This easy chocolate chip cookie recipe creates soft, thick and buttery cookies with perfectly crisp edges and soft chewy centers. With no chilling required, you will be enjoying a warm chocolate chip cookie in just 30 minutes. Get those glasses of milk ready!
The hunt is officially over! These quick and easy chocolate chip cookies are going to disappear as fast as you can make them, especially if you have little ones running around the kitchen like I do. This is my go-to classic chocolate chip cookie recipe for when the craving strikes, but I don’t have a lot of time and I want something better than refrigerated store-bought dough. Here’s what makes them so irresistible:
- Simple Ingredients: Made with 100% butter and a few pantry staple ingredients, these cookies are a classic with the perfect chocolate chip to cookie ratio.
- Soft & Chewy: A special stacked dough technique guarantees your cookies will be nice and thick with crispy edges and a soft chewy center.
- No Need To Chill: While you can refrigerate the dough first, which will allow the dough to absorb the flour and create thicker cookies, you definitely don’t need to! They still have a great texture when baked immediately after making the dough.
- Freezer Friendly: Make a double batch and freeze this cookie dough for freshly baked, warm chocolate chip cookies whenever the mood strikes!
Looking for something a little different? Try these variations of the classic: brown butter chocolate chip cookies, giant peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, or these gooey chocolate chip marshmallow cookies.
Key Ingredients
If you’re anything like me (an avid baker), there’s a pretty good chance you already have everything you need to make these cookies already in your kitchen. Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this recipe for easy chocolate chip cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Flour: To avoid adding too much flour and creating overly dense cookies, fluff your flour and then spoon the flour into your measuring cup, instead of dunking the cup into a bag of packed flour.
- Cornstarch: This is my not-so-secret ingredient that keeps the cookies so soft and chewy.
- Butter: Use softened, unsalted butter. If using salted butter, only add 1/4 teaspoon more salt.
- Sugar: A combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar creates the best sweetness. You can use all brown sugar if you prefer a deeper flavor.
- Chocolate Chips: You’ll need semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips. You can also use chocolate chunks for more chocolate flavor!
- Baking Soda: Make sure it’s not expired. Check the expiration date on the container – if it’s expired, it won’t be able to do what it needs to do.
Next time the craving for cookies strikes, you’re going to love just how easy this recipe really is! Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and to watch the step by step video!
- Dough: Whisk to combine the dry ingredients, set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, until the dough is just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Roll: Roll dough into balls and stack two of them vertically on top of each other. This will help them keep their soft, thick, and chewy centers! Continue with remaining dough, ensuring you leave enough space between for spreading.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake until the edges are set and cookies are lightly golden brown. Cookies will look slightly underdone in the middle, but will finish setting up as they cool!
- Cool: Let cookies rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Enjoy them warm, or transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Try not to eat them all in one sitting!
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Chef’s Tips and Tricks
- Don’t over bake: To ensure your cookies have a soft and chewy center, you want to remove them from the oven as soon as the edges are set and they are a nice light brown color. The center will continue to set up as they cool on the baking sheet. Leaving the cookies in longer, can lead to crunchy, crumbly cookies.
- Make them picture perfect: If looks matter to you, form the dough as shown and press a few chocolate chips directly on top. Immediately after baking, use a large biscuit cutter to swirl around the cookies edges. This will give them perfectly round and even edges.
- Make them extra soft: If you want your cookies to stay extra soft like bakery-style cookies from the grocery store, swap half of the butter for butter flavored shortening.
- Chill the dough: If you have the extra time, you can chill the chocolate chip cookie dough for up 48 hours before baking. This helps the flour to absorb and will create an even thicker cookie!
- Add salt: I love to sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top of the cookies right as they come out of the oven. It gives them the perfect sweet and salty balance!
- Add a crunch: Go nuts! Try peanuts, almonds, macadamias, pecans or hazelnuts to add texture. Or, mix in mini peanut butter cups, Reese’s pieces, M&M’s, toffee pieces, etc.
- Chip trifecta: Try white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or even peanut butter chips mixed in with your chocolate chips!
- Dried fruit: Mix in 1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries or cherries, chopped dried apricots or crystallized ginger.
- Brown the butter: One of my personal favorites! Follow my how to brown butter tutorial and let it cool completely and continue with the recipe as written.
Yield: 24 cookies
Who doesn't love a warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie, just out of the oven? This easy chocolate chip cookie recipe creates thick and buttery cookies with crispy edges and soft, chewy centers. With no chilling required, you will be enjoying a warm cookie in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract.
- Add dry ingredients, mixing until completely combined. Stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Roll two balls of dough (each ball consisting of 1 heaping tablespoon of dough) and stack them vertically on top of each other. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about two inches for spreading. Continue with remaining dough.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are just set and cookies are a light golden brown. The cookies will not look set in the center, but they will finish cooking while cooling on cookie sheet!
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes, for the centers to set. Serve warm, or transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before storing.
Notes
Store: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Store with a slice of bread to keep the cookies soft, replacing the bread as it becomes stale.
Freeze Cookies: For extra protection, wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Freeze Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls on a sheet pan for 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, place frozen dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Bake as directed, but add about 2 extra minutes to the bake time.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie, Calories: 179kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 101mg, Potassium: 68mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 219IU, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 1mg
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Good evening, does it has to be a stand up mixer?
No you can also use a hand mixer!
Ive been making these perfect for about a year. but recently, my dough sometimes turns out wet/unformed. i have to add more flour to make the dough form. i thought it was the butter as i changed brands. but it started happening consistently even with the original butter i used (kroger). im thinking it might besomething in my technique. would over-beating the butter/egg cause this? any suggestions would be appreciated.
That’s very strange and I don’t have an answer. I remade them tonight trying to think of what it might possibly be, but I can’t figure out what could be causing this issue. 🙁 So strange!
Omg I just made these again after having another batch fail. This time I used gold medal all purpose flour instead of the good and gather brand from target. They are back to being perfectly chewy and crispy!!!!! I didn’t know different flour reacts differently.
I’m so beyond happy right now (and so are my son and wifey)!!!!
Thanks for your wonderful recipe.
So glad you enjoyed them! Usually using a generic flour shouldn’t be an issue, but sometimes it can be. One thing to watch for is the amount of protein in your flour. Some all purpose flours will have a higher amount (or lower amount) of protein which can change how recipes come out. All purpose flour usually has around 10% to 12% protein. You want to make sure your all purpose flour is within that range!
I tried the peanut butter cookie recipe. It’s like you know my taste buds. Exemplary flavor and texture.
I want to try these chocolate chip because of the success of the other recipe, but I have a question. Can I use salted butter, or will it compromise the recipe. I usually do not have unsalted butter in my house.
Thanks for the recipes that have given me hope that I can bake now.
Yes you can use salted butter, skip any additional salt though!
Omg these are delicious, just right!!!!
OHMYGOODNESS! I made these cookies and they are fabulous. In the recipe, I put in half chocolate chips and half peanut butter chips and created a chocolate/peanut butter chip cookie that was the best cookie that I have ever tasted. I am now looking for an equally wonderful oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. This was the first recipe that I tried from your blog… needless to say, I have subscribed and will follow you!
I am a senior and I made your chocolate chip cookies, not only delicious, easy turned out so great looked just like a picture. Thank you
Made these tonight and they are seriously SO GOOD!! My husband said they might be his favorite ever. Thank you!
These are the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever!
I made them for our SuperBowl party – now I have to hide them!!
They are nice and soft and a little chewy – so yummy.
Thank you for this recipe.
Just finished baking these. Best. Cookies. Ever.
Can you use salted butter instead of unsalted butter and is it the same measurement of butter and not use the salt?
Yes, that should work out just fine! And yes, it would sill be the same amount of butter used.
I started making these cookies my sophomore year of college… Five years later and my college roommates STILL ask for them when we reunite. As far as I’m concerned, these cookies are LEGENDARY.
That’s awesome – love hearing that!! Thanks for taking the time to share Holly! 🙂
Whoops.. it’s only been 4 years. Either way, these cookies are amazing!
I’ll try it! 🙂
These were moist but had too strong of a butter taste. Not my cup of tea. So if you like more a butter taste in your cookie these are perfect for you
Phenomenal . Kids loved them. Gone as quickly as they cool . Thanks for the recipe.
So far the dough is AH-mazing! Who needs to bake them when they taste this good straight out of the bowl. 7 more minutes, tick-tock, tick-tock. I can’t wait to try them! Thanks for sharing! I never would have thought of adding corn starch.
I wondered when I saw the photo if these had cornstarch in them. I think I’ve made a cookie or two with that in them, and there’s something about it’s look I can tell. Anyway, they look delicious!!
Made these last night and have never had a better chocolate chip cookie (and I’ve eaten numerous…). This is our new official (and lifelong) chocolate chip cookie recipe. Thanks!
I’m obsessed with these. I made them last night and they are so good!! The perfect ccc in my opinion.
I made these last night and my husband and I loved them! I love how big they are but I think next time I’ll make a double batch so we got more 🙂 My husband can never have too many chocolate chip cookies waiting for him in the kitchen. I love how soft these are — soft but not too soft that they are falling apart. Great recipe, all of your trial and errors were worth it!! Thanks for sharing.
I’m going to try these in just a few minutes, but I saw that you had posted that someone else beat you to making this recipe and that is just fine being as how we found you first and that’s all that really matters anyway isn’t it. YES it is 🙂