If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would probably be classic chocolate chip cookies. A buttery cookie dotted with chocolate chips is easily one of my favorite things to eat.
There are so many opinions on chocolate chip cookies. Thin or thick? Crisp or chewy? Nuts or no nuts? Soft or crunchy? Growing up, we always made the recipe from the back of the Toll House chocolate chip bag. To me, that’s the definition of a classic chocolate chip cookie. When I started working on this recipe, I wanted to create a soft yet slightly crisp cookie that keeps things simple and satisfying.
Don’t get me wrong—I adore a fancy brown butter, oversized, nut-filled chocolate chip cookie. But sometimes, you just can’t beat a simple, no-frills classic. This cookie is exactly that: timeless, delicious, and sure to hit the spot every time
Making the classic chocolate chip cookies
I have researched chocolate chip cookie recipes, testing countless techniques and tasting the results, to create the best classic chocolate chip cookie. Along the way, I picked up a few key tips and tricks to elevate your cookies to perfection.
Hydrate the Flour: Allowing the flour to absorb the moisture from the eggs, butter, and extracts is a game-changer. This step helps the dough become easier to scoop and ensures the cookies bake and brown more evenly. I recommend letting the dough rest overnight in the fridge—it makes a noticeable difference. The cookies develop chewier centers and crisper edges. If you can’t wait to dig in, bake off just one or two cookies right away and let the rest of the dough rest overnight. Trust me, the wait is worth it!
Add Cornstarch: This secret ingredient is the key to achieving the perfect cookie texture. Cornstarch helps create soft, chewy centers and prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
More Brown Sugar: Using more brown sugar than white sugar adds extra moisture and depth of flavor to the cookies. It’s a simple adjustment that makes a big difference.
Use Carryover Heat: Once the edges are golden and crisp, remove the cookies from the oven and let them finish baking on the warm tray for about five minutes. This prevents over-baking and keeps the centers perfectly soft.
These small tweaks are easy to implement but make all the difference in creating classic, crowd-pleasing chocolate chip cookies.
Storage tips
Cookie Dough Storage
The unbaked dough can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days. Before scooping, let it soften on the counter for 20-30 minutes for easier handling.
You can also portion the unbaked dough into scoops and freeze them for later. When baking frozen cookie dough, do not thaw—simply bake straight from the freezer, adding about 5 extra minutes to the baking time.
Baked Cookies Storage
Baked cookies will stay fresh at room temperature for about 5 days when stored in an airtight container.
For longer storage, baked cookies can also be frozen. Just thaw them at room temperature for a quick treat!
Top Tip
These cookies are at their absolute best when the dough rests overnight. Plan ahead—prepare the dough the night before and bake them fresh the next day for the perfect texture and flavor.
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted but cooled
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add Chocolate Chips: Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour, preferably overnight.
- Soften Cookie Dough: Remove the dough from the fridge and let it soften for 20-30 minutes to make scooping easier.
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 325℉ (165℃) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Scoop the Dough: Use a 1.5-tablespoon scoop (or a #40 cookie scoop) to portion the dough. Place the scoops 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake: Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
Want more cookies?
Check out some of my other cookie recipes.
This recipe is for yeasted chocolate chip cookies but there is no yeast.in the ingredients or instructions?
Standard cookies.