The short answer: Homemade chocolate chip cookies are the classic drop cookie made with butter, brown and white sugar, eggs, flour and chocolate chips.
Our picks for chocolate chip cookies
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Prep time: 20 minCook time: 12 minTotal time: 1 hr 7 minServings: 24 large cookiesTotal includes 35 min of resting, chilling or rising.
For the best chewy cookies, cream 1 cup of butter with 1 cup of brown sugar and ½ cup of white sugar, add an egg, a yolk and vanilla, stir in 2¼ cups of flour with baking soda and salt, fold in 2 cups of chips, chill 30 minutes and bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes. Below is our best chocolate chip cookie recipe with exact amounts, bake times, fixes for flat or cakey cookies and how to freeze the dough.
I love keeping a bag of frozen dough balls in the freezer, so warm cookies are only 12 minutes away on a hard day.
Chocolate chip cookie ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Unsalted butter, softened | 1 cup (2 sticks) |
| Light brown sugar, packed | 1 cup |
| Granulated sugar | ½ cup |
| Large egg plus 1 yolk | 1 + 1 |
| Vanilla extract | 2 teaspoons |
| All-purpose flour | 2¼ cups |
| Baking soda | 1 teaspoon |
| Salt | ¾ teaspoon |
| Semisweet chocolate chips | 2 cups |
| Flaky salt (optional) | for topping |
Makes about 24 large cookies.
How to make chocolate chip cookies
- Cream. Beat the butter and both sugars for 2 to 3 minutes until light.
- Add the eggs. Beat in the egg, the yolk and the vanilla.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
- Combine. Mix the dry ingredients in on low just until no flour streaks remain.
- Fold in the chips. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Chill. Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
- Bake. Scoop 2-tablespoon balls onto a cool, parchment-lined pan, 2 inches apart. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Cool. Let them rest on the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a rack.
Fix your cookies: troubleshooting table
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Flat, greasy cookies | Butter too warm, hot pan | Chill the dough; use a cool pan |
| Cakey cookies | Too much flour or egg | Spoon and level flour; mix less |
| Dry, hard cookies | Overbaked | Pull when centers look soft |
| Pale cookies | Too little brown sugar, low oven | Use more brown sugar; check oven with a thermometer |
| Uneven sizes | Spoon scooping | Use a cookie scoop |
Tips for the best chocolate chip cookies
- Weigh the flour if you can. 2¼ cups is about 280 grams.
- Brown the butter for nutty flavor. Cook it until golden, cool it, then use it like melted butter.
- Give the dough time. A 24-hour chill makes a deeper caramel taste.
- Handle eggs carefully. Store eggs at 40°F or below, as FDA advises in its egg safety guide, and wash your hands after cracking them.
- No raw-dough tasting. FDA says to never eat or taste raw flour, dough or batter. Bake one test cookie instead.
Chocolate chip cookie variations
- Brown butter chocolate chip cookies: brown the butter for toffee notes.
- Pumpkin version: see our pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for fall.
- Peanut butter chip: swap half the chocolate for peanut butter chips, or try our peanut butter cookies.
- Holiday M&M cookies: use red and green candies for a Christmas tray.
- Skillet cookie: press the dough into a 10-inch skillet and bake 20 to 25 minutes.
For more holiday baking, see our Christmas cookies, shortbread cookies and sugar cookies.
Want something chewier with oats? See our oatmeal cookie recipe. For a chilled chocolate dessert instead of another cookie batch, try our chocolate pie. Use our chocolate crinkle cookie recipe notes when you want a chocolate cookie with a powdered-sugar finish.
Storing and freezing
Keep baked cookies airtight at room temperature for 4 to 5 days. Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. For fresh cookies anytime, freeze scooped dough balls and bake them straight from the freezer.
Plan your baking day
A baking day goes smoothly when the butter, chips and flour are already on the grocery list. Plan which cookies you'll make each weekend in December. For a cereal-based addition to the snack tray, make marshmallow cereal treats alongside the cookies.
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See the Holiday shop or our guide to hosting a cookie exchange.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe? The best chocolate chip cookie recipe for most home bakers uses melted or softened butter, more brown sugar than white, one egg plus one yolk, all-purpose flour, and a short chill. That combination gives chewy centers, golden edges and deep caramel flavor.
How do you make chewy chocolate chip cookies? For chewy chocolate chip cookies, use more brown sugar than white sugar, add an extra egg yolk, and take them out when the centers still look soft. Melted butter also makes a chewier, denser cookie.
Why do my chocolate chip cookies go flat? Flat cookies usually come from butter that's too warm, too little flour, or a hot pan. Chill the dough for 30 minutes, spoon and level the flour, and always load dough onto a cool baking sheet.
Should you chill chocolate chip cookie dough? Chilling isn't required, but 30 minutes to 24 hours in the fridge gives thicker cookies with less spread and a richer, toffee-like flavor. Let very cold dough sit 10 minutes before scooping.
What temperature do you bake chocolate chip cookies? Bake chocolate chip cookies at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, or at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes for crisper edges. Pull them when the edges are golden and the centers look slightly underdone.
Can you use melted butter in chocolate chip cookies? Yes, you can use melted butter in chocolate chip cookies. Melted butter makes chewier, flatter cookies. Let it cool for 5 minutes before mixing so it doesn't scramble the egg, and chill the dough so the cookies don't spread too far.
What chocolate is best for chocolate chip cookies? Semisweet chips are the classic. Chopped chocolate bars make puddles of melted chocolate, and a mix of semisweet and milk chocolate pleases kids and adults alike.
How do you make chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar? You can use all white sugar plus 1 tablespoon of molasses or maple syrup for moisture. Without any of those, the cookies come out crisper and lighter in color.
Can you eat raw chocolate chip cookie dough? No, you shouldn't eat regular raw chocolate chip cookie dough. FDA warns that raw flour and raw eggs can contain harmful bacteria and says to never eat or taste raw dough or batter. Bake the cookies first.
How long do chocolate chip cookies last? Chocolate chip cookies keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days. A slice of bread in the container keeps them soft.
How do you freeze chocolate chip cookie dough? Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a tray until firm, then bag them for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 350°F and add 1 to 2 minutes.
Why are my chocolate chip cookies cakey? Cakey cookies come from too much flour, too much egg, or overbeating the butter and sugar. Measure flour by spooning and leveling, and mix just until combined after the flour goes in.
How many cookies does this recipe make? This recipe makes about 24 cookies using a 2-tablespoon scoop, or about 36 smaller cookies with a 1-tablespoon scoop.
How do you get bakery-style thick cookies? Use a large scoop, chill the dough at least an hour, and bake on a cool pan. Press a few extra chips on top right after baking for that bakery look.