Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cakey chocolate chip cookies have a special place in our hearts. While some chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy and others are thin and crispy, these are fluffy. All our chocolate chip cookie recipes make delicious treats, but these are extra special. Because they have a higher proportion of flour than other chocolate chip cookies, they don't spread much when baked. The dough transforms into tender and light cookies that can be devoured in just a few bites. All that’s missing is a tall glass of cold milk.

What Makes These Chocolate Chip Cookies Cakey?

There are three main ingredients that, when their ratios are adjusted, are responsible for creating a cookie with a much more cakey texture, like this recipe. Those ingredients are butter, sugar, and flour. Sometimes cakey cookies also have a higher proportion of leavening agents, such as baking soda, baking powder, and eggs, but for the most part, it comes down to these three major ingredients.

Butter

Cakey cookies require less butter than a more traditional chocolate chip cookie. Aside from the flavor aspect, butter contributes a great deal to the overall texture of a cookie. Its fat and moisture affect the structure; less butter will make the cookies less dense and chewy, more light and fluffy.

Sugar

Sugar has two main functions in cookies—it adds sweetness and moisture. That moisture actually prevents the gluten from developing further, keeping the cookies nice and soft. This is also the reason why we don’t refrigerate or rest the cookie dough before baking—we don’t want any further gluten development to occur. 

Also, brown sugar contains molasses, which helps to create a chewy texture. This recipe uses both kinds of sugar, but there is much less brown sugar than granulated, which promotes a cake texture.

Flour

This recipe also has a higher proportion of flour when compared to the butter and sugar. In short, more flour means less spreading, so the cookies will be more cakey and less thin and crispy.

The Best Chocolate to Use for Cakey Cookies

Chocolate chips: If you are a traditionalist, chocolate chips are the way to go. This recipe calls for either semisweet or milk chocolate chips, but our favorite option is a combination of the two—it's a fun way to make these cookies unique. Throw in a handful of white chocolate chips if you’re up for it, as well. 

Chopped chocolate or chocolate chunks: Another option is chopped chocolate or chocolate chunks; both will work for this recipe. Since these cakey cookies spread less than either a soft and chewy or thin and crispy cookie, they are on the smaller side, so be sure to chop your chocolate accordingly. 

When choosing which chocolate to use, know that chopped chocolate will melt more than chocolate chips, which are specifically designed to hold their shape. Chips contain more lecithin than chocolate, and this emulsifying agent helps the chocolate chips to maintain their shape when heated.