. If you want larger cookies, scoop twice. 🙂
  • Make sure you leave plenty of spread room for these cookies. They spread the perfect amount, they aren’t too thick, and not too thin. 
  • Don’t over bake! Pull them out of the oven before the edges start turning brown. As soon as the centers of the cookie are no longer glossy, that is your cue to pull them out!
  • Allow them to cool completely on the pan. The pan is hot, so the cookies will continue to bake for a few minutes as they sit on the hot pan. 
large chocolate chip cookie dough balls before going in the oven

Simple Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe FAQs

Why are my chocolate chip cookies hard?

If you overbaked your cookies, you will notice that they become crispy, brittle and hard. When your cookies are pulled from the oven they may appear unfinished in the centers, but as they cool on the pan, the cookie will set and finish cooking.

How do you keep chocolate chip cookies soft?

Keeping your cooled chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container or a zipper topped bag is a great way to slow down the cookie hardening process and keep your cookies softer for longer. 

Why are my chocolate chip cookies flat?

Flat cookies are the worst & may be the result of a lot of different things (I have a whole cookie troubleshooting guide you can check out, if desired!) For these cookies, make sure you aren’t over-mixing the dough, overbaking, or using expired ingredients – the freshness of your baking soda really impacts the rise & fluffiness of your dough!

How do you make cookies moist?

Okay, sorry for using the word moist! But if you’re looking for a chewy & tender chocolate chip cookie, make sure you under-bake your cookies slightly so they retain moisture and don’t dry out! Then, once your cookies are cooled, ensure you store them in an airtight container (you can even throw in a slice of bread if you want your cookies to stay really soft!)

chocolate chip cookie recipe

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe storage

They will stay fresh in an air tight container for up to 4 days at room temperature. If you want them to last longer than that, I suggest freezing the cookies. 

Can you freeze chocolate chip cookies?

Yes. To freeze, place on a cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes, then place all of the cookies into a freezer zip top bag and store in the freezer. This will help the cookies not to stick to each other. 

Pull the cookies out as needed and allow them to come to room temperature for 30 minutes prior to eating.

pin image for chocolate chip cookie recipe

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4.88 from 8 votes

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe yields a  soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie with the perfect ratio of vanilla to chocolate flavor. This is my family's favorite recipe!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients 

  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup favorite chocolate chips

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.
  • Add the egg and vanilla. Mix until light in color and creamy.
  • Add in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and salt), mix into the dough. Mix until completely combined. The dough will be soft.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips.Scoop or roll the cookie dough out into equal sized balls. Arrange on a cookie sheet. Add extra chocolate chips to the top if desired
  • For smaller cookies, bake at 350° for 7-9 minutes or until the edges are starting to turn golden brown. For large cookies, use 1/4 cup of dough and bake for 12-15 minutes.
  • Allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 187IU | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Karli Bitner

This blog is a little glimpse into my kitchen, family & life. I hope you’ll giggle the days away with me and enjoy the craziness that goes on at my house. If you are Cookie obsessed like I am, check out my Sister Site, Cookies for Days.

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Recipe Rating




9 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made these today did half milk chocolate and half peanut butter chips, they are soooooo good! I think the vanilla really ramps up the flavor.

  2. Thats a great idea Michelle! You can’t go wrong with milk chocolate and peanut butter. Thanks for the comment.

  3. 5 stars
    Perfect cookies! My three favorite things in chocolate chip cookies are butter, brown sugar and especially vanilla. She has the ratio perfect! This is the first time I have not added extra vanilla to a recipe and I was not disappointed. I only wish I would have doubled the batch.

  4. I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Sarah! I am also a vanilla girl, makes the world a better place. 😉 Thanks for the comment!

  5. 5 stars
    Perfect! I used my 1/4 cup scoop and loved how they turned out. Great initial crunch with a soft center. Perfect snow day cookies!

  6. 4 stars
    Not sure why but my cookies didn’t spread at all they stayed in there cookie scoop scoop shape they were still good but wish I knew what I did wrong

  7. 5 stars
    I made these today for a birthday and added 1/2 cup peanut butter chips and a heavy sprinkle of Heath pieces! Super good! I hope they stay around long enough for the birthday boy to come home. I’ve already eaten three hahah
    Thanks for the recipe!