If you want the best chocolate chip cookies ever, look no further! I cannot tell you enough how amazingly delicious these chocolate chip cookies are! They are the chewiest, most delicious cookies you’ll ever try. They are addicting and I guarantee you will want to eat them all in one sitting!
In this post, I’ll be giving you all the secrets to making perfectly soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies. I’ll go over the ingredients required, as well as provide you with a detailed step-by-step of the process. You can also read my tips to ensure you end up with perfectly soft and chewy cookies every time you make them. You are about to make the best ever chocolate chip cookies!
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Table of Contents
Cookie Ingredients
Making soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, with the right ingredients and a little guidance, anyone can make these amazing cookies for their family in no time. Here are the ingredients you’ll need and why you’ll need them:
- Fully Softened Unsalted Butter: You need fully softened (not melted) unsalted butter. This helps the cookies be soft and chewy and spread less in the oven.
- Flour: You’ll need all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Eggs: The eggs will need to be at room temperature. These will act as a binder for the cookies.
- Brown And Granulated Sugar: Combining these two sugars gives these cookies the perfect texture.
- Vanilla Extract: The vanilla extract helps to round out the sweetness of the cookie by enhancing the flavor of the chocolate chips. I always like to use a high-quality vanilla extract like Adams or Nielsen-Massey.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet chips have the perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness needed for these cookies.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda will help the cookies rise.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder helps to create a soft and thick cookie.
- Cornstarch: This is the secret ingredient for making these cookies perfectly chewy.
- Salt: A little bit of salt helps enhance the chocolate flavor.
How to Make Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
My recipe, as you probably expected, is easy to make. There are a few steps you don’t want to skip in this one, though, since they will give you the chewiest, best cookies ever!
Step 1: Gather The Ingredients
Pull all your ingredients out of the pantry and start measuring and prepping. Here is a quick breakdown of exactly what you’ll need.
Dry Mixture Ingredients:
- All-Purpose Flour: 3 cups
- Cornstarch: 2 teaspoons
- Baking Soda: 1 teaspoon
- Baking Powder: 1 teaspoon
- Fine Sea Salt: 1 teaspoon
Wet Mixutre Ingredients:
- Unsalted Butter: 1 cup or 2 sticks, fully softened but not melted
- Light Brown Sugar: 1 cup tightly packed
- Granulated Sugar: 1 cup
- Vanilla Extract: 2 teaspoons
- Eggs: 2 large eggs
Other Ingredients:
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: 2 cups
Step 2: Warm The Eggs And Butter To Room Temperature
Before getting started, the first thing you will do is set the eggs and butter out to warm to room temperature. The butter will need to be fully softened before adding it to the dough. This may take up to 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
Tip: Warming The Butter More Quickly
The stick of butter will warm more quickly and evenly if you cut it into small slices and stack them on top of one another. This should cut the warming time to 15-30 minutes.
Tip: Warming Eggs More Quickly
Feel a small bowl with warm water (not hot) and gently place the eggs in the bowl. The eggs should reach room temperature within 5-10 minutes.
Step 3: Prepare The Dry Mixture
Add all the dry ingredients – flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt – to a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Set the dry mixture aside.
Step 4: Prepare The Wet Mixture
Before mixing the wet mixture, check the butter to ensure that it has fully softed. Once the butter is ready, you can proceed with making the wet mixture.
Mix The Butter With The Sugars
Add the butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar to a separate large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix the softened butter into the sugars. Start at low speed and work up to medium-high speed and continue mixing until the butter and sugars are completely combined.
Add Vanilla And Eggs
Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, to the wet mixture mixing at medium speed until completely combined.
Step 5: Combine The Wet And Dry Mixutres
Using a large spoon or spatula, gradually fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Add about a third of the dry mixture at a time, and mix by hand until the two mixtures are completely combined to make a cookie dough.
Add The Chocolate Chips
Fold the chocolate chips into the cookie dough and thouroughly mix them in.
Step 6: Chill The Cookie Dough
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and scoop out 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into smooth balls. Place each ball at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Twelve cookies should fit on each baking sheet.
Tip: Mess Free Balls Of Dough
Fill a small bowl with ice water and set it next to your work area along with a stack of paper towels. Before rolling each ball of cookie dough, dip your fingertips and palms into the bowl of water to get them slightly damp. Then wipe your hands clean with a paper towel. This will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and allow you to roll a perfectly smooth ball of dough. This trick makes it so much easier and much less messy to roll the balls of cookie dough.
Place The Baking Sheets In The Freezer
Place each baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill before baking. If you only have room for one baking sheet, you can place the first sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes, and once you take it out of the freezer to bake, then place the second baking sheet in the freezer.
Tip: Alternative Chilling Method
If your freezer is not large enough for the cookie sheets, you can chill the cookie dough in the bowl. Tightly cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and allow it to chill in the freezer for 30 minutes or the refrigerator for 2 hours. A stainless steel or glass bowl works best for chilling the cookies using this method.
Step 7: Bake The Cookies
Adjust the rack to the middle and preheat your oven to 350° F. You will be baking each sheet of cookies separately.
Bake First Sheet
Remove the first baking sheet from the freezer and immediately place it on the middle rack of the oven. Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes. You will pull the cookies out of the oven once the edges begin to set. Do not allow the edges to begin browning or the cookies will be overcooked. The cookies will look slightly undercooked when taking them out of the oven. It is important to not allow the cookies to brown so that they will have a soft exterior and chewy middle.
Step 8: Bake Second Sheet
Place the second sheet of cookies in the freezer if you haven’t already. Allow the cookie dough to cool in the freezer for atleast 10 minutes and then repeat the baking instructions.
Step 9: Cool The Cookies
After removing the cookies from the oven, allow them to cool on the counter for 10 minutes.
Step 10: Enjoy Your Soft And Chewy Cookies
Now that you’ve made the best chewy chocolate chip cookies ever, it’s time to pour a glass of milk and enjoy some warm cookies! You might want to share some with the rest of the family too… Maybe 🙂
The Secrets to Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
So how exactly do we get soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies? There are several elements to my recipe that ensure you end up with the softest and chewiest chocolate chip cookie possible.
- Add corn starch: A little bit of cornstarch makes your cookies perfectly chewy. I learned this from the Food Network!
- Chill the dough: This ensures the dough won’t spread ahead of time, creating a thicker, chewier cookie. See my tips below for chilling the dough.
- Don’t overbake them: You want to take out the cookies before they start browning. They will look slightly underbaked, but this ensures a soft outside with a chewy middle.
Essential Items
Here are some essential prep tools, utensils, and appliances I used to make this recipe.
Featured Items
Here is a list of the products featured in this post or products similar to those featured in this post:
- Aluminum Baking Sheets
- Glass Food Prep Mixing Bowls
- Hand Mixer
- Measuring Spoons
- Parchment Paper
- Stackable Measuring Cups
- Wooden Spoons
23 Best Bakeware for the Well-Equipped Kitchen
Love baking? Make sure you check out this list of the Best Bakeware every serious baker should have in their kitchen.
Tips for Chilling Cookie Dough
There are several ways you can chill your prepared cookie dough. My preferred and fastest way uses the freezer. I’ll explain below.
- Chill in the fridge: If you don’t have any freezer space, then you can simply cover the bowl with the prepared dough, and let it sit in your refrigerator for approximately 2 hours. This is my least favorite way to chill the dough. It’s a long time to wait!
- Use a bowl to chill the dough in the freezer: This is a much faster way to chill the dough. You can cover the bowl and place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
- Chill the rolled balls in the freezer: This is definitely the fastest and best way to chill the dough if you have the freezer space. Roll up the dough into balls on your prepared cookie sheet. I use pre-cut parchment paper on my cookie sheets. Once you have the cookie dough balls on the cookie sheets, you just need to chill them in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking. That’s it!
| Method | Chill Time |
|---|---|
| Bowl Of Cookie Dough In Refrigerator | 2 hours |
| Bowl Of Cookie Dough In Freezer | 30 minutes |
| Cookie Dough Balls On Baking Sheet In Freezer | 10 minutes |
You can preheat your oven while the cookie dough chills. You will bake your cookies straight out of the freezer after chilling the dough. Chilling the dough will ensure your cookie dough balls will not start spreading too fast before cooking. This makes for a thicker and therefore chewier cookie. They are perfection!
How to Store and Reheat Your Cookies
Here’s how to store and reheat chocolate chip cookies so they come out perfectly warm and chewy every time. If you follow these tips, they’ll taste just like they did when you first baked them!
How to keep chocolate chip cookies soft
You’ll want to store these chocolate chip cookies in an air-tight container on the counter once they have completely cooled. That’s if you have any cookies left over to store! Putting your cookies in the refrigerator will dry them out and they will no longer be perfectly soft and chewy.
how to reheat chocolate chip cookies
There’s nothing better than a warm and chewy chocolate chip cookie with a cold glass of milk! If you didn’t eat all your cookies right after baking them and want to reheat them at a later time, I recommend putting them on a microwave-safe plate and reheating them for about 8-10 seconds. If they’re not warm enough, heat them for another 5 seconds. Be careful not to overcook them or they’ll end up dry.
Did you make this recipe yet? I know you will absolutely love these cookies. I can’t wait to hear about it when you try them. Leave me a comment below and let me know how good they were!
5-Star Rating: If you enjoyed this cookie recipe, I’d appreciate it if you could give it a 5-star rating to show how much you loved it.
More Recipes for Sweet Treats
Looking for more sweet treat recipes? Here are some of my favorite recipes that are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. I know you’ll love them all:
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Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH A SOFT CENTER
Essential Equipment
Ingredients
for the Dry Mixture
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
for the Wet Mixture
- 1 cup butter (unsalted) 2 sticks, fully softened and warmed to room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar tightly packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs warmed to room temperature
the Chocolate Chips
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Set the eggs and butter out to warm to room temperature.
prepare the Dry Mixture
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
prepare the Wet Mixture
- In a separate large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to mix the softened butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Start at low speed and increase to medium-high until the ingredients are completely mixed.
- Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing at medium speed until completely combined.
combine the Wet & Dry Mixtures
- Gradually add the dry mixture, about a third at a time, to the wet mixture and mix by hand with a large spoon or spatula, folding in and mixing until they are completely combined to make the cookie dough.
- Fold the chocolate chips into the cookie dough.
chill the Cookie Dough
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and scoop out 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into smooth balls. Place each ball at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Twelve cookies should fit on each baking sheet. To get a perfectly smooth ball of dough and make this much easier and less messy, keep a bowl of ice water and some paper towels nearby to very slightly dampen and clean your fingertips and palms before rolling each cookie. This will keep the dough from sticking to your hands and allow you to roll a smooth ball of dough.
- Place each baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill before baking.
- Alternatively, if you do not have room in your freezer for the cookie sheets, cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the freezer for 30 minutes or refrigerator for 2 hours.
bake the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Bake each sheet of cookies separately. Remove the first baking sheet from the freezer and immediately place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until the edges just begin to set but before they start to brown. The cookies will look slightly undercooked when taking them out of the oven. This is important to ensure a soft exterior and chewy middle.
- Place the second sheet of cookies in the freezer and repeat the baking instructions.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Enjoy!
For some reason it would only let me do 4 stars but this recipe is a 5*! My husband said they are the best cookies he’s ever had and wants me to keep making them. This is now my go-to recipe!
Hi Chantelle! So happy to hear it! I appreciate you taking the time to comment!
These cookies taste AMAZING! I used Hershey Special Dark chips and the end result was over the top delicious. I made my cookies slightly smaller, ending up with 38, rather than 24 but baked for same time, so I will be interested in seeing if they stayed soft in the centers. Of course, I will be popping them in the microwave for a short time to rewarm so I expect they will be just as delicious as they were fresh out of the oven. I do believe this will be my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Thanks so much for your comment! I’m so happy you loved them!
What does one batch of cookies weigh in oz. after baking?
I have not weighed them. Maybe next time I make them 🙂
Can you freeze the cookie dough and bake it another day.
Hi Sandra! I haven’t tried, but it should work. Thanks for stopping by!
My husband and child said they’re the best cookies ever!
Hi! I’m so happy they loved them! Thanks for stopping by!