Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (With Video)

Prep Time:

25 mins

Cook Time:

35 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs

Servings:

24

What makes this our ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe? Where to begin? Their giant size makes them extra indulgent, and the crispy edges and chewy centers will please all types of cookie lovers. Plus, they’re loaded with two kinds of chocolate—milk chocolate chips for that classic cookie flavor and chopped semisweet chocolate for added depth. Using two types of sugar is also key: White sugar is creamed with butter to aerate the dough and aid with crispiness, while brown sugar reacts with the baking soda, and contributes added chewiness. This recipe requires at least an hour of chilling time, but one taste and we think you’ll agree: Good things are worth the wait.

Chocolate chip cookies arranged on a plate — Credit:
Carson Downing

Key Ingredients:

Flour: While we love cookies made with buckwheat flour or, in the case of Jacques Torres's secret cookies, a mixture of pastry flour and bread flour, these cookies lean on standard all-purpose flour. To get an accurate measurement, spoon the flour into your measuring cup before leveling off the top, rather than scooping the cup into the bag or container.

Butter: Using room temperature butter will speed up the creaming process. Let it sit on your counter for about 30 minutes to let it soften. If you're short on time, cut it into pieces first; it'll soften more quickly that way.

Sugar: A mixture of white sugar and light brown sugar gives these cookies their crispy-yet-chewy texture. Don't be tempted to use all white or all brown sugar. If you're out of brown sugar but have molasses on hand, you can make it yourself using this quick recipe.

Chocolate: Using two types of chocolate makes for a greater depth of flavor. You can use chunks in place of chips or chips instead of chunks, if you prefer.

Leaveners: Baking powder, baking soda, and eggs are responsible for leavening this dough. While the baking powder and eggs react with heat, baking soda requires an acidic ingredient—in this case, it's the molasses in the brown sugar.

Salt: Not only does salt counter the sweetness in the dough, it also helps to enhance all of the other flavors. If using fine salt instead, be sure to only use one teaspoon.

3 Tips for Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Use a mixer: Creaming the butter and sugars with an electric mixer aerates the dough, making for a light and tender—not heavy and dense—cookie. Be sure to use medium-high speed and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, which should take about six minutes.

Chill the dough: Refrigerating the dough before baking both allows time for the flour to become hydrated and firms up the butter, keeping the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.

Give them space: These cookies are quite large—1/4 cup of dough each! To keep them from spreading into one another, we recommend baking only six cookies per sheet. Keep the rest of the dough in the fridge until you're ready for the next batch.

How to Make the Cookies Ahead

This cookie dough can be refrigerated, well wrapped, on baking sheets for up to 2 days before baking. You can also freeze the chilled and portioned dough in a freezer bag for up to 3 months before baking; add a few additional minutes to the baking time.

Directions

Ingredients for making chocolate chip cookies arranged on a surface including flour sugar eggs butter chocolate chips and vanilla extract — Credit:
Carson Downing

Whisk dry ingredients:

In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Credit:
Carson Downing
Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla, then flour mixture:

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high until light and fluffy, 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Mix in flour mixture just until incorporated; fold in chocolate chips and chunks.

Credit:
Carson Downing

Credit:
Carson Downing
Divide dough; chill 1 hour:

Using a 1/4-cup ice-cream scoop or a large spoon, drop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (you should have 24) and refrigerate 1 hour.
Heat oven; bake half of dough:

Preheat oven to 350°F, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Arrange 6 unbaked cookies, 3 inches apart, on each of two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until edges are light golden brown, 17 to 18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.

Credit:
Carson Downing

Credit:
Carson Downing
Let cool; bake remaining dough:

Let cookies cool 3 to 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack. Replace parchment paper before baking remaining dough.

How to Store Baked Cookies

Let cookies cool completely, then place them in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 5 days. (A well-fitting lid is key to fresh-tasting cookies, so be sure it's on nice and tight.)