Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
This easy chocolate chip cookies recipe makes soft, chewy cookies with crisp golden edges and puddles of melted chocolate, the kind you pull from the oven and eat warm standing at the counter. It works because melted butter mixes into the sugars for chew, a short chill keeps the cookies thick, and brown sugar locks in that caramel-y center everyone fights over.
With this easy chocolate chip cookies recipe, you’ll cream butter with brown and white sugar, stir in egg and vanilla, fold in flour and chocolate chips, scoop, and bake until the edges are set and the centers still look a little soft. That’s the sweet spot: they finish firming on the sheet.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
- Soft centers, chewy middles, lightly crisp edges
- Pantry ingredients, no fancy mix-ins required
- About 30 minutes start to finish (including a quick chill)
- Beginner-friendly with clear visual doneness cues
- Freezes well as dough balls or baked cookies
Once you make this easy chocolate chip cookies recipe, it becomes a regular favorite. Soft centers, crisp edges, and reliable bakery-style results keep it on rotation.
Before You Start
Everything you need, including the ingredient list, exact measurements, bake times, and printable instructions, is in the recipe card below. Use the Jump to Recipe button anytime while baking.
Ingredient Notes
For this easy chocolate chip cookies recipe, a few smart ingredient choices make the biggest difference in texture and flavor.
Use real butter for the richest flavor. Melt it, then let it cool slightly so it doesn’t cook the eggs.
Brown sugar keeps these cookies soft and chewy, while granulated sugar helps create lightly crisp edges.
Semisweet chocolate chips give the classic flavor, but chopped chocolate creates larger melty pockets.
For the best texture, spoon and level the flour instead of scooping directly from the bag.
Why Chilling the Dough Matters
A short 20-minute chill is the texture secret in this easy chocolate chip cookies recipe. It helps the flour hydrate and keeps the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
The result is thicker cookies with chewy centers and crisp edges. If you have extra time, chilling the dough for several hours develops even deeper flavor.
Best Chocolate for Chocolate Chip Cookies
Semisweet chocolate chips are the classic choice, but mixing chips with chopped chocolate creates gooey pools throughout the cookies.
Dark chocolate makes a richer cookie, while milk chocolate produces a sweeter, softer bite. Either way, this easy chocolate chip cookies recipe stays classic and crowd-pleasing.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp kosher salt (or ½ tsp fine salt)
- 1¾ cups (300 g) semisweet chocolate chips (or a mix of chips + chunks)
- Flaky salt for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Melt and mix the wet base. In a large bowl, whisk melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy, about 1 minute. The mixture should look like wet sand that’s starting to come together.
- Add egg and vanilla. Whisk in the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until the mixture lightens slightly and looks creamy, about 30-45 seconds.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Sprinkle flour, baking soda, and salt over the bowl. Stir with a spatula just until no dry flour streaks remain. The dough will be soft and a little shiny.
- Add the chocolate. Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Don’t overmix; stop when the chips look well scattered.
- Chill briefly. Cover the bowl and chill the dough 20 minutes. This keeps the cookies from spreading into thin puddles.
- Preheat and scoop. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Scoop 2-tablespoon mounds (about 45 g each), spacing them 2 inches apart.
- Bake. Bake 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers look set but still soft and slightly underdone. For thicker cookies, stop closer to 10 minutes.
- Finish and cool. Optional: tap the pan once on the counter right out of the oven for crinkly tops, then sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt. Cool on the sheet 5 minutes, then move to a rack.
Tip: For the best easy chocolate chip cookies recipe results, pull cookies when the centers still look soft. If you wait for them to look fully “done” in the oven, they’ll be dry once cool.
How to Make This Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Step-by-Step
This easy chocolate chip cookies recipe starts with melted butter: it skips long creaming and gives you that bakery chew without a stand mixer. Mixing brown sugar with white sugar balances moisture (from the molasses in brown sugar) with crisp edges (from granulated).
The extra egg yolk adds richness and chew without making the cookies cakey. A short chill is enough for this dough; you don’t need overnight unless you want deeper flavor later. For more chocolate dessert ideas when you want something faster than a full bake, try our 5-minute chocolate mug cake for a fast single-serve chocolate mug cake night.
Want another chocolate bake after this tray? Our sourdough brownies scratch that rich, square-pan itch. For lighter cocoa nights, browse low-calorie chocolate desserts, or bake a celebration loaf from our Nothing Bundt cake recipes.
Baking temps and times can vary by oven. The USDA oven food safety basics are a good reminder to rely on visual cues plus a trusted oven thermometer when cookies brown unevenly.
Chef Emily’s Tips for Bakery-Style Cookies
These tips keep your easy chocolate chip cookies recipe thick, chewy, and golden every tray.
- Use room-temp egg and yolk. Cold eggs can seize the melted butter and make the dough greasy.
- Spoon and level the flour. Scooping straight from the bag packs too much flour and dries the cookies.
- Chill at least 20 minutes. Skipping chill = thinner, crispier cookies.
- Underbake slightly. Soft centers set as they cool on the hot pan.
- Mix chip sizes. Half chips, half chopped bar chocolate gives melty puddles.
- Want another chocolate dessert after cookies? Try our sourdough brownies for a fudgy square-pan bake.
Common Mistakes
- Baking until the centers look fully firm: they’ll be dry after cooling
- Hot butter straight from the microwave: if it’s steaming, cool 5 minutes so you don’t scramble the egg
- Crowding the pan: cookies need room to spread without merging
- Dark pans without checking early: they brown faster; start checking at 9 minutes
- Skipping salt: even a little salt makes the chocolate taste deeper
Easy Variations
Once you trust the base easy chocolate chip cookies recipe, these small swaps keep it interesting without changing the method.
- Extra thick: Chill scooped dough balls 1 hour, then bake 11-13 minutes
- Brown butter vibe: Melt butter, cook until nutty and amber, cool 10 minutes, then proceed
- Nutty: Fold in ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans with the chips
- Dark chocolate: Use 60-70% chocolate chunks instead of chips
- Cookie sandwiches: Cool completely, then spread with a thin layer of vanilla buttercream
What to Serve With Them
- Cold milk or a latte
- Vanilla ice cream for warm cookie sundaes
- Fresh berries to cut the sweetness
- A warm cookie sundae with vanilla ice cream
Browse kitchen tools and favorites if you want a sturdy cookie scoop or parchment that makes sheet-pan cleanup painless.
Storage and Reheating
Store cooled cookies from this easy chocolate chip cookies recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Add a slice of bread to the container if you want to keep them softer.
Freeze scooped dough balls from this easy chocolate chip cookies recipe up to 2 months; bake from frozen at 350°F, adding 1-2 minutes. Baked cookies freeze well too: thaw at room temp or warm 8-10 seconds in the microwave for that fresh-from-the-oven feel.
More Dessert Recipes to Try Next
If you love this easy chocolate chip cookies recipe, these dessert-category favorites pair well for bake nights, holidays, and chocolate cravings:
- 5-minute chocolate mug cake when you want a single-serve chocolate fix in minutes
- Sourdough brownies for a rich, fudgy pan dessert
- Nothing Bundt cake recipes when you need a celebration cake
- Low-calorie chocolate desserts for lighter cocoa treats
- Healthy desserts when you want sweet options that still feel balanced
FAQ
Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cup (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ tsp kosher salt or ½ tsp fine salt
- 1¾ cups (300 g) semisweet chocolate chips or a mix of chips + chunks
- Flaky salt for topping optional
Instructions
Instructions
- Melt and mix the wet base. In a large bowl, whisk melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy, about 1 minute. The mixture should look like wet sand that is starting to come together.
- Add egg and vanilla. Whisk in the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until the mixture lightens slightly and looks creamy, about 30-45 seconds.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Sprinkle flour, baking soda, and salt over the bowl. Stir with a spatula just until no dry flour streaks remain. The dough will be soft and a little shiny.
- Add the chocolate. Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Do not overmix; stop when the chips look well scattered.
- Chill briefly. Cover the bowl and chill the dough 20 minutes. This keeps the cookies from spreading into thin puddles.
- Preheat and scoop. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Scoop 2-tablespoon mounds (about 45 g each), spacing them 2 inches apart.
- Bake. Bake 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers look set but still soft and slightly underdone. For thicker cookies, stop closer to 10 minutes.
- Finish and cool. Optional: tap the pan once on the counter right out of the oven for crinkly tops, then sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt. Cool on the sheet 5 minutes, then move to a rack.
Notes
Conclusion
This easy chocolate chip cookies recipe is one you’ll come back to whenever you’re craving warm, homemade cookies. With chewy centers, crisp golden edges, and plenty of melted chocolate, it’s perfect for bake sales, holidays, afternoon treats, or simply enjoying fresh from the oven with a cold glass of milk.