Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bakery style chocolate chip cookies are thick, chewy, and delicious. Follow these tips for picture-perfect cookies!

Bakery style chocolate chip cookies are rich and delicious, a step up from our best-loved Chocolate Chip Cookies. For more bakery-style treats, try our impressive Chocolate Eclairs and our family-favorite Homemade Cream Puffs.

Picture Perfect

We love cookies, especially Chocolate Chip Cookies!! Now you can have thick and chewy bakery style chocolate chip cookies at home.

I’ve included my top tips for making cookies that look as good as they taste! They might be too pretty to eat… Who am I kidding, of course you’ll want to munch on these tasty treats!

Serve them up with a glass of cold milk or box them up and share them with friends and family.

Just Mix and Bake!

PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

WET INGREDIENTS. In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer in a large bowl), cream butter and both sugars. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.

DRY INGREDIENTS. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla, and mix until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.

BAKE. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop dough and place it onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Make another cookie scoop and place it on top of the first scoop. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.

Remove cookies from the oven and round them out with the bottom of a small bowl and add additional chocolate chips to the center of each cookie.

COOL. Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove them to a rack to cool.

Recipe Tips

The first key to producing deliciously thick bakery style chocolate chip cookies is to use good quality ingredients. 

• Baking powder and baking soda work together to expand the dough. Be sure that they are not expired.
• Vanilla. Steer clear of imitation vanilla and chose pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
• Chocolate chips. Generic brands have fillers that don’t melt as well or taste as good as higher-quality chocolate chips. 

Picture perfect cookies. Bakeries have discovered superficial ways to make their cookies look as good as they taste, here are a few tips:

• Use a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop to form equal portions which will ensure uniform sizes.
• Place a few chocolate chips on top of the cookie dough balls before you put them in the oven. The chips will spread randomly and sit beckoningly on top.
• While the cookies are still warm use a rubber spatula to smooth out the ragged edges of the cookies. Gently press the perimeter of the cookie inward to form a perfect circle. 

Variations

I can assure you that these cookies taste as good as they look, but like every baker, sometimes I like to tweak a perfect recipe to produce another great result. 

• Texture. For a crispier cookie increase the amount of white sugar. For a chewier cookie increase the amount of brown sugar. If you increase one type of sugar also decrease the other type of sugar by the same amount.
• Toppings. Add flaky sea salt or chopped nuts to the top of the dough balls.
• Chocolate chips. Pair two types of chocolate chips for extra layers of flavor. I love a combination of milk chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips. You can also use chocolate chunks instead of chips.
• Thicker cookie. Increase the amount of flour by ¼ -½ cup for a thicker cookie. Any more and it will start to have a negative effect on the taste and texture.

the Perfect Method

Baking is a science so the amount of ingredients and method that they are incorporated is important to follow.

• Room temperature eggs incorporate better than cold eggs.
• Softened butter is key, but if it is too soft it won’t give the needed structural support. Cookies made with very soft or melted butter tend to spread out more and are flatter. 
• Don’t beat the eggs or too much air will be incorporated. The cookies will puff up and then flatten as the extra air escapes.
• Overmixing the flour will activate the gluten strands and cause a harder cookie texture.
• Chilling the dough isn’t necessary, but it can help the flour and sugar further time to fully absorb. It also helps the fat in the butter stay firm. Another perk is that cold dough tends to yield a lightly toasted exterior and a thick soft center.
• Don’t overbake. In fact, take the cookies out just as they are on the verge of being baked. Allow them to cool on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack. The hot pan will continue to bake the cookies to perfection before they begin to cool off.
• Stack the dough balls. This will help each portion bake thoroughly as they meld together into to one thick cookie.

Storing Your Cookies

Store cookie dough. Cookie dough can be covered and stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Freeze cookie dough for longer storage.

• Form cookie dough balls and place them on baking trays. No need to stack the balls.
• Put the trays in the freezer. Once the dough is solid transfer them to a freezer Ziploc for up to 3 months.
• Thaw or bake from frozen. If baking them from frozen, add 2-3 minutes to the baking time.

Store baked cookies. Cool these best bakery style chocolate chip cookies before storing them. Keep them in an airtight container on the counter for about 5 days.

Place an apple slice or piece of white bread into the container to help keep the cookies softer during storage.

Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months.

Recipe FAQ

For More Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes, try:

• Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies