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These chewy chocolate chip cookies are the perfect compliment to a chilly evening indoors. Enjoy them fresh out the oven or freeze them for a rainy day!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

If your kids are anything like mine, they are constantly wanting something sweet to nibble on. Don’t fall into the trap that is the candy bar aisle at the grocery store! Double, triple or quadruple batch this no-fuss recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies and freeze the dough or baked cookies for later.

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How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch

You can make this easy chocolate chip cookie batter 100% by hand, but we like to use a stand mixer to speed the process up. 

  • Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Cream the Butter & Sugar: Whisk the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar over medium speed in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth.
  • Add in the Eggs, Vanilla, Baking Soda, & Salt: Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla extract. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water in a small bowl and add it into the batter alongside the salt.
  • Add in the Dry Ingredients: Stir in the flour and fold in the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks with a spatula.
  • Prepare the Pan: Drop the batter by large spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving some space between each dough mound.
  • Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven or until edges turn golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Fun Add-Ins: If you’d like, top the cookies with a sprinkle of sea salt. You can also add in rainbow sprinkles to mix things up.

Sugar, Brown sugar and butter in a mixing bowl
Chocolate chip cookie batter in a mixing bowl
chocolate chips and cookie batter

Soft Versus Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you favor softer, chewier cookies, we’ve got you covered. If you are a lover of crispy cookies, we also have your back. Here’s how to tweak the recipe to achieve either texture.

Soft Cookies

Want to make EXTRA chewy cookies? Use four egg yolks versus two regular eggs. Egg yolks have more fat than egg whites. More fat means more chewy-ness! Another trick is swapping the all-purpose flour for cake flour. Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose flour, which creates a fluffier texture.

Crispy Cookies

Cookies made without brown sugar are going to be harder and flatter. If you like a crispier cookie, use all white sugar. Also, bake your cookies at a lower temperature. This will allow the cookies to spread before rising.

These foolproof pointers will help you get bakery-worthy cookies each and every time. 

  • Add in some nuts. Add in peanuts or walnuts for some extra crunch and texture. Give them a quick rough chop in a food processor before tossing them in the batter.
  • Use a cookie scoop. To ensure that your cookies bake evenly, use a cookie scoop to measure out the cookie dough balls.
  • Chill the dough before baking it. Try chilling your cookie dough from anywhere between 10 minutes to 2 hours prior to baking. This allows the dough to fully absorb the flavor of all the ingredients. You can use the chilling time to straighten up the kitchen. Who doesn’t like killing two birds with one stone?
  • Make a Deep Dish Cookie: Spread the cookie dough into a greased, 10-inch cast iron skillet. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes, or until the edges turn crispy brown. Cut the giant cookie into pie slices and top each piece with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream. YUM!
Ethan measuring brown sugar for chocolate chip cookies

Ice Cream Sandwich Hack: Let the cookies completely cool. Scoop your favorite ice cream onto one cookie and top with another to make ice cream sandwiches. Put individual sandwiches in plastic storage bags to freeze for a quick treat.

Freezing Best Practices

You are going to love having chewy, chocolate chip cookies on the ready. Here are two ways to pull it off:

Freezing the Dough

Form cookie-size spoonfuls of dough using an ice-cream scoop, melon ball or the palm of your hand. Place the balls on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and pop them in the freezer.

Freeze them on the tray until the tops are hard. Transfer dough balls to a Ziplock bag. Keep for up to six months.

Cookie dough on a baking sheet
Frozen cookie dough in a ziplock bag

Freezing Baked Cookies

Place the completely cooled cookies on a baking sheet, covered in parchment paper. Allow each cookie to individually freeze. Transfer the frozen cookies to a flat-bottomed, airtight storage container. Make sure each layer of cookies is separated by parchment paper to prevent the cookies from freezing/sticking together. Keep for up to six months.

Refrigerating the Dough

Roll the cookie dough into a 1.5 inch thick log. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap. When you are ready to use the dough, remove the plastic wrapping and slice the log into discs. Bake as instructed below! Cookie dough can be kept up to three days in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

FAQ

How should you store fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies?

Fresh-baked, homemade chocolate chip cookies last for up to three days at room temperature. To keep that out-of-the-oven texture and taste and prevent the morsels from becoming stale, store your cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.

Why did your chocolate chip cookies turn out flat?

The prime reason that chocolate chip cookies turn out flat is that the butter was too soft before it was mixed in. This results in the butter melting very quickly, causing the batter to spread as it bakes in the oven.

What kind of chocolate chips should you use for chocolate chip cookies?

The best kind of chocolate chips to use for chocolate chip cookies are semisweet chocolate chips. They are the perfect level of sweetness and don’t overpower the cookie dough. If you don’t mind a sweeter cookie, feel free to use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips instead.

Can chocolate chip cookies go bad?

Yes, chocolate chip cookies can go bad. They tend to stay fresh for about a week when stored at room temperature in an airtight container. You’ll know they have reached their peak when they are brittle to the touch, dry, and without a chewy bite.

Other Cookie Recipes to Try

Recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Print Pin
Servings
30 Units
Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin
This recipe for chocolate chip cookies features two different methods – one for crispier cookies & one for chewier cookies. Eat them fresh or freeze them!

Ingredients

US Units – Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
    Sugar, Brown sugar and butter in a mixing bowl
  • Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water. Add it to the batter along with the salt.
    Chocolate chip cookie batter in a mixing bowl
  • Stir in the flour, followed by the chocolate chips.
    chocolate chips and cookie batter
  • Drop the batter by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans. Make sure to leave enough space between each piece (about 2 inches) to account for spreading.
    Cookie dough on a baking sheet
  • Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven or until edges are nicely browned.
    Chocolate Chip Cookies
Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 230 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Cholesterol 28mg9%
Sodium 143mg6%
Potassium 98mg3%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 18g20%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 210IU4%
Calcium 19mg2%
Iron 1.4mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Posted December 2, 2022

About Author

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Natalya Drozhzhin

Natalya founded Momsdish to demonstrate that placing a homemade meal on the table is not hard at all. Natalya makes cooking easier and approachable, by simplifying the ingredients, while still producing the same great taste.