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Our best chocolate chip cookie recipe is soft, chewy, delicious and perfect for any occasion. They’re our all-time FAVORITE!
Our Most Requested Cookie Recipe!
We have yet to meet someone who doesn’t love COOKIES! More specifically, we have yet to meet someone who hasn’t fallen in love with our best chocolate chip cookie recipe.
We got this recipe decades ago from a family friend, and it’s been loved and adored ever since. We’ve made a few tweaks along the way, and any time we make these cookies, we are asked for the recipe right away.
It uses butter, two types of sugar and two types of chocolate chips. The result is extra soft and chewy cookies with the PERFECT chocolate-y flavor! We have a feeling once you try it, that it will definitely be your go-to chocolate chip cookie.
Be sure to check out some of our other chewy, easy chocolate chip cookie recipes, like: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies or cookie classics like Snickerdoodles and Sugar Cookies.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Simple steps. These are made in minutes and use pantry staples! No special ingredients are needed for fabulous flavor.
- SO tasty! This classic chocolate chip cookie is soft, chewy, and delicious. It’s simply the best!
- Dress it up. We use this recipe as the base for almost every cookie recipe I make.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
BAKE TIME: 10 minutes
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar – For a chewier cookie decrease the white sugar to ½ cup and increase the brown sugar to 1½ cup.
- 1 cup unsalted butter – see How to Soften Butter Quickly. Or use ½ cup softened butter and ½ cup vegetable oil.
- 2 large eggs – room temperature
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – or almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour – see How to Measure Flour
- 2 cups chocolate chips – Use any type or combination of milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks. We always do one cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and one cup milk chocolate chips.
- optional toppings – top with sprinkles or flaky sea salt
How to make The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
- PREHEAT. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a baking pan or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- BATTER. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream 1 cup softened butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1 cup brown sugar until combined well (a few minutes). Add 2 eggs and mix on low speed until fluffy (a few more minutes).
- In a medium bowl, add 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt. Add dry ingredients and 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix until combined. Add 2 cups chocolate chips (we love semi-sweet + milk chocolate).
- BAKE. Scoop cookie dough balls onto a prepared cookie sheet. The key to making the cookies look pretty is to add a few extra chocolate chips on top of the balls of dough. Bake for 9-11 minutes (or until golden brown) and cool on cookie racks or a wire rack.
Kristyn’s Tips for Perfect Chocolate CHip Cookies
- MAKE ‘EM BEAUTIFUL – Add a mix of chocolate chips on top of your dough balls before baking. Once out of the oven, use the back end of a metal spatula to round out the cookie and add any more chips on top of the cookie in empty spots.
- SIZE – For bite-size cookies, use a mini scoop and bake for 6-7 minutes. For a bakery-style cookie, double scoop (one scoop on bottom and another on top) and bake for 12-14 minutes.
- NO-FAIL BASE – Use this delicious cookie dough base for all your cookie needs – Cookie Cake, Pizookie, and any other cookie combo needed. We love adding nuts, M&Ms, different chips and more!
Cookie Factors to Consider
We all know everyone likes their cookies a certain way – whether it’s soft, crunchy, large, small, chewy, crunchy, etc. Here are some tips to change up some things to get them just how you like them.
- SIZE – Use a mini cookie scoop and bake for less or a larger cookie scoop and bake for longer to change up the size of cookies.
- FLAVOR – change it up by adding different chocolate chips (caramel chips, peanut butter chips, mint chips, etc). We love the white chocolate chip + butterscotch chip combo!!
- CHEWINESS – Instead of 1 cup sugar + 1 cup brown sugar, try using 1/2 cup sugar + 1 1/2 cups brown sugar. Or you can use dark brown sugar, which has more molasses and will make them the best chewy chocolate chip cookies.
- DRY-NESS – DO NOT pack your flour. Fluff flour and then spoon into measuring cup making sure to level off before adding to your cookie dough. Any more than 3 cups is too much flour and will make the dough too dry.
- CRISPY-NESS – If you prefer a cookie with crisp edges, you’ll need to reduce the moisture content. Try using one of these tips:
- Bake the cookies for longer at a lower temperature. The cookies will have time to spread out more before they firm up.
- Replace the brown sugar with white sugar or corn syrup. Without the moisture contained in brown sugar they will become more dry and crispy.
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Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (or ½ cup butter plus ½ cup vegetable oil)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups chocolate chips, semisweet, milk, dark or a mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
- In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer in a large bowl), cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for a few minutes. Add eggs and beat until fluffy (a few more minutes).
- In a medium bowl, add 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt. Add dry ingredients and 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix until combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips (we prefer one cup semi-sweet and one cup milk chocolate chips). Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop dough, and roll into balls. Place onto the prepared baking sheet and top dough balls with extra chocolate chips.
- Bake for 9–11 minutes.
- While still warm, use the back end of a metal spatula to round out the cookies and add any more chips needed. Sprinkle on flaky sea salt if desired. Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove to a rack to cool.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 1-2 days or freeze for 2 months. See How to Freeze Cookie Dough for tips and how to bake frozen dough balls.
Cool and store the cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
These really are the best! If they’re turning out oily, maybe try creaming the butter and sugars for longer – a few minutes, really. So hard to mess them up!
Thank you Kelsea! SO glad you like them! We like them too 😉
Which oil shall I use
What oil shall I use can you reply asap
Xx
Vegetable Oil 🙂 Hope you like them!!
I can’t have butter but I can have margarine. Would substituting butter for magarine ruin the recipe or would it be okay?
Thank you
It shouldn’t:) Let me know what you think! They really are the best!!
So I’m a few years later to the party it looks like, but I wanted to let you know how much I adore this recipe!!! I’ve been looking for a recipe that turns out consistent results each time I bake it, as well as on my different types of cookie sheets – this one delivers!!! I use a scant 3 cups white whole wheat flour, and canola oil. Today I tried melted coconut oil, and the cookies aren’t spreading quite as much as I’d like, but it is a cool, rainy day, unlike the relatively warm, humid days we’ve had lately. I also deviate from your original recipe in that I only use 1/4 c white sugar. Thank you for such an awesome recipe!!
You’re so welcome, Nancy!! I love hearing what changes everyone makes, to fit their own likes and tastes!! These are the best!!!
Do you think I could make this recipe with all “white whole wheat” flour? I’ve not tried this flour in anything since my wife bought it.
Thanks!
John
I make these with white whole wheat flour and they turn out beautifully! I use a scant 3 cups, however, as the whole wheat flour seems to absorb more liquid.
That’s good to know..thank you Nancy!!
I haven’t tried that, so I honestly couldn’t tell you. I don’t see why they wouldn’t work out. I know a lot of people like to use that instead. I’d love to know if you make them with that flour!!
My go-to recipe every time!! I just make sure to add a little extra flour so they don’t flatten out as much. In fact, so much extra flour that the dough is slightly crumbly and they’re super fat and the middle stays yummy. And I use 75% dark chips to be sassy. 😛
Haha..I like that, to be sassy!! It is our go to recipe, too..they’re the best!! Thanks for sharing!
Hello! I’m on the Great Cookie Recipe hunt and I’m trying this recipe next! So far my favorite has been a cream cheese chocolate chip cookie but I need a great go to recipe that uses ingredients I usually have at home. Question for you though – salted or unsalted butter? I can’t believe no one else has asked!
This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe:) I always use unsalted butter when baking:) Hope you like them!! Thank you!
Shouldn’t you chill the dough first?
No need to chill for this recipe. 😉
This recipe just popped up on my Facebook feed and having nothing better to do (& having all the ingredients) thought I’d give them a go, really easy to make and absolutely delicious. Not sure these are going to last until Tuesday when I was planning on taking them into the office! Thanks Lil Luna!
Thanks for the kind words! I’m so glad you like the recipe. We make these at least once a month – they’re the best. I hope you can find more recipes on the site that you enjoy as well. 😉