Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These large, bakery-style thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies stay soft for days and are a huge family favorite. Made with melted butter, a high brown sugar to white sugar ratio, and an extra egg yolk to ensure super soft cookies, they require NO chilling time and are the perfect after-school snack.
These cookies have been around for a LONG time! I first made them nearly 12 years ago when I fell in love with America’s Test Kitchen and my new Baking Illustrated cookbook. I had long been on the hunt for a fabulous thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie and I had finally hit pay dirt! This was my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe for years upon years, until I stumbled upon The New York Times chocolate chip cookie, which I modified a bit to become my NEW favorite thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe.
However, these cookies made a resurgence in my kitchen last weekend and were due for a revival here on the site, especially since they’re one of my all-time most popular recipes!
How to Make Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Start with Butter: We use melted butter to keep the cookies super soft and moist.
- High Brown Sugar to Granulated Sugar Ratio: Brown sugar ensures soft cookies and the white sugar helps the cookies spread out. For cookies that are chewier and have a more robust flavor, we use double the amount of brown sugar to white sugar.
- Egg & Vanilla Extract: Eggs provide structure and an extra egg yolk gives the cookies a boost of softness. Vanilla is our flavor enhancer!
- Dry Ingredients: You’ll need all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt for structure, rise and flavor balance.
- Chocolate Chips: Of course! One and a half cups give you chocolate in every single bite without being overwhelming.
Ahhhh that dough!
There’s a little shaping technique that makes these cookies have that gorgeous bumpy texture on top that looks like they came straight out of the bakery.
All of that combined to make these my oldest, most favorite chocolate chip cookie that needs absolutely no chill time whatsoever.
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While the NY Times cookies that I love require some refrigeration before they’re baked, these can be mixed up and baked right away, so you’ll have warm cookies fresh from the oven and ready to devour in about 45 minutes. Can’t beat it!
What’s your favorite type of chocolate chip cookie?
Watch the Recipe Video Below:
One year ago: The Best Chocolate Frosting
Five years ago: Overnight Chilled Plum-Oatmeal Pudding
Seven years ago: Peach Coffee Cake
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup (220 g) light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (270 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Roll a scant ¼ cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2½ inches apart.
- Bake until the cookies are light golden brown and the outer edges start to set, yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets. Once cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. These can also be wrapped in plastic wrap, placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 2 months.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on June 21, 2008, updated in July 2016 with new photos, and then refreshed in August 2019 with updated photos and more recipe tips.
[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]
I just finished making these and eating the first one. The taste is amazing. I didn’t think I did them right because they were fluffier than the picture in the post but must be right because they turned out fantastic
My oven heats from the bottom – when a recipe calls to place racks at the top or the bottom like this one where is the heat coming from?
Would like to see the recipe amounts using weights particularly since you have done an update.
It’s more accurate and fewer use of utensils.
This is hand’s down the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. I make them all the time, they’re quick, easy, turn out perfectly every time, and are delicious. My mom is a chocolate chip cookie aficionado and she requests that I make these constantly. I keep a stock in my freezer for her. The only slight change I make is I used a heaping cup of chocolate chips because I found when I used the 1 and a half cups, I had trouble getting the cookies to stay together when I tried to form them.
How “cool” should the melted butter be? Have you ever used this method for any other cookies? I just made a big batch of cookies so I’ll have to wait until they are gone before I make these. Maybe sharing a plate of cookies is a good way to reconnect with neighbors.
Would love to see a video about forming the cookies……
I made these cookies today and they came out beautiful. The dough was great to work with and easy to make. The cookies were beautiful and smelled so good. They tasted good at first but have an odd unpleasant after taste. Any idea why that would be? My eggs butter vanilla and flour were all newer and with in date and I haven’t had any issues with other baking? Could my baking soda be to blame? Any ideas would be welcome. I loved the recipe other than that.
Hi Emily, Hmmm I’m not sure what would give them a weird aftertaste? I’ve never had that happen.
I made these exactly as you have them written here, and they are perfect — best I’ve ever made. 👍🏻
Thanks for sharing this recipe, it looks great! I’m so excited to try it!
These are so delicious!
I made the same chocolate chip cookie recipe for 25 years to rave reviews but one day…. they just stopped being good. I can’t explain it. So I was in the market for a new recipe and I tried these. YUMMY!
I really wanted to try the BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies but this is during the Covid-19 quarantine and I’m being stingy with my bread flour. Hopefully one day things will get back to normal and I can compare and contrast.
These cookies are amazing! My husband said these were the best chocolate chip cookies he’s ever had! They were super easy to make!
I made these around Thanksgiving. They were a big hit. My sons calls them the sinful cookies. I added Semi, milk and white chocolate. I will be making these a lot. My granddaughter wants pecan and caramel on top.
Just baked these cookies and they are absolutely perfect!! They are soft inside and have just the right amount of crispness on the outside. Much better than my old go to recipe!!
Just wondering if anyone has doubled this recipe and if so any recommendations?
Thanks so much!
Hi Bethany, Yes doubles just fine!
I doubled mine. Only thing I changed was the vanilla. 1 Tablespoon to 2 cups of four seemed like too much so I cut it to 1 teaspoon.
Best chocolate chip ever! Doubles easily. Thank you!
Can I make the dough a day ahead and refrigerate? If so how long before cookie should I put it at room temp?
Yes, that would work okay! No need to leave at room temperature. Once you take them out and shape the dough, they’ll be ready to bake.
Wow, The Recipe Said 18 Cookies…… We Made 42!
Yeah I made around 20 monster-sized cookies!
Yo yummy. This is recipe much attract my children.
I love this recipe and make these cookies often!! Can I use the same batter for a cookie cake? If so, what is the recommended baking time?
Hi Randi, I modified this recipe every slightly to create a cookie cake here: https://apex-male.info/chocolate-chip-cookie-cake/%3C/a%3E – enjoy!
Made these for a party and they turned out perfect! Love love love.
These chocolate chip cookies look very delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Yum, those chocolate chip cookies look delicious. You can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes.
These look yummy. Who doesnt like a chocolate chip cookie..dont think I’ve met anyone who doesnt😊 a close tie for me is a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie w a little bit of coconut. Mmmmmm mmmmm.
this is my husband’s (and my) favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! I’ve tried others, but my husband only wants THIS recipe. Absolutely delicious!
This has been my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe for years. I love it.
Have you baked these cookies with gluten free flour? If so, how did they turn out? I scrolled through many, but not all comments, so my apologies if previously asked and answered.
I have made these with gluten free flour and they came out really well. Spread out maybe a little more than I would expect. I used Red Mills GF one to one flour (it has xantham gum in it) and added toasted pecans which may have helped also keep it together.
I want to add nuts. Should I reduce the chips?
If you don’t mind a “chunky” cookie then no need to reduce the chips; if you prefer more cookie dough than add-ins, then yes reduce the chips.
What’s your favorite chocolate chip to use in this recipe?
I buy Ghiradelli semisweet chocolate chips.
It seems like a lot of complaints about this recipe could be because one person’s cup of flour is not the same as another person’s cup of flour. If enough flour is not used cookies can turn out flat and too buttery. Just wondered if you used 5oz per cup as mentioned in your May 24, 2016 Baking Basics: Weighing Ingredients post. Thanks!
Yes I did!
Hi there, I was wondering why there’s a discrepancy in the metric equivalents given in the recipe – here you say 5oz per cup, which is 10 oz / 280g for 2 cups. But when you click metric, it’s given as 8.8 oz / 250g. Which weight is correct? Thanks!
Absolutely love this recipe! Best chocolate chip recipe I’ve found! I only bake mine for 12-13 minutes as 15 is too long in my oven.
Could I make the dough in advanced freeze the dough in order to bake
In a week or so?
I made these today. They are great. Perfect sweetness. I made my own brown sugar using unrefined cane sugar and added a some molasses to it (just Google it!). Then I measured it like you would with regular brown sugar. I didn’t want to waste the egg white so instead of a yolk I used a substitute – 1T coconut milk. Apparently, you can use applesauce or banana too. Ok. My point is this recipe works and it’s great. Yes, I made substitutions but they are minor. I a trained chef and I know this recipe will work even if I didn’t do the substitutions. My son said it’s the best chocolate chip cookie he’s had. And oh – do measure your ingredients properly and follow the instructions. That’s all. Thank you for the recipe, browneyedbaker!