With 30 million page views and counting since 2013, these super soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are the most popular cookie recipe on my website. Melted butter, more brown sugar than white sugar, cornstarch, and an extra egg yolk guarantee the absolute chewiest chocolate chip cookie texture. And you don’t even need a mixer!
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips. This recipe is such a fan (and personal) favorite that I included it in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
One reader, Adrienne, commented: “These are the best cookies I’ve ever had. Incredible. Don’t cut corners or you’ll miss out. Do everything she says and you’re in for the best cookies of your life. ★★★★★“
There are thousands of chocolate chip cookies recipes out there. Everyone has their favorite and this one is mine. Just a glance at the hundreds of reviews in the comments section tells me that this recipe is a favorite for many others too! In fact, if you asked me which recipe to keep in your apron pocket, my answer would be this one. (In addition to a classic cut-out sugar cookies and flaky pie crust, of course!) Just read the comments on a post in our Facebook group. These cookies are beloved… and, a warning: they disappear FAST.
Why Are These My BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies?
- The chewiest of chewy and the softest of soft.
- Extra thick just like my favorite peanut butter cookies!
- Bakery-style BIG.
- Exploding with chocolate.
I’ve tested this cookie recipe over and over again to make sure they’re absolutely perfect. I still have a big space in my heart (and stomach) for these soft chocolate chip cookies. Today’s recipe is similar, but I increased the chewiness factor.
One reader, A.Phillips, commented: “Look no further. This is it. This is the perfect cookie recipe. Follow her instructions exactly and the cookies will be chewy and amazing. … These are the most perfect cookies I’ve made and I’ve tried at least 20 different recipes. ★★★★★“
You can make them with chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
Key Ingredients for Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
The cookie dough is made from your standard cookie ingredients: flour, leavener, salt, sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. It’s the ratios and temperature of those ingredients that make this recipe stand out from the rest.
- Melted butter: Melted butter produces the chewiest cookies. It can, however, make your baked cookies greasy, so I made sure there is enough flour to counteract that. And using melted butter is also the reason you don’t need a mixer to make these cookies, just like these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin crumb cake cookies, and M&M cookie bars.
- More brown sugar than white sugar: More brown sugar than white sugar: The moisture in brown sugar promises an extra soft and chewy baked cookie. White granulated sugar is still necessary, though. It’s dry and helps the cookies spread. A little bit of spread is a good thing.
- Cornstarch: Why? 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. The extra egg yolk adds richness, soft tenderness, and binds the dough. You will need 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature, just like in these brown butter marshmallow crispy cookies. See the recipe Notes for how to bring your eggs to room temperature quickly.
The dough will be soft and the chocolate chips may not stick because of the melted butter. Just keep stirring it; I promise it will come together. Because of the melted butter and extra egg yolk, the slick dough doesn’t even look like normal cookie dough! Trust the process…
The most important step is next.
2 Major Success Tips
1. Chill the dough. Chilling the cookie dough is so important in this recipe! Unless you want the cookies to spread into a massive cookie puddle, chilling the dough is mandatory here. It allows the ingredients to settle together after the mixing stage but most importantly: cold dough results in thicker cookies. Cover the cookie dough and chill for at least 2–3 hours or up to 3 days. I usually chill it overnight.
(No time to chill? Make these soft & chewy chocolate chip cookie bars, giant chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookie cake, or crispy chocolate chip cookie bark instead!)
- Further reading: How to Prevent Cookies from Spreading
2. Roll the cookie dough balls extra tall. After the dough has chilled, scoop out a ball of dough that’s 3 Tablespoons for XL cookies or about 2 heaping Tablespoons (1.75 ounces or 50g) for medium-large cookies. I usually use this medium cookie scoop and make it a heaping scoop. But making the cookie dough balls tall and textured, rather than wide and smooth, is my tried-and-true trick that results in thick and textured-looking cookies. We’re talking thick bakery-style cookies with wrinkly, textured tops. Your cookie dough should look less like balls and more like, well, lumpy columns, LOL.
Watch the video below to see how I shape them. I also demonstrate how I use a spoon to reshape them during baking if I see they’re spreading too much.
Because of the melted butter in this dough, the dough is very soft and a little greasy before chilling, so it’s harder to shape the cookie dough balls. We recommend chilling first, then shaping. If after chilling the dough is very hard and difficult to scoop, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and then try again.
We typically do not recommend jumping right to the freezer without chilling the dough first. A quick freeze like that can cause the dough to chill unevenly and then spread unevenly during the baking process. For best results, we recommend following the recipe as written. If you don’t have time to wait for the dough to chill, try this recipe for 6 giant chocolate chip cookies instead, which doesn’t require dough chilling (see recipe Notes in that post for details on using the dough to make 24 regular-size cookies).
Tools I Recommend for This Recipe
I’ve tested many baking tools and these are the exact products I use, trust, and recommend to readers. You’ll need most of these tools when making sugar cookies and snickerdoodles, too!
- Baking Sheets
- Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets
- Medium Cookie Scoop
- Cooling Racks
- See More: Best Cookie Baking Tools and 8 Best Baking Pans
Can I Freeze This Cookie Dough?
Yes, absolutely. After chilling, sometimes I roll the cookie dough into balls and freeze them in a large zipped-top bag. Then I bake them straight from the freezer, keeping them in the oven for an extra minute. This way you can bake just a couple of cookies whenever the craving hits. (The chewy chocolate chip cookie craving is a hard one to ignore.)
If you’re curious about freezing cookie dough, here’s my How to Freeze Cookie Dough page (with video tutorial).
Facebook member, Leigh, commented: “These are the only CC cookies I’ve made for years (and this recipe is how I came to be such a fan of SBA!) This recipe worked great when I lived in Denver and had issues with baking at altitude, and it’s still our favorite now that we’re back at sea level. I usually make 4x-6x batches and freeze tons of cookie balls to bake later.“
In Short, Here Are the Secrets to Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies.
- Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie.
- An extra egg yolk increases chewiness.
- Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness. It’s a trick we use for cake batter chocolate chip cookies, too.
- Using melted butter (and slightly more flour to counteract the liquid) increases chewiness.
- Chilling the dough results in a thicker cookie. Almost as thick as peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or their gluten-free counterparts, flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies 🙂
Q: Have you baked a batch before?
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 XL cookies or 20 medium/large cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These super soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are the most popular cookie recipe on my website for good reason. Melted butter, more brown sugar than white sugar, cornstarch, and an extra egg yolk guarantee the absolute chewiest chocolate chip cookie texture. The cookie dough is slick and requires chilling prior to shaping the cookies. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (170g/12 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted & cooled for 5 minutes
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no lumps remain. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk until combined, then whisk in the vanilla extract. The mixture will be thin. Pour into dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or spatula. The dough will be very soft, thick, and shiny. Fold in the chocolate chips. The chocolate chips may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine them.
- Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. I highly recommend chilling the cookie dough overnight to prevent overspreading.
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If the dough has chilled for longer than 2 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
- Using a cookie scoop or Tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop the chilled cookie dough, about 3 scant Tablespoons (about 2 ounces, or 60g) of dough for XL cookies or 2 heaping Tablespoons (about 1.75 ounces, or 50g) of dough for medium-large cookies. Roll into a ball, then use your fingers to shape the cookie dough so that it’s taller rather than wide—almost like a cylinder. This helps the cookies bake up thicker. Repeat with remaining dough. Arrange the cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 13–14 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. The centers will look very soft, but the cookies will continue to set as they cool. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the tops—this is optional and only for looks!
- Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature, then continue with step 5. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Rubber Spatula | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Cornstarch: If you don’t have cornstarch, you can leave it out. The cookies are still very soft.
- Egg & Egg Yolk: Room-temperature egg + egg yolk are best. Typically, if a recipe calls for room-temperature or melted butter, it’s good practice to use room-temperature eggs as well. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, simply place the whole eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Can I add nuts or different add-ins? Yes, absolutely. As long as the total amount of add-ins is around 1 to 1 and 1/4 cups, you can add anything including chopped nuts, M&Ms, white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, chopped peanut butter cups, etc. I love them with 3/4 cup (135g) butterscotch morsels and 1/2 cup (100g) Reese’s Pieces. You could even add 1/2 cup (80g) sprinkles to make a sprinkle chocolate chip cookie.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking success tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
definetly a fail, totalls sticky and just melt away in the oven 5/10 for the tase tho
You def made these wrong. They are literally the best cookies I have ever eaten…
Wish you could’ve tasted mine 😀
I’d encourage you to try again because when they turn out right it is SO worth it 😛
I have been eating and trying choc chip recipes for 50 plus years and I believe this one takes the cake(cookie). Superb have to send it to family–I cant ever remember eating one(several–like 6) better than these. And adding cornstarch is totally new I did add cocunut–I prefer mine with some kind of nuts in it. Dont hesitate to bake and enjoy theses–12 outa 10 stars
Very tasty!
Funnily, I always try to get flat cookies (cause I like em that way) and they only ever come out thick and chewy. This time I followed all the steps to avoid spreading, and get the perfect flat and yet gooey cookie 😀 added a teaspoon of fresh rosemary when melting the butter – pure magic!
Thanks Sally!
Thank you for another incredible recipe! These are delicious!! Question though: we wanted to double these to share with friends and they did not turn out well. Seems extra oily so much so that it was more difficult to form the dough balls. I’m guessing it’s because of the butter. Do we not double the butter when doubling the recipe?
Hi Betty, so glad these were a hit! It sounds like your butter in the double batch may have been too warm. Here’s more about what room temperature butter really means. You do indeed want to double each ingredient, including the butter, for a double batch — but if you find it hard to mix up the double batch, you might find it easier to make the batches separately. Hope this helps for next time!
Hi Sally! You may be right!! I melted butter and let cool per the recipe so butter was definitely hotter than room temperature! But…I did refrigerate the dough after for several hours as the recipe states. I used the exact same process for the double batch as the traditional recipe but the double batch never got a chance to rise. they started as squishy balls and turned into a puddled mess. I will try again with room temperature butter and report back! So to confirm all ingredients should be exactly double including butter and baking soda, correct? These cookies have become our favorite go-to cookie recipe but would love to find a way to make more at once 🙂
Hi Sally, I just made these cookies with the kids, MY OH MY!! did they come out good,, it was soft and chewy!!! I followed the recipe exactly, except I realized I didn’t have butter, so I used margarine instead and it tasted great! Thanks for the great recipe!!
We absolutely love these cookies! They are a huge hit in my family!! We are wondering, if you have a soft peanut butter and chocolate chip recipe.
Hi Dee, readers (and my team and I!) love this peanut butter chunk cookie recipe. Feel free to leave out the peanuts.
Is there anyway to incorporate some peanut butter into this recipe?
Hi G, peanut butter dries dough out so it’s best to use a recipe formulated for its addition. We recommend our peanut butter chunk cookies.
These cookies are a huge hit In Our house! I always double the recipe and always have some on hand In the freezer ready to bake. My kids friends love them and there is nothing better then home baked cookies especially if you have unexpected guests or kids friends over!
Look no further. This is it. This is the perfect cookie recipe. Follow her instructions exactly and the cookies will be chewy and amazing. The first batch wasn’t perfect but attribute that to my oven. Mine had to cook 13 – 14 minutes. The tops will be shiny…glisten. Once the glisten fades to a matte-like finish, they are done. These are the most perfect cookies I’ve made and I’ve tried at least 20 different recipes.
I forgot to leave a 5-star rating under my last comment!!!
DEEEELISHHHHH!!! I absolutely love these cookies! Perfectly soft, chewy, a little crispy on the edges, and delightfully doughy! I love that you can just keep the dough in the fridge, and then bake cookies when you want them, for the ULTIMATE warm, and amazing cookie experience! Also, this recipe halves very well!
We’re so happy to read this rave review, Oona. Thank you!
Is it OK to freeze the cookies after they are cooked? I am sending them to my granddaughter and would like to send frozen cookies, so they are fresh when they arrive.
Hi JoAnn! Yes, you can freeze baked cookies, we but we recommend shipping cookies at room temperature to avoid condensation that may form if shipped cold. Here’s more on the best way to ship cookies!
I made this today and they turned out great! I tried out your tips on forming them into a taller ball and putting them in the freezer before baking. I put them on the top part of the oven and baked it a little longer (because my oven is sometimes wacky). On the first 10 minutes, the cookie ball spread slightly and looked almost the same height so I got worried. But on the 15th minute, it spread into a disc. Then on the extra minutes that I left them in the oven, the cookie finally rose to form the dome. I used some of my leftover chocolate bars (Toblerone) for the chocolate chunks. Turns out it makes the cookie sweeter to the taste, but my housemates with sweet tooth didn’t mind. Once I get a hold of baking chocolates or choco bars that are less sweet, I’ll definitely try this out again.
These were inedible. Hard, dry, and odd flavor. I really don’t understand the reviews. This recipe was so weird and it created the worst cookies I’ve ever tried. Steer clear! Yikes!
Hi Lauren, I wonder what could have given the cookies an odd flavor. Do you think you perhaps mis-measured an ingredient? Did you make any substitutions?
I just came down and read more reviews and I’m so worried now because I didn’t “spoon and level”, I scooped and leveled…. I’m making them for a birthday party for tomorrow morning and REALLY hope they aren’t doomed…. will update, I guess.
Let us know how they go, Clara! The most common issue with too much flour in the batter would be that they wouldn’t spread. If you notice this while they’re baking, remove them from the oven, and use a spoon to slightly flatten them out before returning them to the oven. Here’s more on Measuring Baking Ingredients if you’re interested for the future.
Hi Sally! I am out of semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I have milk chocolate chips. Will this work?
Absolutely! The cookies will be sweeter 🙂
Thank you! The dough is chilling now
I use so many of your recipes Sally!! Your explanations and advice have completely changed my baking game (for the best).
This is hands down the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. I love soft and chewy cookies, I follow this recipe exactly and they turn out great every time. I’ve started adding a pinch of salt to the top of each cookie when they come out of the oven.
Thank you for the awesome recipes!
Just as promised! Thick and chewy and the absolute best cookie recipe! I gained 5 lbs.
First time trying these after many told me how good they were. 4 different friends who don’t know each other told me about this recipe. It must be famous! I hadn’t ever used cornstarch in a cookie recipe and now I can understand why it’s there. These are very soft and the thickest cookies I’ve ever made. Great flavor because the whole batch was gone in minutes. Will be making more this week!
Hi, except for leaving out the cornstarch, I followed this recipe to the T. The cookies turned out absolutely perfect; just the way they are described in the recipe. Thank you so much 🙂
These were absolutely fantastic! I accidentally added 1/4 cup too much flour, so I added about a tbsp of water at the end to bring the dough together. Terrific flavor, and not too heavy. I’ll be using this recipe again!
Made these yesterday. My first try after ages. Turned out great & were finished in no time. Absolutely awesome recipe. I boiled the butter to give it butter-scotch flavour. For those using salted butter, my advise would be to skip the salt mentioned in the recipe.
Agree with another commenter that my quest for the best chocolate chip cookies ends here! We tried the recipe as Sally has it but in the 2nd batch used M&Ms instead of chocolate chips. They lasted about 10 seconds before I had requests to make more!!
My new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, for sure. The extra yolk, baking powder, lower baking temp (325 F) and higher ratio of brown-to-white sugars seem to be the big factors leading to the thicker (less spread) cookies, crispy bottoms and edges, and gooey centers…just the way I like them!
They are VERY sweet (again, the way I like), especially if you add extra chips (I use close to 2 cups), and you could easily cut each sugar by 1/4 c or so. Haven’t tried it though, because I like em sweet!
Thanks for the (IMHO) perfect recipe…
My cookie dough is all crumbles
What can I do to fix it?
Hi Carol, make sure you are spooning and leveling your flour. Sounds like there could be too much in your dough, which makes it too thick and crumbly. For this batch, you can try bringing the dough balls together with the warmth of your hands. If you notice they aren’t spreading in the oven, remove them from the oven, and use a spoon to slightly flatten them out before returning them to the oven.
My cookies are all crumbles. What can I do?
LOVE THESE COOKIES! I have actually recommend several people this link because they came out so well! For me i dont know if its just my oven but if i want chewy cookies they only take 8 mins, any longer and they are rock hard cookies which still taste great. Its just very strange to me! Thank you so much ive tried many of your recipes and these are by far my fave. Have a wonderful day.
Hello. I made these cookies many times and everytime they came amazing. But i would like to make 32 large cookies, so Im thinking to put everything double, is it right? Or do you think I should avoid putting some of ingredients double? Thanks
Hi Robert, We are so glad that you enjoy this recipe! You can certainly double it – just double every ingredient – for twice as many cookies. Enjoy!
This recipe was frustrating to say the least. Waiting for hours between mixing the ingredients and actual making the cookies??? They didn’t flatten out at ALL. I got cookie balls…
If it wasn’t for the delicious chocolate chip I used, these would have all ended up in the trash. The batter was bland. The dough was hardly dough. It’s was dust. Terrible.
Hi Thom! Sounds like you may have had too much flour in your cookie dough. How are you measuring? We always suggest using the spoon and level method for best results. Thank you for giving these cookies a try.
Hi Sally! This is my first time making this cookie recipe and I’m super excited BUT I’m pretty sure I had this mistake as well. My mixture is wayyyy to liquidy. I watched your video, and I realized it. I used Miyoko vegan butter 3/4 cup (melted) and I feel like I measured the flour correctly especially because I watched your video on how to measure flour correctly. Thank you for making that video by the way! Very helpful! Do you think it was the vegan butter I used? Any tips would be greatly appreciated! I’ve been trying to find the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe and I’m not giving up on this one!
Hi Tatiana! Yes, using vegan butter can definitely change the result of these cookies. It’s best to stick to the recipe for best results. These cookie baking tips may help for your next batch as well!
The butter definitely would NOT have made a difference. This recipe just isn’t good.
Hey Sally!
I want to thank you for this great recipe and tips!
The cookies are delicious.
Have a nice day.
🙂
I’m not a baker…I don’t think I’ve ever successfully made a choc chip cookie before trying these but had a preggo driven craving for cookies one night and happened to have all the ingredients….and wow! My husband was shocked at how good they turned out and has already requested a second batch! I’m keeping this recipe forever and never have to look for another lol. Bonus is melting the butter, I never have patience to wait for butter to soften to room temp!