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The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with crisp edges. Created in one bowl with dark chocolate chips throughout for that iconic chocolate chip cookie.

Overhead image of chocolate chip cookies

Think of these as your classic chocolate chip cookies that you would usually find in your favourite bakery store.

To take these up a notch, you have got to try my Stuffed Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies!

This recipe is a simple one bowl method with a one hour chilling time for the dough before baking.

Close up image of cookies

🍪 Why you will love this recipe

  • Melted butter makes this an easy one bowl recipe without having to use electric beaters to cream the butter and sugar together. 
  • Brown sugar makes the cookies soft and chewy. 
  • Cornstarch softens the dough and preventing a tough and dense cookie. 

📋 Ingredient notes

Unsalted butter: ensure it’s melted and cooled down slightly before adding the sugar.

Granulated sugar: Use either raw or white granulated sugar.

Light brown sugar: Make sure it’s light brown sugar and not dark brown sugar. Adds a nice toffee flavour, makes them chewy and helps them spread during baking. 

Egg: Use a large egg at room temperature.

Cornstarch: Helps to prevent the development of gluten, making it less rigid therefore, makes these cookies soft and chewy, not tough or dense. Also known as cornflour. You can replace it with arrowroot powder as well.

Baking soda: Be sure it’s not past it’s expiration date.

Dark chocolate chips: Can be replaced with milk chocolate chips if desired.

Bite taken out of one cookie

🥣 Step by step instructions

(1) Melt your butter and set it aside to cool for 10-15 minutes.

(2) Pour the butter into a large mixing bowl and add both of the sugars. Whisk until well combined.

Process shot of adding sugar to the butter and whisking

(3) Add your egg and the vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

Adding the egg and mixing it through

(4) Sift over the flour, cornstarch and the baking soda. Fold until well combined and a soft cookie dough begins to form, it will be thick. 

(5) Fold through your chocolate chips.

Dry ingredients added and mixed. Chocolate chips being mixed through

(6) Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour. You can also chill your dough overnight, if do you, remove your dough from the fridge 30 minutes before you create the cookies.

(7) Form cookie dough balls with each weighing 50g (1.7 ounces).

Cookie dough finished and cookie dough balls on baking tray ready to go into the oven

(8) Place them on your lined tray and leave them as cookie balls, do not flatten them down. Leave enough space between each ball, about 10cm (4 inches).

(9) Bake for 10 minutes. Ensure not to over-bake your cookies, one of the secrets to chewy and soft cookies is to slightly under-bake them.

Close up image of cookie dough ball, do not flatten it before baking

(10) Remove from the oven and tap your baking tray three times on your bench top or your stove top. This will help them slightly deflate which creates that signature wave appearance. Allow them to cool on the tray for 30 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

(11) Enjoy whilst still warm and gooey or store and enjoy later!

Side angle image of chocolate chip cookie

💭 Tips and variations

  • Melt the butter first and then set it aside to cool down for 10-15 minutes until it’s only slightly warm. If it’s too hot, the egg will curdle when it’s added. 
  • Instead of dark chocolate chips try using milk chocolate chips. 
  • Do not have to flatten the dough balls on the baking sheet. Keep them tall and they’ll spread down and out during baking in the oven. 
  • Give them a few taps on your bench top to deflate after baking. This is what will give you those classic cookie top waves.
  • Allow cookies to cool on the baking tray for 30 minutes before removing. They’re delicate when still warm.

🍽 Storing and freezing instructions

To store: Keep your cookies in an airtight container, in a dark dry pantry for 1 week. 

To freeze: Pace cookies in an airtight container, in single rows and layers. Then place either a layer of aluminium foil or plastic wrap between each layer of cookies so they’re not directly touching when sitting on top of each other. For even better results, wrap each cookie individually in the foil or plastic wrap then layer them up in your airtight container. Place the container in your freezer and freeze for up to 2 months. 

To defrost: Remove cookies from their container, or how ever many cookies you need to defrost. Place them on a plate or board and set them aside at room temperature until they’ve completely thawed. To freshen them up, warm them again in the oven at the temperature of 160ºC (325ºF) for 5-10 minutes or until warmed through and they have softened. 

💬 FAQ’S

How do you make cookies chewy?


Using more brown sugar than white sugar adds more moisture, which creates a softer cookie. Including cornstarch prevents a tough cookie as it softens the gluten in the flour. Resulting in chewy and soft cookies.

Does melted butter make cookies chewy?

Yes, using melted butter results in a chewy and softer cookie with crispy edges. Using softened butter creamed with sugar, aerates the batter which results in a fluffy and cakey textured cookie. Chilling the dough before baking and leaving the rolled dough in balls (not pressing them down), prevents the cookies from spreading too thin, which makes them crunchy and overly crisp.


Why didn’t my cookies spread out during baking?

Cookies that don’t spread and flatten out in the oven can be caused by having too much flour. When you add additional flour, it will dry out the cookie dough and there will be too many dry ingredients compared to wet ingredients.

See my handy guide on how to accurately measure flour. Cookies spread in the oven due to the fat ingredients (butter and eggs) melting in the hot oven, which causes them to spread out.

Cookies that have too much flour will take longer to spread out as they’re too dry. Most recipes will have the perfect ratio of flour to butter, there is no need to add extra flour if you think the dough might be too wet and sticky. 


Can I make this cookie batter in advance?

Yes, you can make this cookie dough the day before and keep it in the refrigerator, covered, overnight. To bake the next day, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes until its pliable enough for you to form the cookies. If the dough is too solid, the cookies will have trouble spreading in the oven. 


Can I freeze cookie dough to bake later?

Yes, simply form your made cookie dough into a smooth disc. Wrap it tightly in plastic/cling wrap covering every inch. You can double wrap it if it’s large. Transfer it to your freezer and it will store for up to 3 months. To defrost, transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator and allow 24-48 hours for it to completely thaw out. Before forming your cookies, the dough needs to be soft enough to manage but still cold.

Cookies stacked together with a bite taken out of one

🥄 Related recipes

The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies! These are your ultimate bakery style, chewy and soft chocolate chip cookies. Melted butter and brown sugar promise you a chewy and gooey cookie with golden edges that offer a slight crunch. These are created in one bowl with no mixer required. Dark chocolate chips throughout for that iconic chocolate chip cookie goodness.

🍪 The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Samantha Pickthall
These are your ultimate bakery style, chewy and soft chocolate chip cookies. Melted butter and brown sugar promise you a chewy and gooey cookie with golden edges that offer a slight crunch. These are created in one bowl with no mixer required. Dark chocolate chips throughout for that iconic chocolate chip cookie goodness.
4.91 from 21 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Course Snack
Servings 16 cookies
Calories 220 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 160 g unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup raw or white granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup lightly packed regular brown sugar, not dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature (weighing approx. 55g-60g in shell)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups plain all purpose flour scoop & leveled
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch/cornflour or arrowroot flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt 
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Melt butter then set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes until it’s only slightly warm. Don’t let it firm back up again.
  • Pour butter into a large mixing bowl. Add both sugars and using a handheld whisk, whisk for 20 seconds until well combined, it will slowly start to thicken and the longer you leave it, the thicker it will get, so be sure not too leave it sitting for too long as it will be harder to whisk through your egg in the next step.
  • Add egg and vanilla, whisk until well combined, about 15 seconds.
  • Sift over flour, cornstarch and baking soda. Add the salt. Fold and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until well combined and a soft cookie dough begins to form, it will be thick.
  • Add chocolate chips and fold/mix until chips are throughout the dough.
  • Transfer bowl with cookie dough inside to the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour. You can also chill your dough overnight, if do you, remove your dough from the fridge 30 minutes before you create the cookies. If your bowl is too large for the fridge, just wrap your dough directly and place it in the fridge without the bowl.
  • Whilst dough is chilling, preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Line a large flat baking tray with parchment paper, set aside.
  • Remove dough from fridge.
  • To create, weigh out each cookie to be 50g (2oz). If you don’t have a food scale, measure each cookie to be 3 level tablespoons. I highly recommended you use a food scale to measure each one.
  • Place onto lined tray, leaving as tall balls, do not flatten.
  • Repeat with remaining dough, leaving a gap of 10cm (4 inches) between each cookie ball on tray to allow for spreading, also leaving a bit of gap between the balls and the edges of the tray. You will have to bake your cookies in batches as they won’t all fit on one baking tray.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden around the edges and lightly golden in the middles. The centre of each will still look slightly under-baked which is great, that’s what makes them soft and chewy.
  • Remove from oven and gently tap the baking tray on your bench top or stove top 3 times to help slightly deflate. Allow cookies to cool on tray for 15 minutes.
  • Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. They’ll still be soft and delicate so handle with care to avoid breakages.
  • Cool completely on rack or allow one to firm up a little to enjoy a warm cookie whilst the choc chunks are still gooey, delicious!
  • Store in an airtight container, in a dark dry pantry for 1 week. Refer to notes for freezing instructions.
  • Enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Melt the butter first and then set it aside to cool down for 10-15 minutes until it’s only slightly warm. If it’s too hot, the egg will curdle when it’s added.
  • Chill cookie dough overnight to make them a day ahead.
  • Do not have to flatten the dough balls on the baking sheet. Keep them tall and they’ll spread down and out during baking in the oven.
  • Give them a few taps on your bench top to deflate after baking. This is what will give you those classic cookie top waves.
  • Allow cookies to cool on the baking tray for 30 minutes before removing. They’re delicate when still warm. 

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 79mgPotassium: 33mgFiber: 1gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 265IUCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? Let us know how it was!

6 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    I made these cookies and was super careful to measure/weigh the butter and flour just as you instructed. (I read your guide) and they taste good, but they are SO flat and spread out that you can almost see through them!! They were in the fridge a little over an hour and I used a light colored baking sheet with parchment paper. I also checked my oven temp. What do you think I did wrong?

    1. Hi Greta, I appreciate you trying the recipe and following the instructions closely. Flat cookies can occur if the melted butter was still too warm when mixed, if there was a slight under-measurement of flour, or if the dough needed more chilling time. Using a heavier baking sheet might also help as it can distribute heat more evenly, minimizing spread. For future attempts, consider adding a bit more flour and ensuring your oven is properly calibrated for even heating. Sam 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    Samantha, these really are the best! Chewy, soft and yet a beautiful light crispness on the edges. Thank you! I’ve been searching years for a recipe like this!

    1. Hi Lynne! I’m thrilled to hear that you loved this cookie recipe, and it’s wonderful that it met your expectations for the perfect balance of chewy, soft, and crisp! Your kind words mean a lot, and I’m so glad my recipe could be the one you’ve been searching for. Happy baking, and I hope you continue to enjoy many more delicious treats from my blog! Kindest, Sam x

  3. 5 stars
    Love this recipe, thank you for sharing!
    Just was wondering, instead of scooping the dough, could you roll it into a log and slice them?

    1. Hi Karyn! So happy you enjoyed this choc chip cookie recipe, it’s one of my favorites too. You could definitely try that yes! I would recommend rolling the dough into a log before it chills in the fridge. If there is too much dough to handle, you can create two logs. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and then refrigerate for the 1 hour. I hope this helps! Sam 🙂

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