The perfect chocolate chip cookie is soft in the middle and a little crispy around the edges and the first bite makes you go mmmmm! This is that recipe!
I’ve been making these cookies for more than 20 years, and they never disappoint. You’ll love that there are no special methods or fussy ingredients—just pantry basics. We’ll share some secrets with you so you can make these famous cookies right now—or two days from now. It’s up to you.
These homemade chocolate chip cookies are full of rich chocolate, brown sugar, and vanilla. They’re big and have just the right amount of crispiness around the edge and soft, gooey chocolate in the middle, like my Easy Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie.
Award-winning chocolate chip cookie recipe
A few years ago, a sweet lady named Sally emailed me to let me know that her son had used this homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe for his entry into a 4-H contest—and he won!
This is the most wonderful chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. My ten-year-old son came home about six weeks ago and said he signed up to enter a baking contest through 4-H and had to make chocolate chip cookies. This was the first recipe that we tried, and we had no need to try anything else. Not only did he win his class competition, but he also won the county-wide competition, beating out 46 other entries. I have made this recipe a couple of other times for parties and for my co-workers… just made a double batch to send to my children’s classes tomorrow and to take to the kids in my classes at school. I’ll never need another recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and I will NEVER buy the break and bake refrigerated from the store EVER again. Simply AMAZING cookies and a recipe so easy that even my son can do most of the work himself. Thanks SO much for sharing!
SALLY
Secrets for making perfect chocolate chip cookies
There are three secrets that help make this an award-winning chocolate chip cookie recipe:
- Resting the dough at least overnight.
- Using more brown sugar than typical recipes.
- Using LOTS of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips.
You’ll find lots of chocolate chip cookie recipes that will say no chilling is required for the dough. There is no chilling required for this recipe, either. You can mix the dough and bake cookies immediately, and THOSE COOKIES WILL BE DELICIOUS.
But guess what? Those other recipes would ALSO benefit from chilling the dough, even if just for 30 minutes. This is not only the case for chocolate chip cookies but also sugar cookies or any other drop cookies. (This is covered in more detail below in the How to section.)
So here’s the real secret: double the recipe and bake a few cookies right away, then stash the extra dough in the fridge and make the rest a day or two later. Perfect solution!
Ingredients for perfect chocolate chip cookies
- Brown sugar – this is the primary sugar
- Granulated white sugar – just a little!
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – use good quality chocolate chips
- Milk chocolate chips – don’t skip these
- Vanilla extract – best flavor
- Butter – unsalted
- Flour – all-purpose
- Eggs – large eggs
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
Tools needed for these award-winning chocolate chip cookies
While you don’t need anything fancy for these cookies, you will want to have good-quality baking sheets like these and cooling racks. I use my stand mixer to mix the dough, but you can do it with a hand mixer if that’s what you have.
How to make perfect chocolate chip cookies
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. See the tips below the printable recipe for information about the flour.
- Cream the butter, add sugars, and beat until well-blended.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until creamy and well-blended.
- Gradually stir in the flour mixture, either beating on low with the mixer or just stirring in gently by hand.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Then cover the bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough and place it in the fridge anywhere from 24 to 36 hours.
Cook’s Tip: You can bake the cookies immediately if you prefer, and they will be absolutely fine and delicious, but they are better if you have time to allow them to rest.
Baking instructions
Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Once the dough has rested, scoop out large, heaping tablespoons of dough and roll slightly in your hands to make a ball, usually just a smidgen smaller than a golf ball.
Depending on how you like your chocolate chip cookies, there are a couple of temperature options.
Option 1: Bake at 350° for 10-11 minutes, depending on how large your cookies are. If they are less than golf ball size, then it will take around 10.5 minutes to get that perfect golden brown.
Option 2: Bake at 325° for 12-15 minutes for slightly thinner, chewy cookies. This will result in a paler top but a more gooey middle.
**Cook’s Tip: Ovens are calibrated differently so you should start checking early on the first batch so you’ll know what your cooking time should be.
Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 7 or 8 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks.
And grab one right off the hot pan and eat it, bouncing it from hand to hand and blowing just a little. You know you want to.
There’s nothing better than a perfect chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven!
And here’s a little secret: the next day, when you want a cookie, pop it in the microwave for about 12 seconds. You’ll recapture that just-baked, soft, melted chocolate experience.
It’s divine.
Why rest the dough?
I didn’t always let the dough rest in the refrigerator when making these cookies. I used to bake them as soon as I made the dough, and they were delicious. Fabulous, even.
But then I read David Leite’s New York Times article about the quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. All of the famous bakers that he interviewed said they allow the chocolate chip cookie dough to rest at least overnight and a few for as long as 36 hours.
Here’s why you chill cookie dough:
- Chilling the dough solidifies the fat, which means less spread when the cookies are baked.
- The sugar in the dough gradually absorbs the liquid (eggs), which also helps reduce spread.
- As the dough chills, it dries, which gives it a more concentrated flavor.
And, as it turns out, the original Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe also chilled overnight, a fact that was never printed on the back of the bag.
I experimented with allowing the dough to sit in the fridge for 24-36 hours and discovered that this one simple change made the texture and flavor of these cookies even better.
Best chocolate chip cookies recipe tips
- Flour. The type of flour that you use may affect this recipe. I use White Lily, which has a low protein content. If you’re using King Arthur or Pillsbury, each has a high protein content. You may try substituting 2 cups of cake flour and 1 cup of whatever all-purpose you have. I have not tried this, but it makes sense to me that it would work because White Lily has a protein content almost as low as cake flour.
- Butter. You cannot substitute margarine or any type of butter substitute. And you shouldn’t use generic butter. Quality counts. I only use Land O’ Lakes Unsalted Butter.
- If your baking powder and/or baking soda is old, your cookies may flatten. Baking powder and baking soda should be replaced before it’s a year or so old. If older than a year and not kept in an airtight container, then the rising properties may have diluted.
- Method. The butter needs to be creamed until it is light in color and texture, along with the sugar. The eggs should be well-mixed into the batter. This will all take several minutes.
How to store the perfect chocolate chip cookie
Um, in your tummy, of course! But prior to that, you can just store your cookies in an airtight container for several days. Pop one in the microwave for a few seconds, and it’ll be like it just came out of the oven!
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Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (Do not use margarine or any butter substitute. I only use Land O Lakes unsalted butter.)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 12- ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 12- ounce package milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl to blend.
- Using electric or stand mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add white sugar and brown sugar and beat until well blended. (You should be creaming the butter 5-7 minutes until the texture and color are both light.)
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat until mixture is creamy and well blended. Gradually add flour mixture, stirring just until blended.
- Pour half of chocolate chips into the bottom of a large bowl and then add half the dough on top of the chips. Stir dough and chips together, then add more chips and more dough until all is mixed together.
- For best results, cover and place dough in refrigerator for 24-36 hours. **You can bake these cookies immediately if you wish.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick baking mat.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball and place on cookie sheet, giving each cookie plenty of room. Mine are usually big enough to get about 8 balls on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until light brown on top and slightly brown around the edges.
- Note: alternatively, you can bake at 325 for 13-15 minutes for a paler, more gooey cookie.
- Cool slightly on cookie sheet. Transfer cookies to racks; cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Flour. The type of flour that you use may affect this recipe. I use White Lily, which has a low protein content. If you’re using King Arthur or Pillsbury, each has a high protein content. You may try substituting 2 cups cake flour and 1 cup of whatever all-purpose you have. I have not tried this but it makes sense to me that it would work because White Lily has a protein content almost as low as cake flour. Please let me know if you try this.
- Butter. You cannot substitute margarine or any type of butter substitute. And you shouldn’t use generic butter. Quality counts. I only use Land O’ Lakes Unsalted Butter.
- Your baking powder and/or baking soda is old. Baking powder and baking soda should be replaced before it’s a year or so old. If older than a year and not kept in an airtight container then the rising properties have diluted.
- Method. Steps 2, 3, and 4 are important. The butter needs to be creamed until it is light in color and texture, along with the sugar. The eggs should be well-mixed into the batter. This will all take several minutes.
- Use good quality chocolate chips for the best quality. I use Ghirardelli, which can be purchased at most grocery stores.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published October 3, 2011, and on March 4, 2024, was updated with one or more of the following: step-by-step photos, video, updated recipe, new tips.
You put the whole bowl of mixture (not divided out into balls) into the refrigerator?
Then you pull out, let sit, and scoop into balls? How long should you let sit out to thaw ? I feel like this defeats the purpose.
I tried once scooping out to balls then refrigerating, and taking them out and right into the over, but they burn….
Hi Kelli,
Yes, I put the whole bowl into the refrigerator first. The purpose is not just to get it cold, but to allow the dough to rest for a couple of days. The dough absorbs the liquid from the eggs more than it does if you make the cookies immediately. I usually take it out just long enough to be able to scoop it because if the dough is cold that also helps the cookies not spread quite as much. Hope this helps!
I really wish you had included your resting/thawing/scooping instruction in the list of tasks of the recipe. This information between you and Kelli is pretty vital to understanding WHY you put them in the fridge and WHY you need to let them thaw a bit before scooping. Many people will assume it’s to chill the butter so it doesn’t cook too quickly, like with biscuits and scones. I followed your instructions to the letter and ended up with chocolate chip biscuits… But now after feeling confused and wondering if i missed something in the instructions i read the comments. Which had the vital information in it I needed to actually complete the recipe properly. Hopefully others will read the messages as well so they don’t feel like they’ve “NAILED IT!”. 😉
The information about chilling the dough is covered extensively in the third, fourth, and fifth paragraphs of the blog post and also later in the blog post.
In any case, I made these cookies for years without chilling the dough and they did not turn out like biscuits, they were just fine. They were slightly thinner because without chilling the dough spreads more. But they were still very good so I think maybe something else went wrong for you. Perhaps you used different ingredients or your oven is not calibrated.
These are now my favorite cookie BUT,after chilling dough that long I have to let it set out for a few hours before I can scoop the dough out of the bowl!
These are now my favorite cookie BUT,after chilling dough that long I have to let it set out for a few hours before I can scoop the dough out of the bowl!
These are in the oven right now…can’t wait! Giving them to my friend and my father for birthdays…Of course, I made a monster sized one for him. I’ll be back with some results:
UPDATE (10 MINS) – Weird shape, but thats my fault. Taste: AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGG! Definitely my go to recipe 🙂
These are in the oven right now…can’t wait! Giving them to my friend and my father for birthdays…Of course, I made a monster sized one for him. I’ll be back with some results:
UPDATE (10 MINS) – Weird shape, but thats my fault. Taste: AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGG! Definitely my go to recipe 🙂
Hi Patty,
I apologize for any confusion–I assumed everyone would know that you only preheat the oven if you are going to bake the cookies immediately. However, I have amended the recipe so that everyone will know not to leave the oven on for 24-36 hours. Thank you for kindly pointing out the error.
Can i make these on Parchment Paper, or do i have to spray and oil the sheet
Hi Michelle,
Use parchment paper or a nonstick mat like a Silpat if you have one. I used to grease the pan but I find that it makes the cookies spread more so I don’t do that anymore.
Hey! I tried this recipe, and I included it in a blog post, I would love it if you could check it out!
Thank you!
Hey! I tried this recipe, and I included it in a blog post, I would love it if you could check it out!
This is the most wonderful chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. My ten-year-old son came home about six weeks ago and said he signed up to enter a baking contest through 4-H and had to make chocolate chip cookies. This was the first recipe that we tried, and we had no need to try anything else. Not only did he win his class competition, but he also won the county-wide competition, beating out 46 other entries. I have made this recipe a couple of other times for parties and for my co-workers… just made a double batch to send to my children’s classes tomorrow and to take to the kids in my classes at school. I’ll never need another recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and I will NEVER buy the break and bake refrigerated from the store EVER again. Simply AMAZING cookies, and a recipe so easy that even my son can do most of the work himself. Thanks SO much for sharing!
Sally! You just made my day! Thank you so much–I love this story of your son because I was in 4-H growing up and it was a huge part of my life. Just FYI, you can freeze the dough if you want to always have some on hand. Just let it thaw and cook as normal. Congratulations to your son also. I’m so excited to know that young kids are baking and cooking and enjoying it as those are such important life skills.
Have a wonderful day and thank you so much for letting me know about the competition. 🙂
how many bags of chocolate chips does this recipe use?
Two full bags — 1 12-ounce bag of semi-sweet and 1 12-ounce bag of milk chocolate chips, just as listed in the ingredients of the recipe.
This is the most wonderful chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. My ten-year-old son came home about six weeks ago and said he signed up to enter a baking contest through 4-H and had to make chocolate chip cookies. This was the first recipe that we tried, and we had no need to try anything else. Not only did he win his class competition, but he also won the county-wide competition, beating out 46 other entries. I have made this recipe a couple of other times for parties and for my co-workers… just made a double batch to send to my children’s classes tomorrow and to take to the kids in my classes at school. I’ll never need another recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and I will NEVER buy the break and bake refrigerated from the store EVER again. Simply AMAZING cookies, and a recipe so easy that even my son can do most of the work himself. Thanks SO much for sharing!
So amazing! I’ve memorized te recipe and can make a batch in 30min minus the preheat. I bring about 40 to school sometimes and they never make it pass my first class of the day. Everyone loves them! Next Im going to try and make a double chocolate, you know like a chocolate dough and chocolate chips.
Luna,
Thank you so much! Double chocolate sounds delicious!
So amazing! I’ve memorized te recipe and can make a batch in 30min minus the preheat. I bring about 40 to school sometimes and they never make it pass my first class of the day. Everyone loves them! Next Im going to try and make a double chocolate, you know like a chocolate dough and chocolate chips.
These cookies were really good!
Thank you!
These cookies were really good!
I some how skipped the baking soda but remembered the baking powder my mix is already mixed and has been in the fridge for 24 hours what should I do ??
Alex, I don’t think you can do anything at this point since your dough is well-mixed and has already been resting. But I suspect your cookies will be just fine even without the soda! They will taste great although maybe the texture will be off slightly…but they will probably be fine. Hope you enjoy!
Luuuucy your cookies are aaawesoommmmeyum! Tried this recipe today. The only thing I did differently was to add 2 Tbsp of Jamaican rum and I used three different kinds of dark organis chocolate. I tried to bake a cookie right away as a tester and it came out like cake. So I covered up the rest and let it rest for 24hrs. I followed your instructions to the letter (well excepting what I mentioned) Texture, flavor, consistency perfect. My Hats Off To You!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed.
Luuuucy your cookies are aaawesoommmmeyum! Tried this recipe today. The only thing I did differently was to add 2 Tbsp of Jamaican rum and I used three different kinds of dark organis chocolate. I tried to bake a cookie right away as a tester and it came out like cake. So I covered up the rest and let it rest for 24hrs. I followed your instructions to the letter (well excepting what I mentioned) Texture, flavor, consistency perfect. My Hats Off To You!
I’m not sure why, since I’ve made so many chocolate chip cookie recipes, but I’m SO excited to taste how these turn out. Maybe b/c I think these might be my “go to” chocolate chip cookies. 🙂 Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Thank you for sharing.
I’m not sure why, since I’ve made so many chocolate chip cookie recipes, but I’m SO excited to taste how these turn out. Maybe b/c I think these might be my “go to” chocolate chip cookies. 🙂 Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Thank you for sharing.